May 2015

With rugged tablets being used in more and more applications, there's often a need for specialized, customized on-screen keyboards. IMG has been offering just that with their My-T-Soft keyboards, panels and boards for the past two decades. The company also offers a variety of powerful pen and touch utilities that can greatly improve the productivity of tablet-based applications. [See IMG's Build-A-Board board browser page]

Motorola Solutions announces LEX L10 mission-critical Handheld purpose-built for public safety deployments
Public safety personnel need state-of-the-art handheld technology, but their requirements are very different from what standard consumer smartphone can provide. Motorola Solutions' LEX L10 is an advanced, rugged IP67-sealed Android 4.4.4 handheld with a 4.7-inch multi-touch display, comprehensive wireless broadband and radio connectivity, superior voice capabilities, and Motorola's specially developed PSX ("Public Safety Experience") interface. [See description, analysis and specs of the Motorola Solutions LEX L10] -- Posted Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Zebra releases Symbol TC75 ultra-rugged Android handheld
As part of their announcement of its "Mobility DNA" (a set of enterprise mobility software solutions), Zebra Technologies introduced the Symbol TC75 ultra-rugged Android handheld. The TC75, which has a 4.7-inch glove-capable dual-mode capacitive touchscreen, is based on the company's TC70, but adds 4G LTE mobile broadband wireless capabilities for deployments in the field. [See description, analysis and specs of the Zebra Symbol TC75] -- Posted Saturday, May 16, 2015

JLT Mobile Computers announces significant upgrade to wireless connectivity across product range
JLT Mobile Computers, the Swedish developer and manufacturer of rugged computers for demanding environments, has announced a significant technology leap for its range of rugged panel and vehicle computers by upgrading their wireless connectivity. Available now are dual-band 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR, as well as 4G LTW WWAN mobile broadband with assisted GPS/GLONASS support. All of JLT’s computers also come with built-in high-sensitivity Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA) technology for both WiFi and Bluetooth radio, delivering higher coverage in environments that offer poor RF coverage. [See media release] -- Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2015

AOL got mail: Verizon bought it
How the mighty have fallen. Email and internet access were once almost synonymous with AOL, the company that easily passed pioneer Prodigy in the early 1990s with its customer-friendly demeanor and truly world-wide access. In 2000, the deal between Time Warner and AOL was worth US$162 billion. Now Verizon picked up AOL for just US$4.4 billion. No one had a map for THAT. [Read Verizon news release] -- Posted Tuesday, May 12, 2015

RAM Mounts now has No-Drill mount for the new Ford F150
Ford's F-Series trucks have not only been the overall best-selling vehicles in the US for many years, the new 2015 Ford F150 revolutionized the industry by saving as much as 700 pounds through extensive use of aluminum. RAM Mounts equally revolutionized their industry with its no-drill vehicle laptop mounting system, and it's now available for the new F150. [See RAM Mounts RAM No-Drill mount for Ford F-150] -- Posted Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Zebra introduces Mobility DNA Suite
Zebra Technologies, which now includes the former enterprise business of Motorola Solutions, launched Mobility DNA, a set of enterprise mobility software solutions designed to enhance efficiencies and productivity for businesses, mobile workers and channel partners. New solutions include SimulScan Document Capture, Workforce Connect Push-To-Talk (PTT) Pro, AppGallery, Swipe Assist and All-Touch Terminal Emulation. Previously announced tools such as RhoMobile, Mobility Extensions (Mx), Enterprise Browser and EMDK for Android are also part of the Mobility DNA suite. [See Zebra news release] -- Posted Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Full review: GammaTech Durabook R11
GammaTech views their Durabook R11 as part of a new class of fully rugged high-performance tablets for use in the field and in harsh environments, one that is lightweight, versatile, has a large display, and represents state-of-the-art technology. Can this elegant 11.6-inch, Haswell Core i5-powered Windows tablet that looks just as sleek and slick as a consumer tablet deliver? [See full review of the GammaTech Durabook R11] -- Posted Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Janam introduces pistol-grip rugged lightweight mobile computer with industrial scanning options
Janam introduced the Janam XG3 mobile computer, a rugged gun-style Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 device that offers scanning options, compact size, and low weight. Offering the choice of two industrial grade scanners, a laser from Zebra/Motorola and an imager from Honeywell, the 22 ounce, ARM Cortex-A8-powered XG3 can handle six-foot drops, carries IP65 sealing and has a -4 to 140F temperature range. The hot-swappable Li-Ion battery is good enough for full-shift operation. [See press release and description, analysis and specs of the Janam XG3] -- Posted Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Microsoft buys N-trig "technology and talent"
For a very long time, anyone wanting an active pen on a tablet essentially had their choice of either Wacom or N-trig, which is based in Israel, with the Wacom pen having the advantage of not needing a battery. Microsoft, however, had switched from Wacom to N-trig for their Surface 3 tablets. In February 2015, Reuters reported that Microsoft was buying privately held N-trig, which was gearing up for a public offering, for at least $200 million. Apparently that didn't happen, but now the Wall Street Journal says Microsoft is buying N-trig's assets for just $30 million. Microsoft has a history of buying pen related technology, such as aha! Inkwriter that became Microsoft Journal, and the Paragraph recognition engine, parts of which live on within Windows. [See Microsoft Surface Blog] -- Posted Saturday, May 2, 2015