April 2019

Zebra's MC9000 line of rugged pistol-grip scanner handhelds has been around for the better part of two decades, selling over 3 million units. The company has now released the latest version, the Android-based MC9300, with thoroughly updated technology, a choice of four scanning engines and five keypad layouts, as well as special "freezer" and intrinsically safe versions. [See description, analysis and specs of the Zebra MC9300]

Planzer deploys Panasonic TOUGHBOOK handhelds to improve scanning capabilities
Planzer, the Swiss logistics company, has equipped its drivers with 2,000 rugged Panasonic TOUGHBOOK handhelds for use in transportation of temperature-controlled pharmaceutical goods, as well as parcel and overnight delivery services. The company, with 59 locations in Switzerland and nine more internationally, chose Panasonic TOUGHBOOK handhelds for their durability and fast, ergonomic scanning capabilities. [See Panasonic media release] -- Posted Thursday, April 18, 2019 by chb

Juniper Archer 3 — updated and on Android now
Juniper Systems' Archer is one of the most mature and longest-running platforms of ultra-rugged handhelds for tough jobs in the field. The company has now released the IP68-sealed Archer 3, an updated and more powerful version that's now been migrated to Android. Equipped with a high-capacity multi-shift battery, USB and serial, available 1D/2D scanner, and also a Class I, II, III Division 2 version for use in for hazardous locations, the Archer 3 remains an attractive offering. [See description, analysis and specs of the Juniper Systems Archer 3] -- Posted Wednesday, April 17, 2019 by chb

Zebra Introduces flagship MC9300 mobile computer ideal for on-demand economy
Zebra Technologies Corporation , an innovator at the edge of the enterprise with solutions and partners that enable businesses to gain a performance edge, today announced the ultra-rugged Android-based MC9300 mobile computer, TC8300 touch computer and ATR7000 RTLS reader. As the next evolution of the MC9000 series, the world’s best-selling enterprise-class mobile computer, the MC9300 enables businesses to modernize their mobile solutions to keep up with the growing demands of e-commerce while shortening training time, improving fulfillment speed and accuracy and increasing productivity by as much as 10% compared to competing devices. Leveraging the innovative design and form factor of the TC8000 to reduce muscle effort and increase productivity, the TC8300 is optimized for picking and new augmented reality (AR)-based applications.[see Zebra MC9300] -- Posted Monday, April 8, 2019 by chb

Juniper Systems explains: What is GPS Week Rollover?
The hard fact that the future will inevitably happen is sometimes ignored by programmers and data architects. That happened when the original designers of the Global Positioning System allocated just a miserly 10 bits of data for telling time, which meant that GPS time resets to every 1,024 weeks. That is not a good thing and must be accommodated in GNSS hardware and software. Juniper Systems explains in its Get Rugged Blog what the GPS Week Rollover is, and why it does not affects Juniper's products. [See What is GPS Week Rollover?] -- Posted Tuesday, April 2, 2019 by chb