Hello All:
I'm a little late to the party here, but I was checking the forum for another matter, saw this relevant thread, and had to chime in!
Yes, I run ArcPad on the Panasonic FZ-G1. In fact, my organization has 10 of them deployed. We're running ArcPad 10.0.4 and Windows 8. We purchased the Toughpads with true GPS receivers, so we're not using Windows Location API, but GPS through the COM port. Utilization of the Windows Location API requires ArcPad 10.2.x, and since our licenses are for 10.0, I have no comment on how that functionality works.
However, our staffers have generally had a pretty positive reception regarding functionality and performance of ArcPad on this platform. A few gripes that I have are that the ArcPad camera will only take a maximum picture resolution of 640 x 480 (known bug NIM089150), and the fact that the FZ-G1 only has a 3.1 megapixel camera to begin with...
Regarding carry cases for the Toughpad, your options are very slim. There is a hand strap product and a Toughmate "always on" case that we don't really like - you cannot place the Toughpad in the cradle with the Toughmate case on. Our solution was to contract a custom carrying sleeve from a manufacturer of radio harnesses. Our custom solution has worked out well.
Good luck on your ArcPad deployment; ours has been a game-changer for my organization.
Matt Riley