May 2006

PSC Inc., part of the Datalogic Group, and a global leader in data collection technology announced that its rugged flashlight-style Falcon 4400 Series can now use the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS. The Falcon 4400 is a durable and ergonomic mobile computer designed for warehouse, distribution center, and retail in-store environments. In addition to OS flexibility the Falcon 4400 family provides a wide range of bar code scan engines, including a Standard Range Laser, a Long Range Laser, an Advanced Long Range Laser, and a 2D Imager. A variety of keyboards such as 26-, 48- and 52-key keypads allow further customization for specific uses. [see Falcon 4400 produc page]

Ultra Mobile PC Update
RuggedPCReview.com Technology Editor Geoff Walker offers a comprehensive update on Microsoft's "Origami" Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC). While currently available and planned UMPCs are consumer and perhaps corporate-class devices, RuggedPCReview.com fully expects the emergence of ruggedized versions which would be perfect in many vertical and industrial markets: small form factor, inexpensive, touch interface, yet full Windows XP. View our Ultra Mobile PC Update. -- Posted Thursday, May 25, 2006

ProtectStar Mobile Firewall
ProtectStar Inc. is launching the first Mobile Firewall for appliances with the Windows Mobile operating system, "ProtectStar Mobile Firewall." The product is designed to keep hackers from accessing unprotected data and appliances. It is possible to steal confidential data such as passwords, files or addresses in a matter of minutes. And it's easy to modify computers, even Handhelds, and infiltrate a system with destructive viruses, worms and Trojan horses. The ProtectStar Mobile Firewall for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs, handhelds and smartphones provides IP filters for WiFi, UMTS, GPRS, Bluetooth, and USB, protecting mobile appliances in two directions: a filter package monitors both sent and received data. The entire TCP/IP traffic between the computer and the Internet is thus under permanent surveillance. -- Posted Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Dreisbach survives the cold with Psion Teklogix' rugged mobile systems
Psion Teklogix, a global provider of solutions for mobile computing, wireless data collection, imaging and RFID, announced that Dreisbach Enterprises is replacing its paper-based warehouse management system with a Psion Teklogix mobile computing solution for its cold storage facility in Watsonville, CA. Dreisbach processes, stores and ships fruits, vegetables and fish that are processed in Pajaro Valley. The new mobile computing system will use Psion Teklogix' rugged CE.net-based 7530 hand-held computers that can survive 6.5 foot drops and has an IP67 rating, along with Zethcon's Synapse, a Warehouse Management System. The mobile system replaces Dreisbach's inefficient and error-prone paper-based system. Dreisbach expects the new mobile computing system will help to increase inventory accuracies. -- Posted Wednesday, May 24, 2006

AT&T partners with Symbol for RFID services
AT&T Inc. and its subsidiary, Sterling Commerce, announced that they are partnering with Intel, BEA Systems and Symbol Technologies to design and deploy RFID device services and networks for business customers. The goal of this initiative is to provide business customers with a best-of-breed managed RFID service and standardization of RFID technology by accelerating the mass adoption of RFID through the evolution to universal sensor networks (USN). Symbol Technologies is providing the RFID hardware to round out the overall offering, including mobile and fixed RFID readers. The collaboration allows Symbol readers to read UHF RFID tags and pass the information securely to the AT&T network and have the readers managed remotely. -- Posted Tuesday, May 23, 2006

U.S. Army awards contract extension for flexible OLED displays
Universal Display Corporation, who is developing and commercializing OLED technology for flat panel displays, lighting and other opto-electronics with its proprietary PHOLED phosphorescent OLED technology, announced it has been awarded a $1.275 million contract extension from the U.S. Army Communication Electronics Research and Development Engineering Center (CERDEC). The full-color AMOLED display device is enabled by Universal Display's proprietary PHOLED, TOLED top-emitting OLED and FOLED flexible OLED technologies, as well as by PARC's low-temperature, poly-Silicon TFT technology. The electronics and packaging for the wrist-based device are from L-3 Communications – Display Systems. -- Posted Monday, May 22, 2006

Cisco names Intermec a STI Partner of the Year
Intermec Inc. announced it has been recognized by Cisco Systems, Inc., as Cisco's U.S. Solutions Technology Integrator Partner of the Year for 2005, during Cisco's annual Partner Summit in San Diego, Calif. This is the second consecutive year Intermec has been named a Cisco U.S. STI Partner of the Year. The Cisco Partner Summit Theater Awards are conferred to partners who meet and score the highest on a specific set of requirements that are designed to identify the best channel partners by theater. These include customer satisfaction, year-over-year growth of Cisco sales and complying with the Cisco Channel Partner Program. -- Posted Monday, May 22, 2006

Fingerprint authentication spreading
Digital Persona, Inc., a provider of fingerprint authentication solutions for enterprise networks and commercial applications, announced the latest version of its award-winning enterprise solution DigitalPersona Pro v 3.5, with support for notebooks from Dell, HP, and Toshiba with embedded fingerprint readers. Digital Persona had previously announced support for specific models of Lenovo/IBM and Itronix notebooks. "International Biometric Group estimates that the use of biometrics to identify individuals accessing computing devices will reach $906.2 million by 2010," said Victor Lee, of International Biometric Group. [List of supported notebooks] -- Posted Monday, May 22, 2006

