Elecsys Corporation introduced the Radix FW960 ultra-rugged handheld computer designed with the needs of today's front-line field worker in mind. The FW960 runs Windows CE 6.0 on a 520MHz Marvell PXA270 processor, has a 3.5-inch QVGA display, a variety of backlit alphanumeric keypad options, and a wealth of standard and optional communications and data collection features, including integrated laser scanners or imagers, thermal printers, RFID, 3G WWAN and even AMR (automated meter reading) radio. With a wide operating temperature range, 5-foot drop spec, IP67 sealing, and a nearly indestructible Xenoy housing, the Radix FW960 warrants consideration. [See description and specs of the Radix FW960 ultra-rugged handheld] -- Posted Wednesday, June 29, 2011
ARCHOS adds Android devices for the home
ARCHOS was early with Android tablets and now again pushes boundaries with two new Android devices designed for the home - The US$149 ARCHOS 35 Home Connect, an Android-based web radio and the US$159 ARCHOS 35 Smart Home Phone, an Android DECT phone. Both are smart devices and feature all of the Android functionalities. -- Posted Wednesday, June 29, 2011
CENS.com: Inventec receives orders for tablets from HP
According to an article in the Taiwan Economic News, Inventec Corp. has received a large order for tablets from HP. HP supposedly has ordered 400,000 to 450,000 TouchPad tablets per month. [See CENS.com article] -- Posted Friday, June 24, 2011
Motion C5v tablets used in New Zealand health organization
Motion Computing reports that the Tairawhiti District Health Board in New Zealand upgraded its mobile technology solutions to the Motion C5v Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA). “We left the decision up to our clinicians who, immediately after testing a demo tablet, requested we implement the tablet PCs as soon as possible,” said Max Ponomarev, the Board's team leader for IT Infrastructure. “I can’t remember them ever being this enthusiastic about a new technology.” [See Motion press release] -- Posted Friday, June 24, 2011
HP announces webOS Pivot
HP announced HP webOS Pivot, providing users an entertaining and informative editorial resource for discovering webOS 3.0 applications for the HP TouchPad, which launches July 1. Designed to complement the HP webOS App Catalog, Pivot will showcase a broad range of applications – and the developers who create them – by providing customers the freedom to explore based on their interests and lifestyles. -- Posted Friday, June 24, 2011
Added: LXE Marathon tablet
Introduced late last year, the LXE Marathon field computer picks up the "open book" design that combines a display and a keyboard in a very compact tablet. The Marathon weighs just over two pounds, has a 7-inch 800 x 480 pixel outdoor-viewable touchscreen, runs Windows 7 on an Intel Atom Z530 processor, and includes a camera, a fingerprint reader that doubles as a mouse, and also offers a wealth of bolt-on accessories such as a mag stripe reader, 2D imager and extended battery for up to 6 and 9-hour operation. The device, which measures about 8 x 7.6 inches, includes 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth, and is sealed to IP 65 spec. [See description and specs of the LXE Marathon] -- Posted Thursday, June 23, 2011
Targus debuts new cases for laptops
Targus announced a collection of new cases to keep laptops safe and secure on-the-go. The Terra Laptop Backpack TSB226US (US$49.99) has a padded laptop compartment for extra protection, plus a stowaway retractable rain cover for weather resistance. Numerous accessory pockets provide additional storage including a dedicated MP3/cell phone compartment with headphone port for listening to music while traveling. The 16" Slipcase Attache - TSS28001US slipcase (US$49.99) offers 360 degree laptop protection and features a durable exterior constructed of water-and-wear-resistant fabric. The zippered back slip pocket provides a convenient location to store files. To help stay organized, the large interior workstation provides storage for pens, business cards and includes space for larger accessory items. -- Posted Thursday, June 23, 2011
Verizon drops unlimited, jacks up prices
Verizon will have no one to blame than itself for its less than spectacular showing with the iPhone. The company is terminating its unlimited US$30 data plan, replacing it with just 2GB for the same amount, adding much more expensive plans ($50 for 5GB, $80 for 10GB), with $10 overage fees for every GB, and an extra $20 for 2GB of tethering data. As much as we take issue with AT&T's own data strategy, Verizon's unfortunate greed will work in AT&T's favor. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Panasonic Toughbook 19 gets performance, display, and storage updates
