A compact, rugged, lightweight Android handheld that scans, pans, and zooms like a consumer smartphoen
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

In January 2013, DAP Technologies introduced the M4305 Android-based handheld as a rugged, lightweight, highly mobile, and enterprise-ready solution for industries ranging from warehouse and logistics, supply chain, field service, transportation, retail and medical applications.

The M4305 is an attractive design, and with capacitive multi-touch and running the Android OS it's technologically up-to-date as well. Featuring a bright (400 nits) and generously sized display, the M4305 measures a very compact 3.2 x 5.2 inches, is less than an inch thick, and weighs just over eight ounces. That's a bit thicker and heavier than a modern smartphone, but hardly larger.

In terms of tech specs, DAP Technologies' latest handheld is based on the Texas Instruments DM3730 processor running at 1GHz. This is an OMAP-compatible package with an ARM Cortex-A8 core, a NEON SIMD coprocessor, and a POWERVR SGX Graphics Accelerator. The unit's 4.3-inch capacitive multi-touch display offers 480 x 800 pixel WVGA resolution, with both the touch technology and the screen resolution up to current smartphone standards, rather than remaining with legacy handheld technology. Other new-era tech includes dual cameras, a micro-SD card slot, speedy 802.11n WiFi, a 1D/2D imager, integrated GPS, and optional 3.5G mobile broadband.

Despite its modest size and weight, the DAP M4305 is quite rugged. It can handle 4-foot drops to concrete without additional protection, it can handle a wide operating temperature range of -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, it carries IP65 sealing, which means it's completely impervious to dust and can handle water jets from all directions.

With the M4305, DAP Technologies is among the first in their industry to make the brave step forward towards offering ruggedized, industrial-grade devices that are technologically virtually up-to-par with state-of-the-art consumer smartphones (I say "virtually" because vertical market product cycles are much longer than those of consumer markets). Devices such as the M4305 mark the beginning of an era where workers on the job can enjoy the same smartphone-class functionality and ease of use that they are taking for granted on their personal phones.