panasonic CF-Y7 review

[gator]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks ... k-CF-Y7/p1

I think the CF-Y7 is one of the strong contenders to thinkpads today. I love the design (esp the placement of the optical drive and the completely spill proof keyboard) ...

choice is always good, aint it?

[ajkula66]

Anyone who has dealt with ToughBooks as much as I have at work will probably tell you that they've got to be the most improved line of laptops over the last 5 years. Seriously.

The old ones (PII/PIII generation) were laughable at best, and not tough at all-or tough enough for serious abuse in the field on a daily basis. We still have quite a few ThinkPads from that era in my shop while all the Panasonics have been buried.

Early PM machines (I believe these were CF-28s of that generation, will check tomorrow) were equipped with by far the worst trackpad I've ever tested, and literally useless without an external mouse. Thin and light CF-73s of the same generation were pretty nice though, the first ToughBook in my experience with a keyboard that actually felt like a keyboard, and not a bowl of mush.

Now CF-18s (small, cute, sturdy, horrible keyboard) are the flavour of the day for the field (ab)use. I've refused to accept mine because of the built-in GPS and am hanging on to my old T20, but, all jokes aside, these are very usable little machines.

If anyone ever decided to implement a (very) cruel and unusual punishment and ban me from using ThinkPads for the duration of my time on earth, my "desktop replacement" would most likely be an HP, with a ToughBook like one in the article that you've linked the post to as an "all-rounder"...

As always, great thoughts and research on your part, Sri...

[qviri]

Someone at my work has a CF-Y5. It really is very light, feels lighter than my X31, and the LCD bezel is giving my work-issued Dell D630 an eating disorder. The keyboard is kind of meh though.

[pianowizard]

Someone at my work has a CF-Y5. It really is very light, feels lighter than my X31

That's because it is lighter than the X31!

The keyboard is kind of meh though.

I was in Vancouver several weeks ago and found a CF-Y5 on display in a drugstore (!). It was the first time I had seen one in person. I agree the keyboard isn't that good. The whole machine looks kind of cheap. But the light weight is indeed amazing, considering that it has a 14.1" SXGA+ screen and an integrated optical drive.