November 2012

Atmel's maXTouch controllers used in many Windows 8 devices
Atmel announced that its maXTouch controllers have now been designed into more than 30 Windows 8 touch-enabled devices ranging from tablets to Ultrabooks and notebook PCs. The Atmel maXTouch technology uses a patented charge transfer technology that works well with fingertip touch as well as a conductive stylus. Add Atmel's maXFusion sensor hub technology to integrate input from accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers to make Windows 8-style apps come to life! [See Atmel press release] -- Posted Tuesday, November 20, 2012

New: Winmate M700D highly configurable rugged Windows tablet
Taiwanese Winmate Communication is fleshing out its roster of rugged handhelds and tablets with the new Winmate M700D. It's a rugged Windows tablet with a 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel wide-format screen with capacitive multi-touch. Powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600, the 1.7-pound tablet can accommodate SSDs up to 128GB, has IP65 sealing, a 4-foot drop spec, and can be configured for a wide range of applications and deployments. [See description and specs of the Winmate M700D] -- Posted Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Rightware introduces Browsermark 2.0
Rightware introduced Browsermark 2.0 – a free to use benchmark designed from the ground up to measure and compare the performance of any browser on any internet enabled device including desktops, notebooks, tablets, smartphones and more. In addition to measuring general browsing functionality tests like page loading, page resizing and conformance testing for HTML5 and network speed, Browsermark 2.0 also features 4 new areas of testing: WebGL, Canvas, HTML5, and CSS3/3D. To run BrowserMark 2.0, click here (we tried it on several of our rugged devices). -- Posted Thursday, November 15, 2012

Getac introduces PS336 handheld with exchangeable end-caps
Getac USA introduced the Getac PS336 rugged handheld computer that can fill various functions via a variety of exchangeable "Flexiconn" end-caps. End-caps initially are available with RFID, long-range Bluetooth, laser scanner, and a 3-in-1 combo (HF RFID, Smart card, SAM), but with an open interface, third parties can create additional modules. The 1GHz TI Sitara-powered PS336 -- which runs Windows Embedded Handheld on a 3.5-inch VGA touch screen -- can handle 6-foot drops, extreme temperatures (-22 to 140F) and carries full IP68 sealing. [See description, analysis and specs of the Getac PS336] -- Posted Friday, November 9, 2012

Socket reports Q3 2012 financials
Socket Mobile reported revenue for Q3 2012 of US$2.8 million, compared to US$4.7 million Q3 2011. Net loss for the quarter was $983,000, compared to a net loss of $727,000 in Q3 2011. Socket CEO Kevin Mills said that "Sales of our barcode scanning and our handheld computer products were both impacted by marketplace transitions during September, but we have seen a healthier order pace return in October. With our handheld computer products, we experienced purchasing delays in September after the supply of SoMo650s ran out as customers that had stocked SoMo650s were working to exhaust their inventories before purchasing the SoMo655 (see our preview of the SoMo655." [See press release] -- Posted Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Microsoft sued over live tiles
And.... Microsoft is already being sued for the use of live tiles in Windows 8. Portland-based SurfCast claims they infringe on one of its patents. In part, the abstract of the patent in question says, "the present invention comprises a graphical user interface which organizes content from a variety of information sources into a grid of tiles, each of which can refresh its content independently of the others." That should keep a good number of lawyers busy for a while. [See Surfcast patent] -- Posted Thursday, November 1, 2012