Panasonic outs Toughbook S10 with Sandy Bridge, USB 3.0, and 12.5-hour battery life

If you were Panasonic and had already whittled a 12-inch laptop down to three pounds while keeping the optical drive in tact, what would your next move be? If you guessed make it manilla envelope-thin, you'd be wrong. The outfit just announced the Toughbook S10, and while it looks awfully similar to the three-pound S9 it's replacing, it ushers in a series of welcome (and predictable) changes on the inside. This time around, it steps up to a Sandy Bridge Core i5-2520M processor, 4GB of RAM, USB 3.0, and a battery that promises up to 12.5 hours of juice -- the longest in its class, according to Panasonic. Other I/O options include HDMI and VGA output, a USB 2.0 socket, and support for SDXC cards. Like the last generation, it can withstand a 2.5-foot operating drop, has a spill-resistant keyboard and shock-mounted 320GB hard drive, and can take more than 220 pounds of pressure on its lid and base. As always, though, 12.1-inch laptops with a built-in DVD drive and enough magnesium alloy armor to survive a fall from the conveyor belt don't come cheap: this bad boy will set you back no less than $2,449 when it hits stores next month.