Pen Computing 27 - April 1999 -- When we did our annual "Battle of the Platforms" session at PDA Inc.'s recent
PDA and Handheld Expo in San Francisco, I represented what we termed "full-sized,
full-featured" pen computers. I outlined the pros and cons of the platform as
compared to devices using Windows CE, the Palm OS, or a number of other operating
environments, such as EPOC32 or Magic Cap. One strong point of full-size devices
is their ruggedness and, thanks to the people at TouchStar Technologies, I was
able to very effectively emphasize that point.
In a display of confidence in the inherent ruggedness of their Eagle TouchPC,
they'd given me one prior to the session and suggested I toss it from the podium
down onto the hard floor. Normally I wouldn't want to take a chance like that
with an expensive piece of equipment, but hey, they asked.
So at the appropriate place in my presentation, the two-pound TouchStar computer
went flying off the podium, landed hard, and flipped a couple of times before it
came to a rest. It suffered no harm at all. It's in fact, the same unit we used
for this review. One toss from a podium, of course, isn't a very good indicator
for real world ruggedness out there in the field, but the fact that the TouchStar
folks were willing to take the chance in front a large audience speaks volumes.
Who is TouchStar? Even though some 12,000 TouchPCs have been deployed around the
world, chances are that even diehard readers of Pen Computing Magazine have never
heard of the company or its products. This is partially because the TouchPC is a
very specialized product and partially because the company operates on a
worldwide basis with emphasis on not only the US market, but also the UK and
Australia. TouchStar's parent company, incidentally, is Williams, a conglomerate
engaged in gas pipelines, energy services, and communications with annual sales
in the US5 billion range. So what is the TouchPC Eagle from TouchStar? It's a
sealed, rugged handheld computer that's part of an overall data
collection/decision support/ communications system. The TouchPC Eagle itself has
a footprint of 8.4 x 4.5 inches. It is two inches thick and weighs just under two
pounds with its 7.4V 2,700mAh Li-Ion battery pack installed. Its slate-gray case
is impact resistant, flame retardant, and made of an UV stabilized polycarbonate
plastic material that seems indestructible.
Appropriate technology
The TouchPC's Half-VGA monochrome screen displays 480 x
320 pixels and has a high intensity backlight. As the name implies, the screen
uses a resistive touch panel digitizer with a scratch resistant, anti-reflective
surface. The Eagle is designed around an Intel 486 compatible AMD SC400 "Elan"
processor (Hint: this processor can also run Windows CE). The TouchStar can be
equipped with 8 to 32MB of RAM. 1MB of Flash memory contains embedded DOS and
application software. As these specs imply, the Eagle is not a Windows-based
system, but rather a computing device designed to run DOS-based software
specifically designed for a job at hand.
Highly configurable
The TouchStar system is highly configurable and flexible. A
removable edge cover provides access to a peripheral connector that can
accommodate a variety of Òend cap cartridges.Ó There are standard two-inch and
wide carriage three-inch thermal line printers; a laser scanner; an optical
communications module; a combined mag card reader and printer cartridge; one that
combines mag reader, laser scanner, and printer; and the ultimate super cartridge
that combines all those functions. We examined the wide carriage printer module
and the standard width printer with the mag card reader. Both snapped on--and
screwed down--easily and worked flawlessly. All cartridges are designed to
ergonomically complement the overall design of the TouchPC. TouchStar also offers
external barcode wands, CCD and laser scanners, TIRIS tag readers, GPS modules,
and just about any custom developed option a client could need.
Connectivity
In order to make the TouchPC as impervious to the elements as
possible, access to its dual RS232 and high speed RS485 ports is through a single
snap-on connector. The bottom of the unit contains two optical interfaces, one
for low speed communication with the cradle and a high speed IrDA port. The
TouchPC has two internal Type II PC Card slots (or one Type III). Its cover is
held down by screws that cannot fall out and can be opened and closed with a
quarter turn with a coin, the same method that holds down the battery compartment
cover. Cradles Once returned from use in the field, the TouchStar computer can be
inserted into either a master or one of a number of servant cradles. The master
cradle features an RS485 Port, three RS232 Ports with speeds up to 115Kbps, a
parallel port, an additional Type II PC Card slot, a keyboard connector, and an
expansion interface for additional user defined facilities including satellite,
GPS and PNet. The master cradle also charges the TouchPC and can charge a spare
battery at the same time. The servant cradles don't have the additional PC Card
slot and offers fewer communications interfaces. Both types of cradle are
suitable for fixed or vehicle mounting.
Markets
TouchStar's target markets are delivery, transportation, field service,
though it's easy to see how the system could be used in a variety of other areas
as well. One of TouchStarÕs clients, large US propane retailer Thermogas, reports
that its drivers went from "afraid of" to "can't live without" their TouchPCs in
less than two weeks. Another client, Yale Cleaners & Uniforms, loves the
simplicity of the TouchPC and the fact that the printer module snaps right onto
the computer.
Software development
TouchPC customers can develop their own applications in C or
C++. TouchStar supplies a special TouchPC library routines and a number of
development support tools, including a screen designer and a font editor.
TouchStar can also develop custom applications.
An interesting solution In this day and age of portable computers with giant
color screens and blazingly fast processors, it's all too easy to overlook a
task-oriented, down-to-earth system like the TouchPC. Like all good tools, it is
built to do a job rather than dazzle with specs. In the field, this approach
makes a whole lot of sense.
