Look out, Windows 8 is going on patrol! Hertfordshire Constabulary, a police force in the UK, has announced that they will be installing the touchscreen Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1, powered by Microsoft’s Windows 8 Pro operating system, in patrol cars.
Hertfordshire Constabulary provides police service to the county of Hertfordshire (England) and has over 3,600 police officers working around the clock to ensure safety and security of the public. Now, this police agency will be the very first to deploy these touchscreen Windows 8 tablets inside ten Vauxhall Astra police cars that will also be deployed.
“This Windows 8 tablet offers everything officers could want from a mobile police station.”
“Our emergency services need technology that is fast, simple and intuitive to use but at the same time built to stand up to the rigors of everyday life on the frontline. The Toughpad FZ-G1 is the perfect tablet to meet these needs and we are delighted that Vauxhall has included the technology at the heart of its latest Astra police vehicles,” Sam Burrows stated in a press release to WinBeta. He is a Panasonic Toughbook Emergency Services specialist.
After the initial trial period, fifty more Vauxhall Astras already in service will be retrofitted with the new technology. The touchscreen Panasonic tablets are not the only technology being added to the police cars, as the vehicles will also feature a 8.4 inch high res touch screen monitor developed by KME, as well as a 4G broadband router enabling high speed internet connectivity.
The Toughpad FZ-G1, which was launched in January of this year, is Panasonic’s first fully rugged Windows 8 Pro tablet, which has been designed for mobile workers who spend much of their time working outside or in vehicles. The thin and lightweight device weighs 1.1kg and has been designed to take full advantage of the new functionality offered by the Windows 8 Pro. There is also two-way touch input with its capacitive 10-finger multi-touch screen and digitizer pen for tasks such as recording signatures.
This touch screen tablet is great for writing reports, looking up data, and can run for eight hours on battery. This Windows 8 tablet offers everything officers could want from a mobile police station. In fact, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May were also reportedly “wowed” when they toured the new police vehicles retrofitted with this new technology.
Score another victory for Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system!