Panasonic has given its venerable Toughbook 19 rugged convertible notebook computer another substantial update. There's a major performance boost via a switch to a 2.5GHz standard voltage Intel Core i5-2520M processor, amazingly still without the need of a fan. The display is now a slightly smaller 10.1-inch transflective design with a special reflective layer that provides great sunlight viewability without a superbright backlight. The 19 can now have up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a high-speed 320GB disk or up to 256GB of SSD, as well as upgraded wireless, including 4G LTE. [See description and specs of the Panasonic CF-19 Mark 5] -- Posted Friday, June 17, 2011
GD-Itronix introduces GD8200 ultra-rugged notebook
General Dynamics Itronix has introduced the GD8200 ultra-rugged notebook computer, a substantial technology update to the GD8000. Now equipped with a 2.2/2.9GHz Intel Core i7-2655LE processor and ancillary circuitry, the GD8200 should be substantially more powerful than its predecessor, while retaining full backward compatibility and its 8-hour battery life rating. Graphics performance is improved and additionally benefits from DynaVue II technology. The IP65-rated GD8200 also supports numerous wireless standards including 4G LTE. Pricing starts at US$4,460. [See description and specs of the GD-Itronix GD8200] -- Posted Friday, June 17, 2011
American Airlines to use Samsung Galaxy Tab in planes
American Airline announced it has ordered 6,000 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 media tablets and will use them to replace the their current seat-back entertainment devices on many transcontinental and international flights. -- Posted Thursday, June 16, 2011
DAP introduces small and rugged M1000 handheld
DAP Technologies introduced the M1000 handheld computer that is hardly larger than a standard mobile phone, but has voice capability and a barcode scanner or imager, making it suitable for inventory control, picking and packing and other advanced scanning applications. Powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor and running either Windows CE 6.0 or Windows Mobile 6.5, the 8.2 ounce DAP M1000 has a 2.8-inch QVGA touch display, impressive ruggedness specs, a micdro-SD card slot, and can be configured with 3G WWAN and either a laser scanner or 1D/2D imager. [See description and specs of the DAP Technologies M1000] -- Posted Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Getac introduces flagship X500 rugged notebook
Getac introduced the Getac X500 ultra rugged notebook that combines state-of-the-art Intel Core i7 technology, a large 15.4-inch sunlight-viewable resistive multi-touch display, available discrete nVidia graphics, extensive onboard connectivity, and an optional expansion chassis with either full-size PCI or PCIe card slots. [See description and specs of the Getac X500] -- Posted Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Inexpensive WD Rugged Case adds 7-foot protection to external USB 3.0 drive
Anyone needing more on-the-go storage than most modern mobile computing devices come with should take a look at Western Digital's new WD Nomad Rugged Case. It's an inexpensive box that provides moisture, dust and impact protection to WD's line of My Passport external drives. RuggedPCReview.com tested the new WD Nomad Rugged Case (US$29.95) with a 500GB USB 3.0 My Passport Essential drive (US$99) and came away impressed. Vast storage, no power supply needed, super-fast, and a 7-foor drop spec! [See description and impressions of the WD Nomad Rugged Case] -- Posted Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Toshiba taking pre-oders for Android-based 10.1-inch Thrive tablet
Toshiba started taking pre-orders for its 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel Android 3.1-based media tablet initially just called the "Toshiba Tablet," but now named the Toshiba Thrive. Pricing is set at US$429/479/579 for 8/16/32GB units. The 10.7 x 6.9 x 0.6 inch unit weighs 1.7 pounds, has a 2mp webcam and 5mp rear camera, offers USB and HDMI, and adds to the number of Android-based brand name contenders in the media tablet market. [See the Toshiba Thrive page and our updated media tablet table] -- Posted Monday, June 13, 2011
PDA-based Epoc blood analysis system
