Panasonic's first Android-based computer tablet designed for tough environments such as battlefields was unveiled Tuesday at a major regional telecom fair in Singapore. It was the first time the "Panasonic Toughpad A1" was showcased in Asia, where company officials said there is a huge demand for such a rugged device. It has already previewed in the United States and production will start later this year, company executives said. Satoshi Mizobata, a director at Panasonic's Toughbook Asia Pacific Group, said the device is the firm's first rugged tablet computer using the Android operating system. Previous Panasonic "toughpads" use Windows. "It's military-type," Mizobata told AFP at the Panasonic booth at the CommunicAsia telecom trade expo that opened Tuesday. "It is water-proof, dust-proof and shock-proof." The device weighs 0.97 kilogrammes and its 10.1-inch LCD display allows the user to read even under the sun while it is tough enough to withstand being dropped from a height of four feet (1.21 metres). It also has a nine-hour battery life.