December 2017

RuggON Corporation, a supplier of fully rugged computers, announced their sponsorship of the German Haribo Racing Team which is part of the customer racing program of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Pit crews are using the RuggON PX-501B rugged Windows tablet for vehicle diagnostics, on-the-spot repairs, and vehicle tuning on the famed Nürburgring race course in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Sharing the racing team's emphasis on reliability, performance, and durability, the RuggON PX-501B proved to be a perfect complement to Mercedes-AMG's supercars. [See RuggON news]

Pentium Silver and Gold
Intel, seemingly, will stop at nothing to make their byzantine processor lineup even more, well, byzantine. The company has now announced Pentium Silver and Gold processors, where the Gold varieties use big Kaby Lake cores whereas the Silver versions are now based on "Gemini Lake" (which is the successor to Apollo Lake, which was the successor of Braswell, which was the successor of Bay Trail). There are actually also Celeron-branded new chips in Gemini Lake. Intel's idea here seems to use Celeron and Pentium to offer something that covers the big gap between high-end Atom and low-end Core processors, both in terms of cost, performance, power usage and features. For a table of the new chips, see here. [See Intel press release] -- Posted Monday, December 18, 2017 by chb

Empowering the connected colleague
Interesting coverage of an Essential Retail webinar on the topic of connected retail. The webinar, sponsored by Datalogic, discussed the retail automation market that's worth almost US$11 billion per year and is set to rise by 10% annually up to 2022. [See Empowering the connected colleague] -- Posted Thursday, December 7, 2017 by chb

Featured blog: Rugged Tech Talk with DT Research
More and more rugged technology firms have blogs, and most do a great job in presenting basics, specifics and examples of rugged computing technology to their customers and interested parties. Today's highlight is on DT Research's Rugged Tech Talk with DT Research blog. Established in its current form in July 2016, the nicely formatted blog covers a new topic or issue on average once a week. Recent topics include 4 Benefits of Rugged Tablets for Construction Site Managers, How Rugged Medical Tablets are Revolutionizing Emergency Medical Services, The Three Types of First Responders Who Need Rugged Tablet Solutions, and Why 4G LTE is the Future of Tablet Tech Communications. [visit Rugged Tech Talk with DT Research] -- Posted Thursday, December 7, 2017 by chb

McElroy selects Getac ZX70 fully rugged tablet to be a part of DataLogger® 6 solution for measuring accuracy and efficiency in pipeline fusions
McElroy, the leading manufacturer and innovator of pipe fusion equipment, has selected the Getac ZX70 fully rugged tablet, to be incorporated into the company's DataLogger 6 solution for quality assurance in the field. The ZX70 was ultimately selected for its lightweight, fully rugged design, Android 6.0 platform, custom RS232 adapter and exceptional customer service. [See Getac/McElroy press release] -- Posted Tuesday, December 5, 2017 by chb

Havis introduces upgraded universal laptop and tablet cradle line for a wide variety of devices
Havis Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of in-vehicle mobile office solutions for mobile professionals, has announced a new, upgraded line of universal cradle solutions for a wide range of tablet and laptop models. The new generation of Havis universal cradles, which includes the UT-1000 Series, the UT-2000 Series, and the UT-301 Cradles, are lighter yet still ultra-rugged and allow for more mounting options. The new Universal Cradle line is made from high-performance, injection-molded materials and some feature a durable, powder coat painted top plate. The thin, low profile design of the cradles maximizes mobile office space and enhances visibility. The rugged construction of the Havis Universal Cradles allows for longer service life and future redeployments. The new Universal Cradle line is made from high-performance, injection-molded materials and some feature a durable, powder coat painted top plate. The thin, low profile design of the cradles maximizes mobile office space and enhances visibility. The rugged construction of the Havis Universal Cradles allows for longer service life and future redeployments. [See Havis press release] -- Posted Friday, December 1, 2017 by chb