August 2015

Getac wins hard-fought rugged laptop bid
Providing a rare insight into the often hotel contested bids for computing equipment procurement, the Gaston Gazette reports how the City Council of Gastonia in Gaston County, North Carolina, decided, in a tight split-decision to buy 160 new rugged laptops from Getac instead of Panasonic. The city's CIO said that Getac's "sterling reputation of service with the city" convinced him to recommend Getac. [See "City to spend $309,000 on new 'rugged' laptops for police"] -- Posted Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Gartner: iPhone up in worldwide smartphone growth slowdown
According to Gartner, worldwide smartphone sales had their lowest growth rate in Q2 2015 since 2013. A total of 330 million were sold, compared to 290 million in Q2 2014. Samsung's marketshare fell from 26.2 to 21.9%, Apple's rose from 12.1 to 14.6%. In terms of OS marketshare, Android fell from 83.8 to 92.2%, iOS rose from 12.2 to 14.6%, Windows fell from 2.8 to 2.5%. Once prominent smartphone vendors like Motorola and HTC were no longer in the top-10 of overall cellphone sellers. [See Gartner media release] -- Posted Friday, August 21, 2015

Panasonic launches ATEX-certified versions of its rugged 5-inch Toughpads
Panasonic announced ATEX certified versions of its fully rugged 5-inch Windows and Android handheld tablets designed for use in potentially hazardous industries such as oil and gas, mining, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 ATEX and FZ-X1 ATEX tablets bring together the best of the handheld, smartphone and tablet market and have been certified for above ground, Zone 2 Working Space use in potentially explosive gas environments (Acetaldehyde, Gasoline, Ethylene). [See Panasonic Europe media release] -- Posted Tuesday, August 18, 2015

How Does Law Enforcement Use Tablets?
Law enforcement is increasingly using advanced computing and communications technology to perform its job. This means highly durable, rugged computing gear that's also flexible, customizable, highly mobile and, unfortunately, costly. MobileDemand just published a case study of how the Missouri town of Sullivan is going about it, and how they managed to satisfy both their budget as well as their functional requirements with rugged tablets. [See How Does Law Enforcement Use Tablets?] -- Posted Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Full review: JLT VERSO+ 10 vehicle computer
Fixed-mount vehicle computers must provide all the power and connectivity of a laptop or desktop, while being able to handle extreme temperatures and near constant shock and vibration. RuggedPCReview analyzed JLT Mobile Computer's VERSO+ 10, the company's latest addition to a line of rugged and highly configurable vehicle-mount and fixed-mount computers. Available with either a basic Atom chip but also a high-powered Intel Haswell Core i5, the very compact and exceptionally well-made VERSO+ 10 has a bright 10.4-inch capacitive multi-touch screen that even works with thick gloves. Verdict: a most impressive product indeed. [ See full review of the JLT Mobile VERSO+ 10] -- Posted Monday, August 10, 2015

New: Winmate adds M133W 13.3-inch full-HD procap Broadwell-powered rugged tablet
Winmate has added the large-screen M133W to its growing lineup of rugged tablet computers. The M133W has a full HD 1920 x 1080 glove/rain/stylus-capable capacitive multi-touch screen, substantial onboard connectivity, dual cameras, a full complement of sensors, and it's available with three CPU options, including an Intel "Broadwell" Core i5-4200U. The M133W has a wide operating temperature range, is IP65-sealed, and can accommodate two internal SSDs. [See description, analysis and specs of the Winmate M133W] -- Posted Monday, August 10, 2015