Pen Computing 26 - February 1999 -- Only a few years ago,
I anxiously awaited the arrival of a brand new desktop computer with one of those
new and wicked fast Intel 486/25 processors. When it finally arrived, all 85
pounds of it, I was blown away by its power and performance. Switch to the
present. 486 processors have long been replaced by much more powerful Pentium,
Pentium II, and Pentium Pro processors running at clock speeds approaching
500MHz. Yet, with all the rapid advancement in processor technology, who would
have expected that all the power of my big, firebreathing 486 desktop monster
would be available in a utilitarian looking handheld data collection terminal not
even eight years later?
I am speaking of the IT-2000 Portable Data Collection
Terminal sold by Casio's Vertical Market Division, the same folks who offer the
Windows CE-based PA-2400 mini pen slate and the PA-2500 clamshell handheld PC.
Unlike those two products, the IT-2000 is an entirely no-nonsense industrial
terminal devoid of any unnecessary frills or advanced technology.
Rather, the
IT-2000 is a representative of the growing class of handheld data collection
devices that offer both a touch screen and a keypad. Most of these devices are
replacements of the millions of keyboard based "flashlight"-style data collection
devices that have been used in many field applications for over a decade. At some
point in the future, the keypad will probably disappear, too, and all functions
will be accessed through softkeys and buttons on the screen. In that regard, the
IT-2000 is what we'd call a "transition" product, easing the migration from older
keyboard-based devices of limited functionality to a much more flexible new
generation of touch screen driven terminals.
So let's take a closer look at the
IT-2000. As stated above, computing power is provided by a 32-bit Intel 80486GX
processor which is more than adequate for the job. The unit itself can be ordered
in several operating system and memory configurations. Many users will go for the
basic MS-DOS 6.22 version which comes with 4MB of DRAM and up to 24MB of Flash
ROM, which means that there is plenty of ROM for all sorts of reference and other
data. F-ROM Type II PC Cards come in four, six, ten, and 20MB sizes and occupy
the sole Type II slot of the IT-2000. If your application requires Windows, the
IT-2000 can handle that, too. We're talking good old Windows 3.1 here, and it
comes on 8MB of Mask-ROM. It's a limited version of Windows, but all the basic
goodies are there.
It definitely takes some getting used to to use Windows on the
small 192 x 384 pixel screen, but applications specifically designed for that
screen format are a breeze to use. Speaking of the screen, it is 2-3/8 inches
wide and 4-3/8 inches tall, uses FSTN technology and has a handy automatic
backlight that comes on when things get too dark. The screen itself is readable
enough, though the surface is highly reflective and doesn't offer much feedback
for pen input. The resistive digitizer worked very well. There is no jitter and
it never falls behind. The small plastic pen is cleverly springloaded so that it
securely stays in its storage place along the side of the unit.
While the IT-2000
is not ultra rugged, it is very sturdy and designed to survive drops from 3.3
feet onto concrete. The housing consists of tough, industrial looking gray
plastic and the fit and finish is up to the high standards we'd expect from
Casio. In terms of size, think of the IT-2000 as a longer, thicker Palmsize PC.
It is narrow enough to easily fit into one's hand, and it fits into most pockets.
At a weight of under a pound, you can carry it around all day long.
To get back
to applications for a minute, one of the great things about the IT-2000 is that
it supports PenRight!, the pen-optimized cross platform, visual application
building tool and environment. Its Windows-based graphical forms designer, code
editor, and over 350 APIs make creating tailor-made applications for the IT-2000
easy. PenRight! also includes an integrated handwriting recognition engine and
signature capture. Our evaluation unit came with a PenRight!-based order
processing system that was optimized for the IT-2000's screen.
Much of the
IT-2000's power comes from the many peripherals available for the platform. There
are two docking stations, the IT-2060 satellite "I/O box" and the IT-2065 master
station. The satellite box, shown in the pictures here features a serial host
interface, an AC/DC port for the charger. The master box has either a SCSI-2 or
an Ethernet interface to the host computer and can handle up to eight satellites.
Using the Ethernet model, a maximum of 184 IT-2000 devices can be linked
together. With the SCSI model, this number drops to a maximum of 56 devices.
Individual IT-2000 terminals can be equipped with either a pen type or a touch
type bar code reader, both of which have built-in decoders. The IT-2000 uses a
standard "camcorder-style" Lithium-Ion battery pack which provides up to eight
hours--a full shift--of battery life. A backup battery protects memory contents for
up to two weeks. The IT-2000 has a supremely simple on-off switch that wakens
Windows when you need it and sends it to sleep when you don't.
Casio targets the
IT-2000 at a large number of vertical markets, including healthcare, financial,
retail, property management, route automation, transportation, utilities, and
many more. The extraordinary flexibility of this deceptively basic tool could
well make it a valuable building block in an enterprise wide data collection and
processing system. The keypad makes data entry easy, and the tall screen leaves
plenty of real estate for a full QWERTY pop-up. The unit is light and handy and
completely unintimidating even to those who are not computer-literate. The
automatic backlight is a nice touch, as is the clever pen, the well designed
charging station, the built-in IR port, memory capacity of up to 28MB, and the
availability of PenRight!
The Casio IT-2000 is a prime example of how tried and
true technology can be combined into simple devices for use by front-line
personnel, and how the data collected there can then be funnelled back into
corporate data systems for processing.
