October 2019

Samsung introduces Galaxy XCover FieldPro
Samsung introduced a new rugged smartphone at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference. The 5.1-inch, 2.7GHz octa-core powered Galaxy XCover FieldPro offers Push-to-Talk, replaceable battery, Samsung Knox security, and is optimized for a wide range of enterprise customers — from federal agencies and local precincts to transportation professionals, field service technicians, and more. The XCover FieldPro is IP68 sealed, and passed MIL-STD-810G testing against "a subset of 21 specific environmental conditions." [See Samsung news release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 29, 2019 by chb

Zebra Technologies announces Q3 2019 financials
Zebra Technologies reported sales of US$1,130 million in Q3 of 2019 compared to US$1,092 million in Q3 of 2018. Net sales in the Enterprise Visibility & Mobility segment (i.e. what used to be the enterprise business of Motorola Solutions) were US$757 million in Q3 2019 compared with $739 million in Q3 2018. Net income for Q3 2019 was US$136 million, compared to net income of US$127 million in Q3 2018. The company expects fourth-quarter 2019 net sales to increase approximately 4% to 6% from the fourth quarter of 2018. [See Zebra press release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 29, 2019 by chb

Motorola Solutions' next generation APX NEXT smart radio brings new intelligence and technology to public safety
Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) today announced the launch of APX NEXT, its next-generation mission-critical Project 25 (P25) public safety radio with LTE for enhanced communications and data-centric application services. The company also announced ViQi, a public safety virtual assistant that provides vital information to first responders in the field and allows users to operate APX NEXT via voice control. [See Motorola Solutions media release] -- Posted Thursday, October 24, 2019 by chb

MobileDemand's Android Devices are now SOTI certified to ensure security and maximize uptime
MobileDemand, launched two new Android devices in 2019 in its built-to-be rugged product line up and are now made even more productive for the enterprise with the recently attained SOTI certification. MobileDemand is also participating and exhibiting at the SOTI SYNC 2019, their annual user conference in Toronto, Canada, demonstrating how the SOTI certified devices are integrated with world-class technology to power an enterprise's mobile operations, keep devices secure and eliminate downtime. [See MobileDemand media release] -- Posted Monday, October 14, 2019 by chb

How the rugged PC "drop spec" just became different
Almost all ruggedness testing we're seeing is still conducted according to MIL-STD-810G. The United States Department of Defense, however, released MIL-STD-810H earlier this year, and it's replacing MIL-STD-810G. The new document is larger than ever (over a thousand pages!), so some reading is in order. RuggedPCReview analyzed the new standard's "transit drop" section, and things have changed quite a bit. [Read "How the rugged PC "drop spec" just became different] -- Posted Tuesday, October 1, 2019 by chb