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Itronix T5200

One of the first of a new breed of economical CE-based field service PCs (June 1999 issue)

In the last issue we ran a preview of the Itronix T5200, one of the first ruggedized Windows CE devices available for use in vertical market applications. We reported how Itronix, part of communications technology conglomerate DynaTech, has grown into a field force automation hardware and services vendor with annual revenues over US$100 million. Much of that revenue comes from Itronix' rugged X-C 6000 and X-C 6250 notebook computers, a substantial percentage of which are delivered with pen/touch screens.

With the advent of the T5200, Itronix' revenue source distribution will change as the T5200 will probably soon represent a significant slice of the overall pie, a pie that will most likely grow because of the T5200. Whenever a new and exciting offering joins an established product line, there may be concern that the newcomer will cannibalize sales of existing products. We don't think this will be the case here. While the X-C series and the T5200 share a design philosophy, they are simply too different to get into each others' way. Anyone who wants or needs a full function, fully ruggedized notebook computer and doesn't mind the size and 7.2 pound weight of the X-C series will continue buying the 6000 and 6250 computers. On the other hand, those who a) don't need all the whistles and bells of Windows 95/98, and b) can't justify the price of a 6250 for what might be a relatively simple job will look no further than the new T5200.

So let's take a look at the T5200. At first sight it looks like a baby X-C 6250. There is a definite family resemblance, and it's clearly designed and engineered with the same principles that made the X-C series a success. Like the X-C, the T5200 looks purposeful and solution oriented. It's a tool for a job rather than a fashion statement. But whereas the X-C has a footprint of 10.5 x 8.1 inches and weighs over seven pounds, the T5200 measures a mere 9.8 x 5.0 inches and weighs just three poundsÑa big difference to anyone who actually carries around a mobile system all day long. I should mention that although the T5200 is clearly a tough tool for tough jobs, it is not without charm. Itronix has always placed great importance on equipping its computers with comfortable, ergonomically designed carry handles, and the one on the T5200 is no exception. It is tough, grippy, comfortable, and parts of it are made of translucent plastic that wouldn't look out of place on an iMac. It even has nylon loops for a shoulder strap.

While the T5200 with its polycarbonate case can be classified as a "clamshell" computer, it's very different from the current crop of fashionable and ever thinner notebooks. The 5200 is well over two inches thick. Its substantial base contains the 1500mAH, 10.8V Lithium-Ion battery that snaps on and becomes a part of the case, the motherboard, and the integrated wireline and wireless communications options. The transflective mono display sits in a very sturdy lid that flips up. In conjunction with the heavy base and an industrial-strength hinge, the thick lid has virtually none of the annoying give and flex that bedevils most small touch screen devices. This sounds like a minor thing, but it makes the T5200 more pleasant to use than other touch screen clamshells that nearly flip over every time you tap the screen.

The multi-layer reinforced screen itself is of the ÒclassicÓ handheld PC 640 x 240 format, which means it is as wide but only half as tall as a standard VGA screen. It measures 7.3 inches diagonallyÑlarge enough for relatively easy reading. Display quality is quite goodÑdeep black over a greenish background. Due to its transmissive technology, the display is readable in the brightest sunlight. However, in this day and age of gorgeous TFT color screens, and increasingly acceptable indoor/outdoor color transflective and reflective technologies, monochrome (16 grays, actually) displays look dated, especially since Òpaper whiteÓ displays really never happened. The touchscreen itself is responsive and keeps glare to a minimum.

The T5200's 76%-scale keyboard with its knobby rubber chiclets is definitely not for touch typing which generally requires a key pitch of 16.5 millimeter or more. But it has all the necessary keys, is nicely color coded, fully sealed, and you can develop custom keyboard overlays for it. It does the job.

You'll find a weatherproof microphone located to the right of the keyboard, an amply proportioned weatherproof speaker on top of the unit, a sealed Type II/III PC Card slot on the right, and a Òconfigurable interface blockÓ in the back. The block allows Itronix to provide custom configurations to volume customers. Our review unit had a 9-pin serial port, an RJ-11 jack for the 33.6kbps softmodem, headset and power jacks, an IR port, and charging contacts for when the unit is docked.

In the CPU department, Itronix went with the same chipset that powered the speedy Philips Velo 500 and is also used in the Sharp Mobilon 4600 and the Compaq C-Series. In addition to good performance this chipset includes a 33.6 Kbps V.34 fax/data softmodem that's much easier on the battery than a modem card.

On the software side, initial implementations of the T5200 use version 2.0 of the Windows CE operating system, and don't include Microsoft's suite of pocket applications, with the exception of Internet Explorer. There also are a handy clock with very large display, and a speaker phone application that can be used either with a modem connection or, if installed, a wireless radio. Most T5200s, of course, will run custom software that was developed for a job at hand. That's where Microsoft's "leverage" argument comes into play: unless you live on the moon, chances are that you have access to all the Windows programming expertise you'll ever need, and since the CE toolkits all live within existing Windows programming tools, creating totally enterprise compatible applications for the T5200 is a brise.

Since Itronix considers itself a leader and expert in wireless communications, it comes as no surprise that the T5200 was designed from the ground up as a wireless communication device. Shielding is always an issue when you integrate a wireless radio into a computing device, and Itronix took that into consideration. Depending on a customer's needs, there is a variety of wireless radio options using either ARDIS or the BellSouth Wireless Data network. Units equipped with a wireless radio also have a flip-up antenna in the left screen hinge.

The T5200 is powered by a 1,500mAh Lithium-Ion battery which isn't taxed very much by the energy-efficient RISC chip and the mono LCD. Heavy use of the wireless radio, of course, will shorten time between recharges, but I think Itronix' estimate of two working days between recharges is realistic. Compared to Intel-powered Windows 95 devices that rarely make it through more than a couple of hours in a shift, that's almost an eternity. Recharging takes three to four hours. And since the battery isn't very big, you can always carry a spare or two. Windows CE offers fairly good power management, and the T5200 also shows when a battery was installed, and how many hours and minutes the unit has run on that battery. Due to the nature of Lithium-Ion batteries, there is no indicator on remaining battery power, which means you have to make do with the knowledge that your battery is either "good," "low," or "very low."

The T5200 works just like any other Windows CE handheld, except that you have to do without the Pocket Apps. However, unlike its consumer market cousins, this CE device is built to withstand a beating. If you need a rugged little notebook for the field, one that has a wireless radio and can easily exchange information with your enterprise network, one that costs less and runs longer on a battery charge, the Itronix T5200 may be the affordable answer you've been looking for but didn't think existed. -

­ Conrad H. Blickenstorfer