Panasonic Computer Solutions Co. and Sprint Nextel Corp. said Tuesday that the business-rugged Toughbook W5 and T5 notebooks will feature built-in support for Sprint Mobile Broadband services, including its upgraded EV-DO Rev. A service.

With this certification, users can access Sprint Mobile Broadband service in more than 220 communities and 725 airports across the United States an area that covers more than 180 million people.

The W5 and T5 feature the Wireless PCI Express Mini Card Embedded Module from Sierra Wireless. With this technology, users can use Sprints EV-DO Rev. A to access the Internet or e-mail, download large files and attachments, and run hosted business applications. With Rev. A, average download speeds are 450kbps to 800kbps and upload speeds are 300kbps to 400 kbps, Panasonic said. The notebooks also will operate on the Sprint Power Vision Network where the Rev. A upgrade is not yet available.

The W5 and T5 with embedded Sprint Mobile Broadband will be available next month at an estimated street price of $2,249, Panasonic said.

Panasonic Computer Solutions Co. www.panasonic.com  

Sprint Nextel Corp. www.sprint.com