MUMBAI: Panasonic Systems Asia Pacific has assigned the media duties of its Toughbook range of laptops to the Ahmedabad office of OMS (Optimum Media Solutions), the Mudra group's media specialist. The annual business is pegged to be in the region of Rs 50 million to Rs 60m million.

The OMS team went through a series of meetings with Panasonic, over the last few months, ideating on the launch plans, before the business was finalised, informs an official release. OMS president Chandradeep Mitra says: "We are absolutely delighted to partner Panasonic in its launch plans for the Toughbook in India. The high end laptops category is an exciting segment - the focus being more on other differentiators than just 'megahertz'. Panasonic is the leader in this segment and has a clear game plan and vision to penetrate the Indian market."

Panasonic launched its Toughbook range of products in Mumbai and Delhi earlier this month. Toughbooks, supposed to be the world's toughest laptops, were originally built specially for the US army. They are capable of withstanding extreme conditions - they can survive strong vibrations, drops and rain, and have been known to even survive fires & bullets, the release adds.

The product is offered in two ranges. The fully rugged version is targeted towards select verticals - defense, oil and gas exploration etc - where their usage is in harsh & extreme conditions. This range will start from Rs 2,30,000. The price of the semi-rugged Toughbooks targeted to HNIs for business use, will start at Rs 1,50,000.

These top-end laptops cater to market needs that cannot be satisfied by standard products. Apart from the integrated wireless communications module, they come with a specially designed LCD screen for outdoor viewing and integrated GPS (Global Positioning System). The ultra-strong casing is 20 times stronger than ABS plastic, and up to 6 times stronger that Titanium.