The Panasonic R3 is the successor to the successful Panasonic R2. The R3 follows the same winning format as the R2, but with more attention to styling. New small intangibles include a glowing power key, chrome-rimmed circular touch pad (with circular scrolling), and grooved inner surface. And now with an 8.5 hour battery life, the R3 excels in both portability and usability.

The Panasonic R3 was designed with portability in mind. In addition to the 2.18 pound weight, the R3 has a diminutive 9.0(W) x 7.2(L) x 0.9~1.6(H) inch footprint. Despite this small footprint, it has a 10.4in. XGA TFT and 17mm. keypitch. The 40Gb HDD is shock-mounted to reduce the likelihood of data loss due to stress of travel. Connectivity is easy using the 802.11b/g wi-fi capability, built-in LAN, or built-in modem. There is a PC card slot, and the additional SD slot is convenient for digital camera, MP3 player, or PDA users. The R3 also has two USB 2.0 ports.

The Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology / Intel® Pentium® M 1.2GHz Dothan processor (2Mb on-chip cache) provides plenty of power without sacrificing 8.5-hour (optimal) battery run-time. And, the battery charges in about 4-hours, regardless of whether the computer is in use or not. The Panasonic R3 comes standard with a 40Gb (max.) HDD and 512Mb (max. 1Gb).

The PhP 118,888.00 price tag applies to unit only, Optical Drive NOT included.

New optional Bootable USB powered DVD+CDRW external combo drive comes in a new promotional package of only PhP 12,888.00 (from PhP 18,888.00).

Warranty comes in at a healthy 2 year period

Philippine Price: PhP 106,888.00

The Panasonic T4 is an all-day ultralight. The 2.77 pound notebook has a 12-hour standard battery life (real world estimate of 6-9 hours). It is built to withstand 50kgs. (110 pounds) of weight, as well as a 30cm. (11.8 inch) drop. (Although it reaches this threshold in the lab, it is not guaranteed to withstand that and physical damage is not covered under warranty.)

The chassis measures 10.55 x 8.27 x 1.03-1.53 inches, just enough for the keyboard to reach its outstanding 19mm. keypitch. The Intel® Pentium®-M 1.2GHz Dothan processor (with 2Mb of on-chip cache) is complemented by 1Gb RAM (max). The 80Gb HDD is shock-mounted, to reduce the risk of physical data loss.

The T4 best competition comes from other Panasonic models (the R4/W4/Y4), but there is no ultralight on the market that offers its battery life and weath of integrated features in such a small package. Multiple color choices are also available by special order. (Black, gunmetal, blue, red, ice white, purple haze, golden, orange, pink diamond, chocolate.)

Philippine Price: PhP 126,888.00

Synopsis:

The Panasonic W2 is an awesome ultralight. Panasonic started with the T2 platform and added the DVD-RW with minimal impact on the notebook size. Helped by a novel drive design (the surface of the chassis opens for a disc), the Panasonic W2 weighs only 2.84 pounds and measures 10.6 x 8.2 x 1.1~1.6 inches.

Synopsis:

The W2 standard battery yields an amazing 7.5 hours! And, although that is the manufacturer list time, a probable 5-hours of real-world use is tough to beat at 2.84 pounds. The W2 12.1in. XGA TFT is larger than any similarly equipped rival. And, using the same 19mm. keypitch keyboard as the Panasonic T2 gives these two computers the largest keyboard in the sub-3 pound space. The circular touchpad allows uninterrupted scrolling.

The Panasonic W2 is also durable. It is designed to pass a one-foot drop test. (It should be noted that this is not a guarantee, and physical damage is not covered under the warranty.) And, the HDD is shock-protected, to reduce the chance of data loss due to physical trauma.

Specifications include an Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology / Intel® Pentium® M 1.2GHz processor, 512Mb RAM (1Gb max.) and 80Gb HDD and integrated DVD-RAM/R/RW. Naturally, the W2 has integrated Wi-fi (802.11b). Ports include USB 2.0 x 2, VGA, SD memory, PC card, modem, and LAN.

Philippine Price: PhP 106,888.00

The Panasonic W4 is an awesome ultralight, and the lightest notebook on the market with a 12.1in. screen and integrated optical (DVD-RW) drive. (The previous record was held by its predecessor, the Panasonic W2). Helped by a novel drive design (the surface of the chassis opens for a disc), the Panasonic W4 weighs only 2.64 pounds and measures 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.9 ~ 1.7 inches.

The W4 standard battery yields an amazing 8 hours! And, although that is the manufacturer list time, a probable 5-hours of real-world use is tough to beat at 2.64 pounds. The W4 12.1in. XGA TFT is larger than any similarly equipped rival. And, using the same 19mm keypitch keyboard (as with the Panasonic T4) gives these two computers the largest keyboard in the sub-3 pound space. The W4 has a fanless design for serene computing.

Unfortunately, life is not always serene, so the W4 is durable as well. It withstood 100kgs. (220 pounds) of weight, as well as a 30cm. (11.8 inch) drop, in Panasonic lab tests. While this is by no means a guarantee that it will withstand that in the future (and it is not guaranteed to do so), strength is a good trait in an ultraportable notebook. The 80Gb (max) hard drive is also shock-insulated.

