February 2019

As if the rapid-fire release of Android versions that are just different enough to have to relearn where everything is weren't enough, Android also comes in two distinct flavors. There's full Android with GMS (the weirdly named "Google Mobile Services") and then there is AOSP, the "Android Open Source Project" without some of those attention-diverting Google apps and also without the equally tempting Google Play Store. How does it all fit together? Juniper Systems explains that, and also how to install 3rd party apps on an Android device, and what alternatives there are to the Google Mobile Services apps. [See Everything you need to know about Google Mobile Services, Android Open Source Project, and bypassing the Google Play Store]

Teguar's new waterproof panel computers
Teguar's mailing on their new cost-effective rugged waterproof Panel PCs caught our eyes. Their new TWR-2920 Series provides simple, elegant, and ruggedized solutions for kiosks, sensor data collection, or human machine control interface. The panels have full IP65 rated waterproof housings, come with M12 waterproof connecters, and are made to handle regular shocks and vibrations per MIL-STD-810F/G. [See Teguar TWR-2920 waterproof panels] -- Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Winmate's cost-effective EL-Series of industrial HMIs
This week's Winmate newsletter highlights the company's EL-Series of industrial human-to-machine interfaces, i.e. small, handy touchscreen panels to monitor machine operation and interface with it via touch. The EL-Series which is based on Android or Ubuntu Linux, includes scratch-resistant capacitive touch displays ranging from 4.3 to 15.6 inches, no-drill mounting clips, and both legacy and state-of-the-art I/O. [See Winmate's Cost-effective EL-Series of industrial HMIs] -- Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Durabook delivers exceptional field service tool with upgraded R11 rugged tablet
Durabook Americas, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Twinhead International Corporation, has upgraded its fully rugged R11 tablet. The acclaimed device now features an Intel® 8th Generation CPU, Intel UHD 620 graphics processor, DDR4 memory, Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 9260, and Bluetooth V5. For transportation and logistics companies, field service organizations, and government agencies that have come to rely on the Durabook R11 in the most demanding conditions, the improvements create a more powerful and reliable field computing tool. [See Durabook Americas media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2019

The advent of 1TB microSD cards
When the original IBM PC XT arrived in 1983, customers were blown away by its cavernous 10megabyte hard drive. It eliminated the need for cartons full of floppy disks and rang in a new era of personal computing. Well, Western Digital's SanDisk and Micron just announced 1TB microSD cards. That's 100,000 times as much storage as that old PC XT had, on a card the size of a fingernail. SanDisk's 1TB card will initially cost US$449, but prices will likely fall quickly. -- Posted Monday, February 25, 2019

ARBOR: Accelerating your embedded development
ARBOR Technology's newsletter focus this week is on how to accelerate your embedded development with their optimized semi-industrial motherboards that includes a full lineup of different form factors including Mini-ITX, MicroATX and Full-ATX. Supporting the latest processors, these rugged industrial motherboards are dependable options that are suitable for POS Systems, kiosk, Digital Signage, Gaming and other industrial applications. [See Accelerating your embedded development] -- Posted Monday, February 25, 2019

Panasonic: Solving real world problems with mobile thermal imaging
Panasonic's Rugged Mobility for Business blog posted an interesting article on the emerging uses of mobile thermal imaging. These include finding heat loss or escalation, taking no-contact measurements, and recording photo documentation. Panasonic's article also looks into easier inspection of hidden electrical systems and components, more proactive mechanical inspections, and safer and faster law enforcement interventions. As is, Panasonic's FZ-G1 tablet can be equipped with an integrated FLIR infrared camera, saving the cost of a dedicated thermal gun. [See Panasonic blog Solving real world problems with mobile thermal imaging] -- Posted Monday, February 25, 2019

Kyocera DuraForce PRO 2 rugged, waterproof smartphone wins prestigious iF design award
Kyocera International Inc. announced today that its DuraForce PRO 2 — the only rugged 4G LTE smartphone with a Super Wide View 4K Action Camera and virtually scratchproof Sapphire Shield Display — received the iF DESIGN AWARD 2019. DuraForce PRO 2 boasts IP68 dust and waterproof certification (to 2m/6.5ft deep for up to 30 minutes) and Military Standard 810G for protection against shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity, immersion, temperature shock and icing/freezing rain. [See Kyocera media release] -- Posted Friday, February 22, 2019

Full review: Winmate USB Type-C IoT gateway solution
Winmate is making innovative use of the USB Type-C standard's ability to provide not only USB data transfer but also audio/video and power through one single thin cable. RuggedPCReview examined Winmate's rugged and super-compact EAC Mini EACIL67 IoT gateway computer in conjunction with one of Winmate's USB Type-C displays. One cable is all it takes to connect the two, greatly adding to mounting and usage convenience. [See full review of the Winmate EAC Mini EACIL67 USB Type-C solution] -- Posted Thursday, February 21, 2019

