During the opening keynote address at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, Panasonic® Corporation announced the development of a new "4K Tablet" with a 20-inch 4K IPS Alpha LCD and a high precision pen. It is expected to enhance the way Architects, Engineers and Construction (AEC) professionals view and interact with digital drawings. Targeted to become available later this year, the tablet's 20-inch IPS Alpha LCD panel contains more than four times the resolution of Full High Definition. It leverages the touch capabilities of Windows 8 and includes a high precision digital pen for making notes on the panel's screen. Lightweight and less than an half inch thick, the tablet is slim, portable and represents the future of design review, bid, estimation, RFI response, and plan room access to drawing sets.
To help introduce this new technology to the AEC industry and demonstrate its endless possibilities, Panasonic is collaborating with Bluebeam® Software, a leading developer of PDF-based collaboration solutions for the design and construction industry, for R&D, product testing, and promotion.
"The upcoming 4K Panasonic tablet emulates the way design and construction professionals interact with printed drawings while giving users an incredibly high resolution view, making it simple to migrate from paper-based to digital workflows," said Bob Dobbins, Vice President, Corporate Planning & Strategic Initiatives at Panasonic Corporation of North America. "The potential of this technology is magnified when combined with the power of Bluebeam's PDF-based markup and collaboration solutions for the design and construction industry."
"When we first saw the prototype for the 4K tablet, we were blown away by the opportunities this device will offer project teams in the office and at the jobsite," said Richard Lee, CEO and President at Bluebeam Software. "We are excited to work with Panasonic and lend our knowledge and expertise of the AEC industry to bring this must-have technology to AEC professionals everywhere."
Bluebeam Software's flagship product, Revu®, is an award-winning PDF creation, markup and collaboration solution used by the world's top architecture, engineering and construction firms to digitally share and review project information. Revu enables users to electronically redline 2D and 3D PDFs with industry-standard markups and measurements, track all comments in an integrated Markups list, compare drawing revisions, store project files in the cloud and collaborate with others in real time. +
Related Stories
| Apr 12, 2011
Mental hospital in Boston redeveloped as healthcare complex
An abandoned state mental health facility in Boston’s prestigious Longwood Medical Area is being transformed into the Mass Mental Health Center, a four-building mixed-use complex that includes a mental health day hospital, a clinical and office building, a medical research facility for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a residential facility.
| Apr 12, 2011
Miami courthouse design does justice to children and the environment
Suffolk Construction broke ground recently for the Miami-Dade County Children’s Courthouse, a $328 million project the firm has a 30-month contract to complete.
| Apr 12, 2011
Long-awaited San Francisco center is music to jazz organization’s ears
After 28 years, SFJAZZ is getting its first permanent home. The San Francisco-based nonprofit, which is dedicated to advancing the art of jazz through concerts and educational programs, contracted local design firm Mark Cavagnero Associates and general contractor Hathaway Dinwiddie to create a modern performance center in the city’s Hayes Valley neighborhood
| Apr 12, 2011
Entrance pavilion adds subtle style to Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
A $13 million gift from the Otis Booth Foundation is funding a new entrance pavilion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. CO Architects, Los Angeles, is designing the frameless structure with an energy-efficient curtain wall, vertical suspension rods, and horizontal knife plates to make it as transparent as possible.
| Apr 12, 2011
BIM Grows Up: Separating Hype from Reality in a 3D World
While BIM adoption still lags in both design and construction, some enterprising owners, architects, and contractors are unlocking the potential of this dynamic technology.
| Apr 12, 2011
Metal cladding: Enhancing design with single-skin panels, MCMs, and IMPs
Single-skin metal panels, metal composite panels, and insulated metal panels can add both aesthetic and functional value to your projects, if you use them correctly.
| Apr 12, 2011
American Institute of Architects announces Guide for Sustainable Projects
AIA Guide for Sustainable Projects to provide design and construction industries with roadmap for working on sustainable projects.
| Apr 11, 2011
Wind turbines to generate power for new UNT football stadium
The University of North Texas has received a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office to install three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid and provide power to UNT’s new football stadium.
| Apr 8, 2011
SHW Group appoints Marjorie K. Simmons as CEO
Chairman of the Board Marjorie K. Simmons assumes CEO position, making SHW Group the only firm in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable to appoint a woman to this leadership position
| Apr 5, 2011
Zaha Hadid’s civic center design divides California city
Architect Zaha Hadid is in high demand these days, designing projects in Hong Kong, Milan, and Seoul, not to mention the London Aquatics Center, the swimming arena for the 2012 Olympics. But one of the firm’s smaller clients, the city of Elk Grove, Calif., recently conjured far different kinds of aquatic life when members of the City Council and the public chose words like “squid,” “octopus,” and “starfish” to describe the latest renderings for a proposed civic center.
