October 2018

More than 3,600 Public Safety Agencies SubscribedMore than 3,600 public safety agencies across the country have now joined FirstNet. That's a nearly 50% increase in the number of agencies subscribing to the nationwide public safety communications platform in less than 2 months. With more than 250,000 connections on FirstNet, first responders from federal, state, local and tribal public safety agencies continue to turn to FirstNet for the communications capabilities they need, especially during emergencies and large events. [See FirstNet media release]

Dell introduces powerful new semi-rugged and rugged laptops
Dell has introduced their new line of 14-inch semi-rugged and fully rugged laptops. The new line — which will replace the previous 14 Rugged and 14 Rugged Extreme models — includes the semi-rugged 4.9-pound Latitude 5420 Rugged, the 5.5-pound Latitude 5424 with media bay and extra expansion, and the fully rugged Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme. All models are available with Intel 6th, 7th, and 8th generation Core processors, all come with Full HD displays, and all are available with fast PCIe NVMe drives, and all can accommodate over 100 watt-hours of battery power. [See RuggedPCReview's description, analysis and specs of the Dell Latitude 5420 Rugged, the Dell Latitude 5424 Rugged, and the Dell Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme] -- Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Juniper Systems: 7 questions about phone batteries answered by an electrical engineer
Everything mobile runs on batteries, which means batteries become ever more important. But what do we really know about batteries? In a recent blog, Juniper Systems electronics engineering manager Eldon Peterson answered some of your burning questions about, yes, phone and mobile device batteries. [See 7 questions about phone batteries answered by an electrical engineer] -- Posted Monday, October 22, 2018

Juniper System launches attachable keyboard for the Mesa 2 Rugged Tablet
Sometimes a physical keyboard works better than touch-typing on a tablet. There are some tablets with integrated physical keyboards, but that either makes the tablet larger or the screen smaller. Which may or may not be an issue. Juniper Systems offers an alternate solution with its new 54-key snap-on keyboard for their rugged Mesa 2 tablet. No tools needed. See how it works at "The Mesa 2 Rugged Tablet Attachable Keyboard is here or watch the video that shows how it works. -- Posted Thursday, October 18, 2018

Review: Bak USA's rugged 8-inch Seal Windows tablet
There's a new kid on the rugged tablet block. It's Bak USA, a company that describes itself as a "social enterprise that builds computers." And they do it in the US, in Buffalo. RuggedPCReview examined and benchmarked the 8-inch, Intel x7-Z8700-powered, IP65-sealed Bak USA Seal Windows tablet that starts at US$699. It's for real. [See review of the Bak USA Rugged Seal Tablet] -- Posted Monday, October 15, 2018

Panasonic Toughbook hits the road to educate customers as they prepare for FirstNet
Today, the Panasonic Toughbook Truck begins its journey to support first responders' transition to FirstNet, the nationwide public safety communications platform dedicated to America's public safety community. The 40-foot Toughbook Truck is designed and outfitted to offer an educational, immersive mobile experience across the U.S. in partnership with AT&T and Sierra Wireless. For a complete list of cities and dates, visit ToughbookFirstResponder.com. -- Posted Monday, October 1, 2018

How does SBAS improve GPS?
In its Get Rugged blog, Juniper Systems explains what SBAS is — a regional network of ground and satellite technologies that work together to boost the accuracy and dependability of GPS data. The increased accuracy is critical for aviation and is widely used by the geospatial industry. Author Jackson Murphy explains how SBAS works, where there is SBA coverage, what SBAS systems are under development, and where to download SBAS coverage maps. [See Juniper System's How does SBAS improve GPS?] -- Posted Monday, October 1, 2018