October 2012

Google followed up on its first (and quite well-received) Nexus 7 tablet with the Nexus 10 that differentiates itself with a 2,560 x 1600 pixel 10-inch screen with Gorilla glass protection. The Nexus 10 is powered by a dual core A15 processor, runs Android 4.2, has 2GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of storage. There are 1.9mp and 5mp cameras, microUSB and microHDMI, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and a 9-hour battery. The 16GB version is US$399, the 32GB model US$499, available November 13. [See Google Nexus 10 page]

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 8
Microsoft officially debuted Windows Phone 8, the latest version of the company's smartphone operating system, along with details and pricing for a range of new smartphones from Nokia (Lumia 920), Samsung (ATIV S) and HTC (8X). With a similar look and feel, the same technology core, and the same built-in SkyDrive cloud service, Microsoft says Windows Phone 8 is built to work seamlessly with Windows 8 PCs, Microsoft Surface devices and the Xbox 360 console. [See Microsoft press release] -- Posted Monday, October 29, 2012

Windows RT: how suitable is it for vertical markets?
Though as of this writing, October 27, 2012, Windows 8 and RT were just officially unveiled a couple of days ago, reams have already been written on Windows 8 and, to a much lesser extent, Windows RT. We got our Surface RT tablet on October 26 with the intent on reporting on the Surface hardware and RT software in some detail. However, our emphasis will be on their suitability for vertical and industrial markets. For a first impression of Windows RT, and some very interesting findings, read on... -- Posted Saturday, October 27, 2012

Panasonic announces resellers of the year
Panasonic named its Reseller of the Year Awards at the annual Panasonic Solutions Partner Summit 2012 this week in Phoenix, AZ. Among them are DataSource Mobility as the Top Healthcare Reseller, PCS Mobile as the Top Toughbook Reseller, and Paradigm Systems Solutions as the overall Reseller of the Year. -- Posted Friday, October 26, 2012

Honeywell announces rugged Enterprise Hybrid Device
Honeywell announced the Dolphin 70e Black. It's what Honeywell calls a rugged Enterprise Hybrid Device, or EHD, and it was created for auto-ID and data capture customers who want something lighter and sleeker than a traditional industrial handheld. The Dolphin 70e Black looks like a modern smartphone, measures about 2.7 x 5.5 x 0.75 inches, weighs 7 ounces, has a 4.3-inch sunlight-readable display with a capacitive touch screen, and is sealed to IP67 specs. The battery lasts up to 12 hours and the device includes an enterprise-class area imager. The device will be available in February of 2012 both in Windows and Android versions. [See Honeywell press release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Apple Event October 23, 2012: New 13" MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMacs and a 7.9-inch iPad mini
Apple announcements used to be among the most highly anticipated media events on the planet when everyone wanted to see Steve Jobs do his magic on stage. It's not the same anymore without Steve, it, but everyone still breathlessly awaits the news from Cupertino, especially when it's a long rumored smaller iPad. [more] -- Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012

BlackBerry losing more large accounts
Reuters reports that ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, will end its contract with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and switch to Apple iPhones instead. This means that the ICE will get iPhones for its more than 17,600 employees. This comes a week after consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton said it was dropping BlackBerry and switching to iPhone and Android smartphones for its staff of around 25,000. [See Reuters release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Motorola Solutions introduces HC1 headset computer for completely hands-free operation
Motorola Solutions introduced the HC1 headset computer. The HC1 combines an OMAP 3730-powered computer with a micro-display to create a wearable headset device that is completely hands-free to operate via voice commands and sensor-based head-tracking. The HC1 was created in a collaboration between Motorola Solutions and Kopin Corporation, and uses Kopin's Golden-i technology. [See analysis and specs of the Motorola HC1 headset computer] -- Posted Monday, October 22, 2012

