CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

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RDClaes
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CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#1 Post by RDClaes »

I've had my CF-20 now for a couple days and have limited time to play with it. I ordered a unit that was Win7 (Win 10 COA) So I could make recovery discs / iso's for Win 7 and Win 10, Stay tuned :-D

I haven't had a chance to load Win 10 on yet and test those functions out. I plan to and I'll update the review after.

I previously owned and used an FZ-G1 for a little over a year. Much of my review will be comparing the two units as well as other toughbooks I've owned (FZ-G1, CF-H1, CF-30, CF-31, CF-19, CF-C1, CF-53, etc).

***Update*** After having used it for a while I really like the small form factor. It does not have the speed but it is delightful to carry around. Super light, responsive for what 90% of people will use it for. For basic work, web, facebook, whatever it's great. I think it will run commercial programs well. I have yet to test any.

Form Factor
-I really like the form factor.
-It's very tight. Well put together and comfortable to use.
-I really like how the screen and keyboard attach.
-I had the iKey keyboard with the G1 and it was pretty bad. The keys were difficult to type on, you had to insert the G1 just perfectly on the keyboard, if you restarted it sometimes you had to disconnect / reconnect the keyboard for it to work, it caused damage to the front border bezel of the G1, the tabs would routinely break off, the keys would easily rip off.
-This keyboard attaches and disconnects very easily. The placement of the guides make connections easy. It is designed so it will not damage the borders of the tablet like the iKey keyboard would.
-I like how thin it is. It looks very attractive.
-The G1 was missing a handle. The handle makes this a true Toughbook!

Keyboard
-The keys are larger. I think they were 16% larger than the CF-19. I really hated that about the CF-19. Also they did away with the goofy LRUD (Left, Right, Up, Down) key layout. It's the traditional setup on the CF-20.
-The backlit keys are great! They are just like the CF-54 in design and work like a traditional Toughbook emissive keyboard.
-The keyboard is a docking station in it's own right. It has HDMI, SD, MicroSD, several USB (3.0 and 2.0) ports, Ethernet, serial, and VGA. The ports are clip in snaps like a CF-31. I did not care for the connections of the CF-19.
-There is a compartment on the bottom of the keyboard where another battery can connect. In hind sight I would have purchased a unit that came with two batteries. They are relatively cheap (about $125) to buy. Without the battery in the keyboard the weight is thrown off a little bit. If I start to push the screen back to far, like if it was on a table and I was standing above it, it will start to tip back. The keyboard needs the additional weight of the 2nd battery to maintain the balance without falling over.
***Update*** If you pull the handle out it stabilizes the unit while using it on a flat surface. Without the battery on the keyboard but with the handle out it does not tip over!
-The handle is attached to the keyboard. The only thing about the handle I don't like is that it is on the back of the computer. On most Toughbooks the battery is located under the touchpad. With my CF-30/31 I would hold the handle and pull on the screen to open it. The CF-20 does not feel as graceful to open up.
-The keyboard has a lock to keep the screen from coming off.
-The screen release is one handed much like the CF-19's Mk4 and on.
-There is also a screw you and put in to physically lock the tablet to the keyboard beyound the latch lock. I think this will be used for ANSI HAZ LOC areas.
-When you slide the release button windows automatically "safely disconnects" it for your removal.
-After you release the keyboard it lifts up but from the right to the left. There is a little catch lock on the left that has to be lifted from the right first to pop out of the keyboard. A little awkward at first but easy to catch the hang of.

The Tablet
-The biggest thing I've been disappointed by is the M5 processor. Most bench marks I read showed the m5 processor rating at or below an i3. So far I have not stressed it but simple navigation from Amazon (on Internet Explorer) was laggy. The G1 was a much better experience for speed!
***Update*** I loaded Chrome on and there was no lag on web pages like the above reference. Edge is garbage.
-The Tablet screen feels smaller than the FZ-G1. The G1 had a simple silver background but the CF-20 has an additional black border making it look less "Sleek".
-The tablet has HDMI, USB 3.0, standard audio jack port, ethernet, and a power jack.
-The included stylus is IP55 (I guess this is the first time they have included one with the higher IP rating).
-The stylus sits upside down from how they normally attach. On the CF-20 the tip faces upward. The design is different. The stylus slides in and out rather than clipping in and pulling out.
-Battery life is about what you'd expect. I had a full charge and it said I had 7 hours of use. At 75% it says 4 hours. I used it about an hour and a half for those 3 hours of drain (I was uploading some files at the time).
-The rear cam is not standard. I assumed it was. I will probably not need it but for many utility / medical they will likely need it to take pictures of documents or work that has been done.


