The AA is equipping 4,000 breakdown patrol vehicles with
Panasonic Toughbook laptops running advanced diagnostic software
for quickly and accurately pinpointing electrical and mechanical
problems.
The Panasonic CF28 Toughbooks are robust, with magnesium alloy
cases and shock-mounted hard discs. To ensure physical security,
they are locked in a metal cradle in the patrol vehicle. The
machines communicate with diagnostic probes via Bluetooth.
The laptops contain call receipt and dispatch technology, plus
global positioning satellite tracking, and full nationwide mapping
systems.
They also dispense with the Windows shell in favour of Clam, a
customised, locked-down centrally managed desktop interface
from Midlands-based access specialist Centralis.
Chris Bailey, head of business systems at AA road operations,
which is deploying 4,000 of the laptops, said the technology
“allowed the AA to maintain the build quality, integrity and
resilience of the patrols' laptops, improving the reliability and
availability of systems for the patrols. This in turn has helped to
maintain a low cost base for the general support of the
laptops.”