What will Microsoft's Surface RT tablets mean?
What will the arrival of Microsoft's Surface RT tablets mean to the vertical and industrial market? Will there be rugged tablets running Windows RT? Or will the ever-important leverage factor dictate that most enterprise and industrial tablets remain x86-based and compatible with legacy Windows? [read more] -- Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Microsoft Surface with Windows RT tablet available for order with October 26 delivery
Microsoft announced more details on its Surface tablets, and offered "special limited quantity pre-order" of the Surface with Windows RT tablet, with delivery by October 26, 2012. Pricing for the Surface RT: US$499 32GB w/o touch cover, US$599 32GB with touch cover, and US$699 64GB with touch cover. Different color touch covers or a "type" cover are available at extra cost. Tablet specs: 10.8 x 6.8 x 0.37 inches, 1.5 pounds, Nvidia Tegra T30 processor, 2GB RAM, 32 or 64GB storage, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, dual 720p cameras, 10.6-inch display (1366 x 768), 5-pount multi-touch, USB 2.0, microSDHX. We ordered ours and will report in detail asap. [See Windows Surface RT page and Comparison Surface Windows RT vs Surface Windows 8 Pro -- Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Juniper Systems releases Aspect Field Mapping Solutions
Juniper Systems announced Juniper Aspect Field Mapping Solutions. Formerly known as IntuiTrace, the new, enhanced version offers more imagery options, increased database functionality, and compatibility with Bing and Google Earth maps, ESRI, ArcGIS Online and existing customer GIS. Juniper Aspect was designed from the ground up as an accurate as-built documentation solution for the Juniper Mesa Rugged Notepad and Archer Field PC that seamlessly synchronizes between handhelds and desktops. [See the Juniper Systems Aspect page, the Aspect brochure, or view an Aspect explanation video on YouTube. -- Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Neonode announces Smartphone I low-cost mobile phone touch solution
Neonode announced the Neonode Smartphone I, which is not an actual phone (such as their old N1 and N2) but a complete mobile phone touch sensing solution with a bill of materials as low as $2 in high volume production. Smartphone I is based on Neonode's MultiSensing optical technology that a) accepts any object as touch, b) is very low power, c) can read pressure, d) offers proximity sensing, e) has a virtually glare-free screen, and f) is very rugged. [See Neonode press release] -- Posted Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Handheld Group announces high-res, Atom N2800-powered 10-inch rugged Windows tablet
Handheld Group announced the launch of the Algiz 10X rugged tablet PC. The Intel Atom N2800-powered Algiz 10X runs Windows 7 on a 16:9 aspect ratio wide-format 1366 x 768 pixel sunlight readable display. The IP65-sealed unit has a resistive digitizer for unambiguous operation in any environmental conditions, comes standard with 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 64GB SSD, u-blox GPS, 5mp camera, Bluetooth 4.0, and optional Gobi 3000 carrier-independent mobile broadband. [See description and specs of the Handheld Algiz 10X] -- Posted Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Winmate C350T: traditional PDA form factor, Android OS
These days, almost all consumer smartphones pretty much look like the iPhone, and most ruggedized versions do, too. There is, however, still room for conventional rugged PDAs with physical keypads, especially if they can run either Android or Windows CE, and can accommodate a camera, 1D/2D scanner 3G mobile broadband, and even RFID. [See description and specs of the Winmate C350T] -- Posted Monday, October 8, 2012

GammaTech releases second-gen Mobile Clinical Assistant tablet
GammaTech announced the Durabook T10L2, a ruggedized tablet loosely fashioned after Intel's mobile clinical assistant reference design of a few years ago. This is GammaTech's second gen MCA, and it shows in a number of improvements such as a more ergonomic design, a multi-touch display, and a switch to the dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor platform. Being designed for indoor clinical environments, the Durabook tablet is not only tough and rugged, but also easy to clean and disinfect. [See description and specs of the GammaTech Durabook T10L2] -- Posted Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Ultrabook sales less than half of earlier forecast
According to IHS iSuppli, global sales of ultrabooks will be 10.3 million in 2012, less than half that of earlier projections. Craig Stice, senior principal analyst for compute platforms at IHS, said, "so far, the PC industry has failed to create the kind of buzz and excitement among consumers that is required to propel ultrabooks into the mainstream. This is especially a problem amid all the hype surrounding media tablets and smartphones. When combined with other factors, including prohibitively high pricing, this means that ultrabook sales will not meet expectations in 2012." [See iSuppli press release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 2, 2012