The PA600 MCA (Mobile Clinical Assistant), part of Unitech's PA600 family of rugged PDAs, is a Windows CE 5.0-based compact yet durable PDA using the 520MHz version of the Marvell PXA270 processor. 
It includes USB host and client, Bluetooth Class 2, 802.11b/g WiFi as well an integrated 2D imager for bar code scanning and a RFID reader, all in a single device designed and configured specifically for modern medical professionals in healthcare and other clinical environments.
The idea here is to make available a handheld with an antimicrobial, easy-to-clean housing that also includes RFID technology and 2D bar code scanning that are both becoming commonplace in today's medical environment. These technologies allow medical staff to correctly identify patients by reading their RFID enabled wristbands and ensure that the correct treatment is administered to the correct patient when scanning medicines. They can also be part of an overall electronic patient records system, an initiative mandated by the US government.
The PA600 MCA measures 3.35 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches and weighs just over 11 ounces including battery, imager and RFID reader. It has a powerful full-shift battery, 128MB of RAM and 320MB of Flash ROM. Expansion is via a single SDIO slot. The backlit transflective TFT touchscreen display measures 3.5 inches diagonally and has the standard 240 x 320 resolution. Operation is via touch, stylus, a four-way navigation pad integrated into an 18-key arrangement that includes numeric, alpha and function keys for rapid data entry.
As far as scanning goes, the unit supports 1D symbologies such as UPC-A/E, EAN-8/13, Codabar, Code 39, Code 39 full ASCI, Code 93, Code 32, Interleaved & Std. 2 of 5, EAN 128, Code 11, Delta, MSI/Plessey, Code 128, and Toshiba, as well as 2D symbologies including Composite, Data Matrix, MaxiCode, PDF-416, Postal Code and QR Code.
The Unitech PA600 HF carries an IP64 ingress protection rating, can handle 4-foot drops, and operate in a 14 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit temperature range, making it suitable for operation in just about any environment.
The PA600 MCA is a modern and ergonomically designed data collection PDA configured for clinical environments. It is also tough enough to withstand significant punishment, but small and light enough to go anywhere. Unitech offers a variety of different configurations of the PA600 platform with various permutations of data collection and wireless capabilities.
Unitech America is a subsidiary of Taiwanese automatic data collection specialist Unitech, founded in 1979. They are also the third-largest worldwide manufacturer of rugged PDAs.