Full review: Teguar TP-3485-15 industrial All-in-One
All-in-Ones are popular because they merge the traditional PC "tower" and desktop monitor into one slender package, saving space and eliminating cabling. But industrial sector All-in-One requirements are different from those of consumers or enterprises. RuggedPCReview took a detailed look at Teguar Computers' TP-3485 15-inch industrial All-in-One and found an innovative approach with much original thinking. [See detailed review of the Teguar TP-3485-15 industrial All-in-One PC] -- Posted Thursday, February 21, 2019

Janam delivers 40% decrease in water meter reading time
Janam Technologies LLC, a leading provider of rugged mobile computers that scan barcodes and communicate wirelessly, announced today that Stone Oak Property Owners Association (POA) is using XT2 rugged mobile computers from Janam to improve its water meter reading processes. Decision makers at Stone Oak POA selected Janam's XT2 because of its compact size, rugged design and superior barcode scanning technology. [See Janam media release] -- Posted Thursday, February 21, 2019

Full review: DURABOOK S14I
With the S14I semi-rugged laptop, Durabook Americas presents a thoroughly modern tool for customers who require high-performance computing power out there in the field, in vehicles, on the shop floor, or wherever else a tablet or a handheld just won't do. It's an attractive, businesslike machine with a very bright, reflection-free 14-inch wide-format display, good connectivity, excellent battery life, and superior performance, everything that's needed to make the DURABOOK S14I a very strong offering in the hotly contested market of semi-rugged laptops. [See full review of the DURABOOK S14I] -- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Honeywell joins the Android Enterprise Recommended program for Managed Service Providers
Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that it has been validated for the Android Enterprise Recommended program for managed service providers. The Google-led Android Enterprise Recommended Managed Service Provider program is designed to give customers more confidence in deploying Android solutions and making sure their enterprise mobility deployment is consistent and current. Customers of Honeywell's enterprise mobility services benefit from device selection, deployment and management services as well as 24/7 technical support. [See Honeywell media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Motorola Solutions will modernize and upgrade Lithuanian public safety communications network
Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year maintenance, support and TETRA digital radio system upgrade agreement with the Information Technology and Communications Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania to modernize and maintain the country's nationwide TETRA digital radio network. The network provides Lithuania's public safety organizations such as the State Border Guard Service police, fire and rescue departments as well as ambulances and state law enforcement agencies with efficient, secure and reliable mission-critical digital radio communications. [See Motorola Solutions media release] -- Posted Thursday, February 14, 2019

Zebra announces Q4 and full-year 2018 financials
Zebra Technologies announced net sales of $1,137 million in Q4 2018 compared to $1,026 million in Q4 2017. Net income for Q4 2018 was $115 million, compared to $4 million for Q4 2017. Full year 2018 sales were $4.218 billion compared to $3.722 billion in 2017. Net income for 2018 was $421 million, compared with a net income of $17 million in 2017. Net sales in the Enterprise Visibility & Mobility ("EVM") segment (formerly Enterprise segment) were $770 million in Q4 2018 compared with $675 million in the Q4 2017. Asset Intelligence & Tracking ("AIT") segment (formerly Legacy Zebra segment) net sales were $367 million in Q4 of 2018 compared to $351 million in the prior year period. The company expects full-year 2019 net sales to increase approximately 4% to 7% from 2018. This expectation includes an approximately 1 percentage point positive impact from the acquisition of Xplore Technologies. [See Zebra Q4 2018 financials] -- Posted Thursday, February 14, 2019

Estone Technology announces voice control ready Pico-ITX i.MX8M board for embedded IoT solutions
Estone Technology announced an addition to their pico-ITX embedded board family. The EMB-2238, an NXP i.MX8M based single board computer, builds upon the success of Estone Technology's i.MX6 board series and is the company's first embedded board to integrate with hardware DSP specially designed for voice control applications. This quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 board takes advantage of NXP's latest i.MX8M application processor with up to 15-year longevity, advanced audio and 4k video support. It is ready for ODM and industrial product designs in fast-growing edge computing, voice human machine interface (HMI), streaming multimedia, and machine learning applications. [See Estone Technology media release] -- Posted Thursday, February 14, 2019

Added: DT Research DT340T rugged 14-inch tablet for demanding mobile and in-vehicle operation
The primary purpose of tablets is to bring everything you can do on a smartphone to a bigger screen, and do so while still being reasonably light and handy. That's why most tablets have screens in the 10-inch range. But what if you need a bigger screen and more power? That's what DT Research made their big, high-performance 14-inch DT340T tablet for. [See description, analysis and specs of the DT Research DT340T] -- Posted Tuesday, February 12, 2019

New: Estone Technology MJ-100 highly customizable 10.1-inch rugged Android tablet
Estone Technology's mission is to provide premier OEM/ODM solutions focused on tablet and Panel PC products. This includes highly configurable general purpose products such as the MJ-100, an Android-based rugged 10.1-inch tablet platform specialized for medical and light industrial duty, but suitable for deployment in almost any industry. [See description, analysis and specs of the Estone Technology MJ-100] -- Posted Thursday, February 7, 2019

