Mobile & Wireless UPDATE—brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network
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August 22, 2002—In this issue:
1. MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES
- Pocket PC: Other Ruggedized Device Vendors
2. INSTANT POLL
- Results of Previous Poll: Microsoft's Tablet PC
- New Instant Poll: Color or Monochrome?
3. ANNOUNCEMENT
- Take Our Survey and You Could Win a Free T-Shirt!
4. RESOURCE
- Event Highlight: International Wireless Symposium 2002
5. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Bridge Wired Networks and Wireless Workstations
- Use a Dictionary with Your PDA
6. CONTACT US
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
1. MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES
(contributed by Steve Milroy, [email protected])
In the August 8 edition of Mobile & Wireless UPDATE, I looked at Symbol Technologies' ruggedized Pocket PC devices. This time, I want to look at ruggedized Pocket PC devices from Intermec, Casio, and Panasonic.
Intermec has a long history of developing barcode-scanning devices and other peripherals. The company also offers several Pocket PC-enabled devices, including the Model 70 Pocket PC, the 700 Series Mobile (monochrome), and 700 Series Color Mobile. The Model 70 Pocket PC is similar to the Hewlett-Packard (HP, formerly Compaq) iPAQ in size, specifications, and functionality, but it features some hardening that makes the device semi-rugged. This model doesn't have integrated peripherals for wireless communications or barcode scanning. It does, however, feature a 10-hour battery life, which makes the Model 70 Pocket PC a good choice for power users.
Intermec's 700 Series Mobile and 700 Series Color Mobile Pocket PC devices are true ruggedized devices. They have many of the features that the Symbol devices have, and the color-screen devices are specifically designed to work in bright light. Current models feature the 400MHz XScale processor, which increases application performance. Additionally, you can configure the 700 series with 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or 1xRTT wireless WAN (WWAN), or Bluetooth functionality. You can integrate one, two, or all three of these connectivity options into one device. Therefore, the device can be extremely flexible for connecting to different types of available wireless networks. The 700 series devices also feature integrated one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) barcode-scanning capabilities. Another nice feature of the 700 series devices is the non-volatile Flash ROM area, which permits easy loading of applications and recovery from device failure. For more information about Intermec, go to the following URL.
http://www.intermec.com
Casio offers several semi-ruggedized mobile devices that are similar to the company's Cassiopeia series. These devices have the same specifications as the iPAQ but are ruggedized for industrial use. Casio offers color and monochrome models that have Compact Flash expansion capabilities. They lack other peripheral support, however, and a frustrating flaw is that Casio is still using the Pocket PC 2000 OS with non-Flash ROM, so you can't upgrade to the Pocket PC 2002 OS. For more information about Casio's ruggedized devices, go to the following URL.
http://www.casio.com/personalpcs/section.cfm?section=145
Panasonic offers a ruggedized Pocket PC device called the Toughbook 01 which is the handheld version of the company's Toughbook series. The Toughbook 01 has many of the features that the other ruggedized devices offer, including barcode scanning, integrated wireless capabilities, Secure Digital (SD) expansion slots, and extended battery life. I particularly like the built-in keypad, which permits easy data entry for appropriate applications. For more information about the Toughbook 01, go to the following URL.
http://www.panasonic.com/computer/notebook/html/01a_s01.htm
As you can see, you have many options if you're considering a ruggedized Pocket PC device. See you next time.
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2. INSTANT POLL
The voting has closed in Windows & .NET Magazine's Mobile & Wireless Solutions nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "What do you think the future holds for Microsoft's Tablet PC?" Here are the results (+/-1 percent) from the 41 votes:
- 12% The device will take the entire market by storm
- 54% The device will be popular only in niche markets
- 15% The device will be a fun trinket for a while, then fade away
- 15% The device will do a great belly flop
- 5% Other
The next Instant Poll question is, "Does your PDA have a color or monochrome screen?" Go to the Mobile & Wireless Solutions home page, and submit your vote for 1) Color, or 2) Monochrome.
http://www.mobile-and-wireless.com
3. ANNOUNCEMENT
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)
We need to hear your thoughts on the future on technology! Take our reader survey, and you'll be entered to win a T-shirt, compliments of Windows & .NET Magazine. All responses are completely confidential, so visit the following URL.
http://www.up2research.com/windotnet
4. RESOURCE
San Diego, California
October 2 through 4, 2002
International Wireless Symposium (IWS) 2002 is a forum about using wireless WAN (WWAN), 802.11b (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth technologies to create innovative and high-quality products and services. This 3-day symposium focuses on companies that are delivering real-world solutions today. IWS 2002 brings together today's leading wireless experts to explain how service providers and product developers are forming partnerships and exploring new business models to use the most efficient and cost-effective technologies to serve today's customers. The symposium will have a strong focus on Asian and European markets, new options for licensed and unlicensed high-speed wireless access, coexistence of 802.11 and Bluetooth in the same frequency band, and all-in-one-devices. For more information, go to the following URL.
http://www.iws2002.com/overview.html
For other upcoming events, check out the Windows & .NET Magazine Event Calendar.
http://www.winnetmag.com/events
5. NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])
Agere Systems released the ORiNOCO AP-200, a dual 10/100 Ethernet port wireless Access Point (AP) for small-office environments. You can configure the AP as a base station for a standalone wireless network or as a bridge between your wired network and wireless network. The AP-200's network management features include Web browser management, SNMP management, Trivial FTP (TFTP) kernel upload, extended MIBs, and embedded Telnet. The AP also features microwave-oven interference-resistance technology. The AP-200 provides 128-bit encryption and ORiNOCO's WEPplus encryption scheme, which helps prevent message interception by intruders. Pricing is $199. Contact Agere Systems at 610-712-8081 or 866-674-6626.
http://www.orinocowireless.com
TB Labs released RoadLingua, a dictionary database that fits in your PDA's optional memory card. RoadLingua lets you browse the dictionary from within other applications. You can select a word in any text editor or viewer to read its definition. The software resides in expansion memory, so you don't use up your valuable device memory. You can choose from more than 250 dictionaries, including English-to-German, English-to-French, English-to-Spanish, and English-to-Japanese. Pricing is $14.95. RoadLingua runs on Pocket PC, Palm, and Handspring Visor OSs. Contact TB Labs at [email protected].
http://www.roadlingua.com
6. CONTACT US
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