Panasonic Solutions Co. has introduced the Toughbook 53, the company's first rugged laptop that can operate on 4G LTE mobile broadband.

The Toughbook 53, which weighs 5.6 pounds and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life, arrives with a 14-inch high-definition display. The Toughbook 53 is powered by a second generation Intel i5 or i3 processor.

The Toughbook 53 can survive 30-foot drops on six faces, features a spill-resistant keyboard and passes nine MIL-STD-810G tests. The Toughbook 53 is also the first Panasonic notebook to support a high definition LED display and offers an optional 2-800 nit sunlight-viewable Panasonic CircuLumin touchscreen plus an adjustable backlit emissive keyboard so users can adjust to various lighting conditions.

Panasonic has increased the size of the touchpad by 25 percent, while giving it multi-touch with zoom-and-scroll capabilities. The Toughbook 53 also offers USB 3.0, VGA, HDMI and an SDXC slot for even greater flexibility.

"The next-generation Toughbook 53 was designed with a substantial amount of customer input and is the result of Panasonic's goal to offer the most functional and reliable devices for today's mobile workforce," according to Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Solutions Company. "Panasonic has added enhanced features to this new device providing added flexibility for professionals who spend a significant amount of time working from the road."

The Toughbook 53 offers a variety of embedded wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, optional Bluetooth 2.1 and Gobi2000 3G mobile broadband technology from Qualcomm. In addition to its 4G capabilities, the device is certified on the Sprint and Verizon Wireless 3G networks.

The Toughbook 53 also delivers an optional dual antenna pass-through for in-vehicle use in passenger cars and light-duty trucks, perfect for professionals whose vehicles regularly serve as mobile offices.

The Toughbook 53 also offers options for an integrated webcam, plus fingerprint and SmartCard readers for enhanced security. Enhanced connectivity includes options for FireWire, 56K modem or second LAN port.

The Panasonic Toughbook 53 is available in three configurations from authorized Panasonic resellers and distributors. The Toughbook 53 i5 model will ship in June and retail for $1,899; the touchscreen version will ship in July and retail for $2,449. The Toughbook 53 i3 model will ship in August at $1,599.