October 2016

ARBOR's Gladius G0830 is a flexible, innovative Intel Cherry Trail-powered fanless 8-inch tablet and dock system for restaurant point-of-sale, retail and warehousing deployments, or even emerging IoT applications. Closely integrated with a multi-function dock and an optional pistol grip for scanning operations, the Gladius G0830 supports both Windows 10 and Android. [See full review of the ARBOR Gladius G0830]

Exclusive: First full review of the 12.5-inch, Intel Kaby Lake-powered rugged Xplore XSLATE R12
Xplore Technologies announced the Xplore XSLATE R12 rugged tablet for those who need a larger display in a tablet that's tough enough to go anywhere AND delivers blistering performance. Think full HD 12.5-inch capacitive display AND Wacom pen, 2.7/3.5 GHz "Kaby Lake" i7-7500U processor, and excellent connectivity. In an exclusive, RuggedPCReview puts the XSLATE R12 though its paces and finds much to like. [See Xplore media release and RuggedPCReview's full review of the Xplore XSLATE R12] -- Posted Tuesday, October 25, 2016 by chb

Added: Ubiqconn MT7000 all-in-one in-vehicle terminal for emerging vehicular IoT applications
With emerging IoT solutions coming on strong, we're seeing a large number of new IoT building blocks. An example is the elegant new Ubiqconn MT7000, a durable, all-in-one vehicle terminal for fleet management, asset management, and Electronic Logging (ELD) applications. With a 7-inch procap display, various OS choices, and substantial onboard wired and wireless connectivity, the MT7000 is suitable for all sorts of dispatch systems, asset and fleet management applications, diagnostic monitoring systems, as well as vehicle navigation and tracking metrics. [See description, analysis and specs of the Ubiqconn MT7000] -- Posted Tuesday, October 18, 2016 by chb

MobileDemand presents two new rugged tablet case studies
MobileDemand published two new case studies. One is on Honda Transmission Manufacturing, located in Russel's Point, Ohio, using MobileDemand xTablet T1200 systems to replace their tugger-mounted and forklift-mounted laptops, as well as using MobileDemand xTablet T1400, xTablet T1600 and xTablet Flex 10 devices for various applications. The second is on the use of a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 with MobileDemand's premium rugged case to run a Blue Robotics BlueROV2 underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to discover uncharted shipwrecks along the dramatic Southern California Pacific Ocean coastline. [See Honda Manufacturing Replaces Rugged Laptops with Rugged Windows Tablets and Marine Exploration Driven By Rugged Surface Pro 4 Tablet] -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2016 by chb

MobileDemand: Rugged Surface cases flying off the shelf
MobileDemand reports that its rugged Surface cases, announced in February and shipping since April, have been selling at an incredible rate. Watch the video below which shows the rapid adoption nationwide of the new Surface cases. Equipped with multiple hand straps for easy carrying, an easel for any-angle viewing and protected ports, the rugged cases are ideal for mobile, enterprise operations. MobileDemand offers protective cases for the Surface Pro 4 and Surface 3 and were engineered as a participant in the Microsoft Designed for Surface Program. [See MobileDemand blog entry and Surface Case installed base video -- Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016 by chb

Bristol Township Police Department chooses Xplore rugged tablets to replace Panasonic Toughbooks in patrol cars, field
Xplore Technologies announced that the Bristol Township Police Department in Pennsylvania has chosen to standardize on Xplore R12 rugged tablet PCs after nearly 15 years of cycling through fast failing notebooks and other mobile devices that proved unfit for public safety’s extreme daily operating environments. Just one-third of the way through its full fleet upgrade to the R12, local law enforcement officers already boast about the rugged tablet’s uninterrupted 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and satellite GPS connectivity as they transition from the station to the patrol car and into the field for incident response and investigation. [See Xplore media release] and Not Missing a Beat case study] -- Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016 by chb

Getac releases next-generation, higher-resolution body-worn camera for law enforcement for its Veretos system
Getac introduced its next-gen Getac Veretos Body Worn Camera (BWC) for law enforcement. With one of the smallest and lightest designs in the industry, it delivers 130-degree panoramic 480p to 1080p video, even in low light conditions. Incorporating a wide range of communication features and up to 12 hours of full-shift battery life, the camera provides law enforcement with complete situational awareness in critical scenarios while its intuitive design makes the process of starting, stopping, and streaming video push-button easy. [See Getac media release and Getac Veretos product page] -- Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016 by chb

Avalue and Bytec announce IP67-sealed mobile power solution
Avalue Technology’s healthcare alliance partner Bytec Healthcare released their G2 Geni-Tec Mobile Power solution for use in healthcare environments. Bytec seeks to "mobilize healthcare" by bringing reliable and safe mobile power solutions to hospitals, integrators and medical device manufacturers. The G2 Battery Modules use the latest in Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery technology built into a compact, lightweight and IP67-sealed design. With a capacity of up to 216 Wh, the battery modules can be hot-swapped for continuous24/7/365 power. [See Avalue media release and Geni-Tec product page] -- Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2016 by chb

Q2 rugged mobile market shows uneven YoY growth
VDC Research reports that the global rugged mobile market saw uneven growth between Q2 2015 and Q2 2016. Stabilized Q2 2016 markets allowed for year-over-year (YoY) revenue growth for rugged tablets and notebooks, while the handheld/PDA market experienced a weaker Q2 YoY compared with Q2 2015. Regionally, Asia-Pacific experienced YoY growth across rugged notebook, handheld, and tablet form factors, while only the tablet market grew in the Americas and the notebooks saw YoY growth in EMEA. [See Rugged Mobile Quarterly Shipments Q2 2016] -- Posted Tuesday, October 11, 2016 by chb

Lenovo to take over Fujitsu's PC unit?
Fujitsu was once a global top-5 PC maker, and we still fondly remember Fujitsu's pioneering work in industrial and enterprise tablets well before Microsoft "invented" the Tablet PC. But that was then and this is now. While still having sold 4 million PCs last year, the Fujitsu PC unit is losing money and is said to be in talks to sell the unit to Lenovo, which is the world's #1 PC seller. -- Posted Friday, October 7, 2016 by chb