News From the Industrial Mobile Device Market
In contrast to teens sharing music on their Zunes and Linux geeks playing Doom on their iPods, industrial markets for mobile devices are all about the work. This is a different world, where entertainment and shiny interfaces takes a backseat to practical, reliable technology solutions. The performance of these devices can literally be a matter of life and death. Here are a few updates in the always-active world of mobile industrial computing.
Ruggedbook
Have you ever taken a look at commercials for notebook-style laptop PCs? In the world of mobile-computing commercial-land, bloggers post pictures from the cozy comfort of a WiFi cafe while sipping a cappuccino, college students take notes in drama lecture hall, and stock day-traders peruse their portfolio from a deck chair by the pool. They never show the real-life world where electronic gadgets are a shy match for our rough-and-tumble world. The soccer mom with kids and dogs clambering in and out of an SUV, the hardhat construction worker dodging reckless backhoe drivers and flying rebar chunks at the building site, or the industrial factory workers in an environment of noisy machines and bubbling vats of chemicals.
How many mobile devices have you lost to the unavoidable accidents that happen every day? From spilled coffee to dropping them down a flight of steps to being just one second late telling your co-worker "Don't set that there!", mobile computers have to survive in a rough and tumble world that doesn't always "handle with care" or read the warning labels.
Samwell is a company that realizes this, with products such as their RuggedBook line of mobile devices. Their commercial handheld PDAs, like others in the Ruggedbook product line, are tested under rough-handling conditions including vibration, water and dust, humidity, extreme temperatures, and of course good old impact with the floor. Another product is the 4P Intrinsically Safe PDA, which is being marketed for use in rugged industries such as mining. We can't wait for all mobile technology to follow suit. If you're tired of having to buy a new PDA every time your idiot co-worker decides to baptize yours in latte, you can't wait either.
Mobile POS systems
You know what's an old paradigm that's ready to go? Cash registers! Cash registers and sales counters and standing in line - they're all holdovers from the days when, well, cash was the only way to do business. How about a waitress who could take your order, ring up your bill, and swipe your debit card right there at the table? A concert ticket-taker who could mill through the crowd selling seats on the spot? A clothing store where you could just ring up your purchase right there in the fitting room?
POS - it stands for Point-Of-Sale - is becoming a mobile solution more and more. Handheld devices can display an easy-to-use menu system, scan a barcode, ring up a sale, accept money from a debit or credit card, and - here's the awesome finish - print out a receipt! All right there on the spot. You can carry a sales counter around in your pocket. Now the next step is for grocery carts that scan the barcodes on the products when you put them in your cart, and a slot on the handle for your debit card.
Wearable computing
A computer that you can just wear and have it function more like a part of you has bridged out beyond the "computer jacket" you see MIT students playing with. Wrist-mount PDSa, such as the Zypad made by Arcom Control Systems, are being used in fields that require computer use when the user's hands, voice, eyes or attention are needed elsewhere. Devices in this line integrate a GPS receiver, Wi-Fi access, Bluetooth connectivity, and custom programs on a screen with a simple graphical user interface to make the computer more mobile than ever. The keywords here are 'light' and 'comfortable'. When it feels no more intrusive than a wristwatch and doesn't look like something only Batman could handle, we know we're winning.
Filed Under: Industrial Technology