RuggedPCReview visits Itronix facilities
Pen Computing Magazine Editor-in-Chief Conrad H. Blickenstorfer visited Itronix's new facilities in Spokane, Washington. Itronix, which recently has been acquired by General Dynamics, is a maker and integrator of rugged mobile/wireless computing equipment as well as a service provider. Among the company's products are the award-winning GoBook line of rugged and semi-rugged notebook computers as well as the innovative DuoTouch rugged Tablet PC slate. Blickenstorfer was briefed on all new developments and given a complete tour of the Itronix facilities. -- Posted Thursday, May 18, 2006

Motorola expands line of 700 Series rugged handhelds
Motorola announced the newest addition to its MOTOPRO HC700 series of rugged handheld computers with the HC700-G. A full-featured handheld, the HC700-G provides integrated data capture capability and both local and wide area connectivity via GSM/GPRS, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless technology. "The HC700-G provides mobile workers with real-time access to enterprise applications, increasing their productivity and performance at the point of activity," said Julie Johnson, director of ruggedized computing solutions, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. -- Posted Monday, May 15, 2006

Kontron releases first explosion-proof touchscreen display
Kontron America announced the highest class certified computing display for the oil and gas industry, the Triton D1. The D1 is the industry's first explosion-proof display that carries the Certified Class l Zone l / ATEX Zone l and electrical protection class EMC/EN61326 for maximum protection in hazardous-classified areas. Kontron designed the D1, featuring a rugged modular construction with a flameproof all-machined aluminum enclosure, for the extreme environmental and servicing challenges encountered by the oil and gas industry. The breakthrough design incorporates a 15-inch full sunlight viewable display with EnhancedInfrared touch, a screen technology that features false-trigger intelligence. Kontron is the only supplier to offer this unique touch screen design that allows decoupling of the touch screen from the LCD thereby incorporating bullet-proof glass making it the only EX explosion-proof certified screen in the industry. -- Posted Friday, May 12, 2006

Hybrid RFD solution to secure financial data
RFID and Real Time Location Systems provider AXCESS International and Media Recovery, a Datacenter products and services provider, announced an RFID solution that manages and secures banking records stored on magnetic computer tape/cartridges. The companies provide a full solution to the customer by utilizing AXCESS' RFID hardware and software and Media Recovery's datacenter services to apply the new technology to the storage media. -- Posted Thursday, May 11, 2006

Rugged panel-mount fingerprint reader
Fingerprint authentication hardware manufacturer and network security solution provider Zvetco Biometrics announced a new Panel-mount version of its Verifi P4000 fingerprint reader. The rugged and waterproof Verifi P4000 Panel Mount fingerprint reader can be mounted on any flat panel, with no cable in sight. It enables positive user authentication and access control with a single finger touch. Designed for reliability and performance, the P4000 Panel Mount withstands the rigors of high volume use, heavy cleaning or exposure to the elements, and tamper-resistance. -- Posted Monday, May 8, 2006

Motion launches touch screen slate
Motion Computing launched the LE1600TS, a light, slim slate PC with a touch screen. The LE1600TS is ideal for industries including hospitality, gaming and retail that do repetitive data entry with touch input software. The LE1600TS leverages the innovative design and ergonomics of Motion's slim LE1600 slate tablet PC, replacing the digitized display with a resistive touch screen. The touch screen, a durable, five-wire grid membrane with a coating of transparent metal oxide, enables direct and accurate input with a finger or stylus. The Motion LE1600TS uses Intel Centrino mobile technology, including a 1.5GHz Low Voltage Pentium M processor, the 915GMS Express Chipset, and the PRO/Wireless 2200 BG Network Connection. It can also be configured with a 1GHz Celeron M Processor ULV 373. The LE1600TS uses the XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. There's 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, IrDA, compatibility with all Motion LE and L-Series peripherals. Motion designed the LE1600TS for vertical industries that need to run touch applications on a thin-and-light computer with a 12-inch screen, and are looking for carry-anywhere alternatives to existing touch-enabled computers built into kiosks or desktops. Professionals in hospitality, gaming and retail use touch screen applications to enhance customer service at the point-of-sale, improve accuracy in order-taking, and instantly access the company database over wireless connections. [see Motion's Touch Screen products] -- Posted Monday, May 8, 2006

RFID Journal LIVE! underway in Las Vegas
The 4th annual RFID Journal LIVE! conference is taking place May 1-3 in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. -- Posted Wednesday, May 3, 2006

Latest rev of Sybase RFID Anywhere
iAnywhere, a subsidiary of Sybase, announced the latest version of RFID Anywhere, the company's software platform that provides an extensible environment for developing and managing robust, highly-distributed RFID solutions. RFID Anywhere 2.1 includes next-generation support for both fixed and handheld RFID devices and gives developers complete access to the full set of features available in an RFID reader, and also provides additional capabilities such as dynamic support for new tag formats such as Gen 2, simplified general purpose input/output (GPIO) control, and reader synchronization for operation in dense-reader mode. -- Posted Monday, May 1, 2006

Itronix launches environmentally sound IT asset disposal
Itronix Corp., a General Dynamics company and a leading developer of wireless, rugged mobile computing solutions, today announced RecycleTomorrow, a computer recycling program designed to support the company's channel partner program. RecycleTomorrow expands the Itronix icareServices program and enables resellers to provide government, education and corporate end users with secure, environmentally friendly asset disposal solutions at the time they initially purchase hardware, or at the time they renew or upgrade the hardware's warranty uplift. Introduced this week during Itronix's Global Business Partner Summit in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, RecycleTomorrow is provided via a partnership with asset disposal leader AnythingIT. -- Posted Monday, May 1, 2006