Specifications include an Intel® Pentium® M 1.2GHz processor, 512Mb RAM (1Gb max), and integrated DVD-RAM/R/RW. The mobile Intel® 915GMS Express chipset with 128Mb shared VRAM provides up to 1.4 times the graphics performance of the previous generation of platforms based on Intel® 855GME chipsets (W2). Naturally, the W4 has integrated Wi-fi (802.11 b/g). Ports include USB 2.0 x 2, VGA, SD memory, PC card, modem, and LAN.

The Panasonic W4 is everything most business travelers crave–in an extraordinarily well-engineered, ultralight package. Multiple color choices are also available by special order. (Black, gunmetal, blue, red, ice white, purple haze, golden, orange, pink diamond, chocolate.)

Philippine Price: PhP 126,888.00

The Panasonic Y2 is a unique notebook. Of course, there are many slim and light notebooks on the market–the best of which are all available from www.pccorner.com.ph. And, it has been trendy of late to produce very large, very powerful, and very heavy notebooks. (Apple started this trend with their big PowerBook, and the PC makers followed the scent of success.) Sometimes you may see someone, in an airport or cafe, working on a large notebook and think it would be nice to have such a large screen. But once you have gone ultralight, you never go back. The solution to this conundrum is the Panasonic Y2.

Panasonic took their considerable expertise in making ultralight notebooks (think R2, T2, W2), and applied the same principles to the Y2. The only difference is the Y2 14.1in. SXGA+ TFT. Despite this notably large screen, the notebook still weighs only 3.30 pounds. And that was not achieved by skimping on battery: the standard internal battery yields 7.5 hours (official manufacturer listed times are optimistic). The Y2 has an integrated DVD-RW that is custom designed to be as thin and light as possible (much like the Panasonic W2 drive). That makes the Panasonic Y2 the ultimate portable DVD watching theater!

The Panasonic Y2 is designed for office/internet work, and features an energy-efficient 1.5GHz processor, although with 64Mb (shared) VRAM, and a 80Gb HDD (optional). The keyboard is has a fantastic 19mm. keypitch. (For those long-term PC Corner readers: the Panasonic Y2 is clearly inspired by the venerated Panasonic L1 that we offered around the turn of the millennium.)

Philippine Price: PhP 116,888.00

The Panasonic Y4 is a unique notebook. Of course, there are many slim and light notebooks on the market–the best of which are all available from www.pccorner.com.ph. But it has been trendy of late to produce very heavy notebooks, with very large screens. And if you have ever wanted that large screen but refuse, as any reasonable traveller would, to carry something that heavy, the 3.3pound Panasonic Y4 is the perfect solution.

Panasonic took their considerable expertise in making ultralight notebooks (think R4, T4, W4), and applied the same principles to the Y4. The only difference is the Y4 14.1in. SXGA+ TFT. Despite this large (and high-resolution) screen, the notebook still weighs only 3.3 pounds. And that was not achieved by skimping on battery: the standard internal battery yields 7 hours runtime (official manufacturer listed times are optimistic). The Y4 has an integrated DVD-RW that is custom designed to be as thin and light as possible. That makes the Panasonic Y4 an amazing portable DVD-watching platform. (Integrated stereo speakers improve the hotel room theater experience as well.)

The Y4 is durable as well. It withstood 50kgs. (110 pounds) of weight, as well as a 30cm. (11.8 inch) drop, in Panasonic lab tests. While this is by no means a guarantee that it will withstand that in the future (and it is not guaranteed to do so), a strong chassis is a great starting place for an ultraportable notebook. The hard drive is also shock-insulated.

The Panasonic Y4 is good for productivity too. It features a 1.5GHz mobile Intel® Pentium®, 128Mb (shared) VRAM, 1Gb RAM (max), and a 100Gb HDD (max). And, the keyboard has a fantastic 19mm. keypitch. (For those long-term PC Corner readers: the Panasonic Y4 is clearly inspired by the venerated Panasonic L1 that we offered around the turn of the millennium.)

The Y4 comes in silver, but is also available (by special order only) in black, gunmetal, metallic light blue, metallic amber, metallic dark green, and red.

Philippine Price: PhP 126,888.00

Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology
Intel® Core™ Duo L2300
(1.5GHz, 2Mb cache – ULV)
512Mb DDR2-533MHz Memory
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (English)
Intel® 945GMS Express
100Gb Ultra ATA100
DVD-RAM/R/RW – CD-RW
CF-VFDU03J (USB Floppy Drive) – optional
Intel® 945GMS Express
128Mb (shared with main memory)
14.1 SXGA+ TFT
(up to 1400 x 1050 pixels @ 16M colors – int.
up to 1600 x 1200 pixels @ 16M colors – ext.)
Type II x 1 CardBus compatible
56Kb flex V.90 mini PCI fax/modem
802.11b/g Wireless LAN; v.90 modem (RJ-11) x1; LAN x1 (RJ-45); USB2.0 x2; VGA x1; microphone x1; headphones x1; SD Memory Card x1

Philippine Price: PhP 137,888.00

Platform: Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 750 – 1.86GHz, 533MHz, 2Mb L2 cache
Screen Size: 13.3in. Active Matrix (1600 x 1200) TFT
Memory: 256Mb (installed) / 1.25Gb (max.) . . DDR2-533MHz
Hard Drive: 60Gb Mobile HDD
Integrated Features: CDRW / DVD ROM, 56Kbps Fax/Modem
Networking: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Weight: 5.7lbs.
Included Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Warranty: 3 year limited to parts and labor

Philippine Price: PhP 143,999.00