The Ugly
-I'm not a fan of how the LCD is housed inside the CF-20. When I hold the tablet with my thumbs on the screen and my fingers on the back: If I press inwards with my fingers I can see the screen "ripple" a little bit at the sides. I've been accustomed to the Toughbook rock solid look and feel. While this does mostly accommodate that is always something I look for. Getac units used to do this but they fixed it. I hope this is just because it is an early model and they fix that!
-To access the battery and the SIM card on the tablet you remove a thin Magnesium panel that has the classic "Toughbook" logo on it. The panel removes easily from two slide switches on the bottom. I didn't look before but after I reattached it there is a tiny gap between the panel and the top of the tablet. I've disconnected and reconnected several times but it is always there. It looks like it is just a part of the design.
-I really disliked the "seal" covering the battery on the FZ-G1. It was a cheap adhesive rubbery foam that would rub off with a little effort from your thumb. They use the same seal on the CF-20.
-I've already spoke on the m5 processor. I hope the Mk2 improves it!


All in all I'm excited to use it and will likely learn more features I love as I use it in my daily life. So far it's been to the side while I get these recovery discs made. I'm going to get a desktop dock at some point and test it out with my 5 monitors. I'm excited to get my hands on a desktop dock as well. I prefer Gamber Johnson docks so the newly reestablished Panasonic manufacturing of the docks will be a change.

If you have any requests for reports on specific features or specific pictures please post them and I'll do my best to produce them!
Last edited by RDClaes on Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Claes

There can only be one!

kingstu
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Joined: Mon May 23, 2016 7:40 am

Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#2 Post by kingstu »

Cool title. :) I'm assuming your version is without the raised backplate so that you can do convertible modes. I recently got the desktop dock and I really enjoy it but wish I could use it in the convertible mode and the digitizer that way. The second battery is a great addition to battery life. I haven't had a chance to test it out to see if it really can handle a days worth of work but it is much better than my CF-53 battery life. I wish I had gotten the model with the bridge battery because that is where you can really take keep it running all day in tablet mode.

I do like the keyboard. It is easy to type with even though it is smaller than normal. The processor and hard drive seem plenty fine for me. I think the audio is atrocious and not having audio ports on the desktop dock is a crime. Thanks for your review and it's good to have someone else who has this device since it seems rarer than hen's teeth in the real world.

User32
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#3 Post by User32 »

Looks like i'll be hanging on my 19 Mk6 for a while then!

Shame that the 20 is pretty bad compared to it.

RDClaes
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#4 Post by RDClaes »

I put in a few ***Updates***

Starting to really love this little guy!
-Claes

There can only be one!

kingstu
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#5 Post by kingstu »

How would you compare the CF-20 to the CF-19 for your particular use case? I don't have the 19 or a tougppad but I think the CF-20 design really does seem a different beast that could replace bigger toughpads in the future.

RDClaes
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#6 Post by RDClaes »

I don't travel as much as I used to. Currently I've found that I don't use the tablet very much. I use my CF-20 a couple times a week. I'll answer some emails in the morning or bring it with me when I'm running errands.

Back in my extensive traveling days I could see myself using the tablet much more often. I think for the most part the CF-19 would be equally as useful for me. I do very much appreciate the bigger keys on the keyboard.
-Claes

There can only be one!

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rrtek
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#7 Post by rrtek »

Does it use a wacom digitizer?
Regards.

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Rob
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#8 Post by Rob »

rrtek wrote:Does it use a wacom digitizer?
YES! :)
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rrtek
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#9 Post by rrtek »

For a moment I thought they had chosen some kind of capacitive stylus.

P.S: What are the specs of the batteries?
Regards.

RDClaes
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Re: CF-20 Review! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

#10 Post by RDClaes »

They are 2900mAh

I ended up buying the 2nd battery. I was getting 2-3 hours on just the tablet battery. Now I'm getting the 4-6 easy and it's much better for my use.
-Claes

There can only be one!

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