Very cool video showing how a PDA-based blood gas analysis system uses single-use Smart Card for blood analysis, then wirelessly reports findings, reducing errors and helping make faster treatment decisions. The PDA used is the Socket SoMo 650rx, a healthcare market version of the SoMo 650. [See Alere Epoc/Socket Mobile 650 video] -- Posted Wednesday, June 8, 2011
MarketResearch.com: Tablet market to reach 100 million units by 2015
And another prediction for the tablet market: MarketResearch.com weighs in, stating that the worldwide Tablet PC market size in 2010 was nearly US$ 9 Billion and it is anticipated that Tablet PC unit sales will cross 100 Million Units by 2015. Tablets are expected to drive massive demand for digital content and services, and telecom service provider is likely to benefit most from it in the same way as they gained from smartphone boom. [See MarketResearch.com's projection] -- Posted Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Amazing video: Juniper Systems Mesa tablet
What you're seeing in this picture is a Juniper Systems Mesa rugged tablet bouncing along a dirt road, attached to a speeding truck. And it still worked afterwards! Even at RuggePCReview.com we don't subject products to such punishment! [See Juniper Mesa video and our full review of the Mesa]
-- Posted Monday, June 6, 2011
Socket blog: mobile technology in professional sports
Socket Mobile posted an informative blog entry on their Socket Talk company blog, reporting on how various sports entities are using their SoMo 650 for all sorts of applications. [See Mobile Technology in Professional Sports] -- Posted Saturday, June 4, 2011
Tablet application market to soar to US%$15 billion by 2015
While the tablet application market is an off-shoot of the more developed smartphone app market, In-Stat expects it to have its own identity in the coming years, with tablet application revenues soaring to over $15 billion in 2015. [See In-State release]
-- Posted Friday, June 3, 2011
Ricoh introduces the eWriter solution
Ricoh introduced its new eWrite Solution: a business-class tablet and back-end services designed to improve business efficiencies by moving paper processes online. The company also announced that the device and services will be offered through its new business unit, Ricoh eWriter Solutions (EWS). The eWriter Solution is comprised of the Ricoh eQuill, a one-pound 9.7-inch tablet with stylus, camera, and 20 hour battery life that functions as a digital clipboard, and the eWriter Workflow Services. -- Posted Friday, June 3, 2011
Reynolds launches CRM solution for the iPad
The Reynolds and Reynolds Company announced the launch of dealerPAD, a mobile version of the Reynolds Contact Management solution developed for use on the Apple iPad. dealerPAD will be offered as an additional benefit at no charge to Reynolds Contact Management customers, which is one of the most comprehensive and widely used customer relationship management (CRM) tools for car dealerships. Based on our own experiences with buying cars, do dealerships ever need this! -- Posted Friday, June 3, 2011
Renesas ramps up USB 3.0 production
Renesas Electronics, the premier manufacturer of USB 3.0 host controllers, reports they have now shipped 30 million units and monthly production is now six million units. USB 3.0 is ten times faster than USB 2.0 (up to 5 Gbps vs. just 480 Mbps), reduces power consumption, and is downward compatible with USB 2.0. Expect it to take over in rugged technology soon as well. [See Renesas USB devices page] -- Posted Thursday, June 2, 2011
Toshiba unveils WT310 media tablet in Japan
Toshiba Japan announced the WT310, an Intel Atom Z670 powered and Windows 7-based media tablet with a large 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 pixel display. Measuring 11.7 x 7.7 x 0.63 inches and weighing just 2 pounds, the WT310 has a 64GB SSD, 2GB of DDR2-800 RAM, USB, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, and is clearly geared towards the enterprise and business markets that rely on Windows. (See Toshiba Japan WT310 product page] -- Posted Thursday, June 2, 2011
3M Introduces new mobile software for physicians
3M Health Information Systems introduced 3M Mobile Physician Solution, a complete suite of mobile software apps, including Mobile Patient Lists, Mobile Rounds, Mobile Dictation, and Mobile Charge Capture. The suite is available on the iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile devices. [See 3M Mobile Solutions for Physicians] -- Posted Wednesday, June 1, 2011