Panasonic to Deliver Reliable Mobile Computing Solutions to Support Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI).

World's Largest Federal IT Contract Now Provides Access to Rugged Toughbook[R] Computers for Mission-Critical Environments

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, the leading provider of durable, reliable wireless mobile PCs, today announced that it has been selected to provide rugged notebook computers to military users as part of EDS' (NYSE: EDS) management of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI), the Information Technology backbone of the Department of the Navy (DoN).

NMCI provides the DoN with a full range of network-based information services on a single, enterprise-wide intranet. With Panasonic as part of the alliance, approximately 72,000 NMCI users--from war fighters to civilians--will have access to rugged computers designed to be reliable in mission-critical environments.

With other notebooks, product lifecycles can be a major concern, forcing users to replace computers on a regular basis leaving them without secure and reliable IT resources. By design, the failure rate of Panasonic's rugged Toughbooks is less than two percent, significantly better than the estimated industry average.

"For Panasonic and its valued federal partners and resellers, being able to sell via the NMCI contract is a huge opportunity to build upon our proven track record within the DoN," said Jan O'Hara, senior director, federal division, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. "We are confident that all NMCI users will benefit from the industry-leading reliability, durability, and enhanced security features available via Toughbooks. This is the result of Panasonic's holistic approach to designing, manufacturing, testing and supporting computers that are built tough, from the inside out."

The Panasonic Toughbooks provided under this contract are ruggedized with cases constructed of magnesium alloy and include shock-mounted and removable hard drives. With battery life of approximately 6 hours, these units are certified to the MIL-STD-810F, tested to withstand drops, shocks, vibration and extremes in temperature. Among the industry's most secure, these Toughbooks come equipped with cable lock slot, the Trusted Platform Module (TPM v1.2) security chip, BIOS-level support for Absolute's Computrace anti-theft application, as well as optional fingerprint scanners. In addition, users have the option of multiple wireless options--WLAN, WWAN, GPS and Bluetooth.

About Panasonic Computer Solutions Company

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company empowers the mobile workforce. The company is a unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, which is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC). Panasonic has delivered reliable, durable mobile solutions through its Toughbook([R]) line of notebook computers for fourteen years and has expanded the boundaries of wireless communications technology through a broad portfolio of products, ranging from fully rugged, industrial strength notebook computers and tablet PCs to semi-rugged and business-rugged thin and light and ultraportable notebooks. A core manufacturer, Matsushita and its subsidiaries control the entire process of design, manufacture, quality assurance, service and support. As a result, Panasonic Toughbooks are known for having the lowest failure rates in the industry. Government, industrial, and commercial users--from Fortune 1,000 companies to small businesses--rely on solutions from Panasonic, wherever their work takes them.

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic's full line of notebook PCs for the mobile professional can be obtained by calling 800-662-3537 or at http://www.panasonic.com/toughbook.