Panasonic announced today the launch of the Toughbook 52, which replaces their venerable Toughbook S1 of year’s past. As with previous Toughbooks, it’s designed to withstand spillage and droppage — this one can take drops of up to 2.5 feet on all sides without cracking a crack.

However, this one improves over the last-gen by giving you some Santa Rosa chip action, a built-in carrying handle, a wider screen and optional built-in 3G wireless (courtesy of Verizon EV-DO).

Buy it in July for $1,699 (standard config) or $2,499 if you want it “optimized for improved video and Vista performance.”

Panasonic Toughbooks