Mobile computer for tough route assignments
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Note: On December 10, 2012, Intermec announced that it will be acquired by Honeywell. [See Intermec press release]

The Intermec CK60 Mobile Computer is a modern, rugged handheld for demanding route applications. It's a handsome tool for tough jobs, with a magnesium top, rubber bumpers to survive repeated falls from six feet (!!), and IP64 sealing. In order to make the CK60 as flexible as possible for application developers, the device can be ordered either with the friendly Windows Mobile for Pocket PC OS, or with the more developer-oriented Windows CE 5.0. Power comes from a speedy 520 MHz version of Intel's PXA272 application processor. There's up to 128MB of RAM and 128MB of non-volatile onboard storage. We appreciate the large 3.8-inch transflective touchscreen as well as the keypad options that include a 32-key numeric version and a 58-key full alpanumeric layout. The CK60 can be ordered with an integrated laser scanner, 2D area imager, or integrated 1D & PDF-417 linear imager, supporting just about any code out there. Onboard communications consists of USB host and client, 10/100 Base-T LN, Bluetooth, IR aand even a legacy RS232 port. 801.11b/g is available as well. Additional expansion is possible via a user-accessible SDIO card.

Change November 2007: The CK60 is now listed as the CK61 in Intermec's lineup. Technical specifications appear the same.

Update January 2011: The CK60 is probably to be seen as a predecessor of the CK70/71 introduced in January of 2011.