Motorola Solutions reports full-year 2018 financials
Motorola Solutions reported 2018 full-year sales of USS$7.343 billion, up 15% from US$6.38 billion in 2017. 2018 operating earnings were US$1.255 billion, down 2% from 2017's US$1.284 billion, with 2018 net earnings of US$966 million vs. a net loss of US$155 million in 2017. For full-year 2019, Motorola Solutions expects revenue growth of approximately 6-7%. Motorola Solutions ended the fiscal year with a record backlog of $10.6 billion, up $988 million or 10 percent from a year ago. [See Motorola Solutions 2018 financial media release] -- Posted Thursday, February 7, 2019

Keystone expands commercial fleet segment with Havis
TheShop and AMN AfterMarketNews report that Keystone Automotive Operations Inc. has welcomed Havis Inc. to its vendor card. Havis provides in-vehicle docking and mounting solutions for mobile professionals across a variety of industries, including public safety, government, public works, health care and fleet transport. [See article] -- Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2019

MobileDemand: Beginner's Guide to C1D2
Class 1 Division 2, or C1D2, is one of the most important factors to understand if you’re looking for a mobile tablet for a hazardous industry. Not only are there regulations to follow, but when it comes to C1D2, people's lives are on the line. The last thing anyone wants to happen is a technological failure that leads to injury or loss of life. Check MobileDemand's latest blog entry for a quick primer on C1D2. -- Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Iridium declares victory; $3 billion satellite constellation upgrade complete
Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) today hailed the completion of its $3 billion satellite constellation upgrade campaign known as Iridium® NEXT, during a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. During the press conference, the company also used the opportunity to introduce a new small-form-factor transceiver known as the Iridium CertusSM 9770, which will enable creation of new consumer and industrial applications that are highly portable and IoT-friendly, optimized for small size and low cost, yet with higher speeds than in the past thanks to the upgraded Iridium satellite network. [See Iridium media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2019

New: Estone Technology MD-100 hard handle tablet
Estone Technology's mission is to provide premier OEM/ODM solutions focused on tablet and Panel PC products. An example is the versatile and highly configurable MD-100 10.1-inch "hard handle" tablet that comes in standard and healthcare versions. Both are highly configurable and available at various levels of processing performance. [See description, analysis and specs of the Estone Technology MD-100] -- Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2019

InPost improves delivery efficiency with Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), an innovator at the edge of the enterprise with solutions and partners that enable businesses to gain a performance edge, today announced that InPost, a leading international operator of self-service parcel lockers, is using a Zebra solution as a key driver for international growth. The company has equipped 3,800 field service workers with Zebra TC56 touch computers with Android to ensure faster, more accurate service results, reducing delivery times by up to 10%. [See Zebra media release] -- Posted Monday, February 4, 2019

What happend in rugged computing 10 years ago: February 2009
In February 2009, we reviewed the RMT Duros 1214 fixed-mount computer. Intermec was on a roll in Australia and Saudi Arabia with its CN3 handheld, and ended its fiscal year with no debt. Fujitsu published a paper on the many uses of capacitive touch (but also backed WiMAX over LTE). Lenovo designated eight ThinkPad laptops as "semi-rugged." Trimble introduced the 7-inch Yuma tablet and support the Iditarod with rugged Nomad and Yuma computers. General Dynamics moved its rugged business (née Itronix) from Spokane to Florida. Microsoft introduced Windows Mobile 6.5 and an app store. ARM announced Cortex-A9 multi processing on the Symbian OS mobile OS. HP began selling Getac rugged PCs. Dell updated its Latitude XT2 tablet with enhanced multi-touch. [See February 2009 rugged computing archives] -- Posted Monday, February 4, 2019

New: Datalogic Memor 1 general purpose touch device
Many jobs in assisted sales, on manufacturing shop floors, in backend receiving, in warehouse distribution and many more depend on reliable, effortless scanning. More often than not, such devices are big and bulky, but not the new Datalogic Memor 1. It's a light and handy Android touch device that comes in versions with or without a pistol-grip. It has integrated industrial-grade scanning, wireless charging, and is economically priced. [See description, analysis and specs of the Datalogic Memor 1] -- Posted Friday, February 1, 2019

NHBC equips building inspectors with rugged Panasonic tablets
NHBC, the UK's leading home warranty and insurance provider, has equipped its Building Inspectors with rugged Panasonic TOUGHBOOK M1 tablets for use during construction site visits and home office working. Historically 375 NHBC Building Inspectors around the country would note details of their visits to construction sites on pen and paper and take photos with a camera before recording inspection findings on their laptops. NHBC wanted to upgrade the mobile technology for the Building Inspectors to provide them with a single, rugged device that could be used during site visits and home use as a desktop. [See Panasonic news release] -- Posted Friday, February 1, 2019