Digital Trends

Panasonic Y2

January 9th, 2005 | by Brandon King

Introduction

The Panasonic Y2 is the big brother of the W2 we reviewed last year. The primary difference is the larger 14” screen and faster 1.3 GHz processor. Also, the Y2 can be upgraded to a full 1GB of RAM, 100GB hard drive, and internal DVD-RW drive — some very impressive specs for a system weighing in at only 3.4 lbs.

Features and Design

Like the W2, the Y2 uses the same ‘under the keyboard' optical drive design. The right wrist rest pops up to reveal the drive partially under the keyboard. The keyboard uses the same anime-esque paint job we think is cheesy, but fun. The circular mouse pad was held over from the W2, with the mouse buttons mounted in the surrounding bevel area. In place of a scroll wheel, the Y2 uses software to translate circular finger movements much like the iPod touch wheel. Twirling your finger clockwise on the mouse pad scrolls the page down, and vice versa.

The housing is a magnesium alloy that feels like glossy plastic, and is designed to help keep the weight down. The Y2, like the W2, is considered a “Toughbook”, which means that in addition to magnesium alloy casing, the hard drive is shock mounted. Unfortunately, like the W2, the power and optical drive eject buttons are identical and located on opposite sides of the front. Nearly every other attempt to eject the CD resulted in the computer shutting down.  Unlike the W2, the port arrangement is a little more intuitive. The right side contains only the PC Card slot. The VGA out, two USB 2.0 ports, network, modem, SD card slot, headphone, and microphone ports are all on the left side. Because the screen folds around the back (note the hinge for the screen in the review images), there are no ports on the back. Again, the ports are all exposed, with exception to the modem and network, making them susceptible to dust and debris.

The unit itself is nicely balanced, with just slightly more weight in the back where the battery attaches. The bottom has several small rubberized feet to keep it from sliding on a desk. Also, the cover housing the RAM socket is easily accessible from the bottom. When ordering your unit, you can opt for several shell designs, including gun metal, red, turquoise, and black. This is the first time we have seen a customization option like this on a laptop, and we applaud Panasonic for the change. The entire line of Panasonic notebooks can be ordered in any number of colors.