February 2008

The Duo-Touch II by General Dynamics Itronix is a compact, rugged Tablet PC now in its fourth generation. Upgraded electronics provide an overall benchmark performance improvement of 67% over the predecessor model. The Duo-Touch II also uses the GD Itronix DynaVue daylight viewable display technology for very good outdoor readability. Users can toggle between touch screen mode and an active digitizer, enhancing functionality and ease of use. The 4-pound Duo-Touch II is a fully rugged computer, has IP54 sealing, and can accommodate up to three different integrated radios plus GPS. [Read detailed review of the General Dynamics Itronix Duo-Touch II]

Socket announces antibacterial plastic products
Socket Mobile announced a new line of products to be built with an antibacterial plastic targeted toward healthcare and other markets that involve hygiene-sensitive environments. The first product combination to debut in the new line is the SoMo 650 handheld computer and docking cradle. The new antibacterial product line incorporates the use of an antibacterial additive that gradually releases microbe-fighting metal ions upon becoming moist or wet, providing an additional layer of protection against the multiplication and spread of potentially harmful bacteria and microbes. -- Posted Monday, February 25, 2008

Added: AMREL MRK8 rugged medical market notebook
AMREL's line of rugged Rocky notebooks, tablets, and PDAs also includes state-of-the-art Intel Core 2 Duo models with high res 15.1-inch 1400 x 1050 pixel displays and dedicated NVIDIA graphics subsystems for demanding graphics applications. AMREL covers industrial, military and medical markets with its flexible and highly configurable computing platforms, and the MRK8 is geared towards the latter. Its media bay can accommodate special Data Acquisition Cards to include 3rd party technology. [See description and specs of the AMREL MRK8 rugged medical notebook] -- Posted Sunday, February 24, 2008

Added: Casio's tiny DT-X7 industrial handheld
Weighing just over five ounces, Casio's DT-X7 industrial handheld data entry and collection terminal fits anywhere. It's an ergonomically designed, Marvell XPA270-powered marvel with an integrated imager and a handy 29-key keypad. The DT-X7 is IP54-sealed and can handle three foot drops, making it perfect for any number of warehousing and inventory applications. It has a 2.4-inch QVGA LCD, runs Windows CE 5.0 and won a prestigious 2008 iF product design award (International Forum Design of Hannover, Germany). [Read description and specs of the Casio DT-X7 data entry terminal] -- Posted Friday, February 22, 2008

LXE acquires Swedish Akerström, adds two vehicle mounts
LXE, Inc. accounced it has acquired Swedish mobile computer maker Akerströms Trux. With the acquisition, LXE adds two Windows XP-based vehicle-mount panel computers to its lineup of handhelds. The Tx700 and Tx800 are rugged forklift and vehicle-mount computers running Windows XP or XP Embedded. The Intel M processor powered panel computers have 10.4 or 12.1-inch touch screens and feature superb onboard connectivity. The TX700 is also available in a Windows CE version. [See description and specs of the LXE Akerström Tx700/Tx700 CE and Tx800 panel computers] -- Posted Thursday, February 21, 2008

Roper Mobile announces rugged Duros Tablet PC
Roper Mobile Technology -- a subsidiary of Roper Industries that combines DAP Technologies, JLT Mobile Computers, and Black Diamond Advanced Technology -- introduced the Duros Rugged Tablet PC. The Duros is a fourth generation Windows XP-based tablet PC that is sealed to IP-65 specifications and passes the requisite MIL-STD 810F ruggedness tests. Equipped with a sunlight-viewable 8.4-inch SVGA resistive touchscreen and powered by either an AMD Geode LX 800 or a 1GHz Intel Celeron M , the comes with hard drives up to 120GB (or a solid state drive up to 64GB). The battery is hot swappable and the Duros has integrated WiFi, Bluetooth, GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS and optional GPS. It is geared towards harsh field applications such as mining, construction, utilities, public safety or military. [See description and specs of the Roper Mobile Duros rugged Tablet PC] -- Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Added: Intermec CV30 and CV60 vehicle and fixed mount computers
We added the Intermec CV30 and CV60 vehicle and fixed mount computers to RuggedPCReview.com's panel computer listing. The CV30 is a rugged and very compact Windows Mobile or CE.Net device with a 6.4-inch touch screen. The larger CV60 can run either CE.Net, Windows XP or XP Embedded. It has a 12.1-inch display with touch screen. Both panels have cast magnesium housings that are sealed against dust and water, have onboard wireless and can connect to scanning/RFID peripherals via Bluetooth or tethered USB or serial connections. [Read description and specs of the Intermec CV30 and Intermec CV60] -- Posted Friday, February 15, 2008

Intermec has record revenue quarter
Intermec reported 2007 fourth quarter revenues of $253 million and earnings from continuing operations of $16.4 million, compared to 2006 equivalents of $219 million and $5.2 million. For the entire fiscal year 2007 revenues were $849 million and earnings from continuing operations were $24.3 million, compared to $850 million and $35.0 million in 2006 [see Intermec earnings news release). Among recently introduced products is the Windows Mobile based CK61ex that integrates EX imaging technology in a rugged handheld computer, enabling users to scan any kind of barcode, in any orientation, from 6 inches to 50 feet away, as well as capture images [see description of the Intermec CK61EX] -- Posted Friday, February 8, 2008

Added: DT Research information appliances
There was a time when "web tablets" were supposed to be the next big thing and even Microsoft got into the act with its "Mira" platform. That did not go anywhere, but today products like the WebDT 310 and the slightly smaller WebDT 360 from DT Research are being used as light and handy solutions for many mobile computing applications. [See description and specs of the DT Research WebDT 310 and DT Research WebDT 360]. -- Posted Thursday, February 7, 2008

Windows Mobile-based vibration spectrum analyser
According to Processingtalk, Datastick Systems will demonstrate its interesting VSA-1225 Vibration Spectrum Analyser at the IMC 2007 International Maintenance Conference in Daytona Beach, Fla. The VSA-1225 module comes in a sleeve that attaches to an HP iPAQ hx2400 ord hx2700 Pocket PC. Datastick Systems also makes vibration analyzers that work with Palm Treos and the Palm TX. With these vibration analyzers, inspectors can take vibration measurements, and the view, analyse or email them. -- Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Added: Psion Teklogix ikôn rugged PDA
Psion Teklogix added the ikôn Rugged PDA to its lineup of rugged handhelds, vehicle mounts, and terminals. The compact and lightweight ikôn is powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA270, has a full-VGA outdoor-viewable 3.7-inch display, runs Windows CE 5.0 or Windows Mobile 6.0, survives 5-foot drops, and has an impressive IP65 ingress protection rating. [Read description and specs of the Psion Teklogix ikôn Rugged PDA] -- Posted Monday, February 4, 2008

Businessweek high on Itron
Mobile computing historians know that Itron Inc. started Itronix as a business unit in the late 1980s and then spun it off in 1992. While Itronix became part of Telxon, then Dynatech which changed its name to Acterna and sold Itronix to an investment company before General Dynamics came in and formed today's GD-Itronix, Itron itself is a global leader in advanced meter-reading gear. BusinessWeek is bullish on Itron which sells data collection handhelds and related products to about 3,000 utilities. With 85% of about 2.5 billion meters worldwide still being old electromagnetical devices that need replacement, Itron's modern smart metering systems and handhelds may be the replacement choice of numerous utilities. -- Posted Friday, February 1, 2008