January 2022

Intel reports record 2021 revenue
Intel reported full-year fiscal 2021 revenue of $79.0 billion, up 1% from 2020's $77.9 billion. Total operating income for 2021 was $19.46 billion, down from $23.68 billion in 2020. Almost half of the net revenues and more than 2/3 of the operating income came from the Client Computing group, i.e. the company's PC processor and related component sales. “Q4 represented a great finish to a great year. We exceeded top-line quarterly guidance by over $1 billion and delivered the best quarterly and full-year revenue in the company's history," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. [See Intel 2021 Financial Results] -- Posted Thursday, January 27, 2022

Mason expands award-winning smart device platform with new low-cost handheld device
Mason, innovator of the only fully managed infrastructure for developing and delivering dedicated smart devices, today announced the release of Mason D215, a ruggedized handheld smart device that builds on the award-winning Mason Smart Device Platform. The Mason D215 handheld is purpose-built to withstand extreme environmental elements and is the ideal device for use cases that require smart devices for outdoor use, physical activities or harsh environments. Built using Mason's unique modular design approach, the D215 can be used out-of-the-box for immediate use or customized for 6, 8 or 10" display screen sizes that can be developed and delivered to market in less than six months. [See Mason media release] -- Posted Thursday, January 27, 2022

Table: Technology status of rugged laptops January 2022
While the sales volume of consumer laptops means they get the newest and latest processor and other related technology as soon as it becomes available, rugged laptops have a much longer purchase/life cycle. As a result, it's not always feasible to update their tech at the same pace as consumer products are updated. And yet, the very pace of innovation means that customers increasingly demand the latest and greatest even in rugged laptops. To provide an idea where the leading rugged laptop vendors stand with their processor tech, RuggedPCReview compiled this list: RuggedPCReview Rugged Laptop Technology Status. -- Posted Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Getac expands its Android ecosystem with the launch of OEMConfig App for ZX10 and ZX70 rugged tablets
Getac, a leading producer of rugged technology and customized integrated solutions today announced the launch of its new OEMConfig app enabling customers to configure and update all of their Getac Android devices simultaneously, including the new ZX10 tablet and the current ZX70, within their existing Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) systems. [See Getac media release] -- Posted Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Cincoze GOLD series Edge GPU Computer — at the core of AIoT
AIoT is the catalyst of the smart era, and edge computing devices lie at the core of real-time processing and analysis in the field. The Cincoze GOLD Series is a range of GPU computers designed for large-scale image processing, machine vision, and machine learning applications in AIoT. The series includes the GP-3000 and GM-1000, which are selectable according to application requirements like size, performance, I/O, functionality, and future upgradeability. For smart manufacturing, smart transportation, smart cities, or even national defense, the GOLD series is an excellent choice for building smart applications for AIoT. [See Cincoze media release] -- Posted Thursday, January 20, 2022

Thunderbolt 4 and other tech issues
Here at RuggedPCReview we see new stuff every day. New rugged handhelds, tablets, laptops, panels, embedded systems, you name it. New technologies, new trends, updates, enhancements, new standards, new priorities. Most makes sense, but not everything. And sometimes we come across issues that are hard to figure out. This past year we've had three of them. [Read Thunderbolt 4 and other tech issues] -- Posted Thursday, January 20, 2022

Overview: Getac's ZX10 10-inch rugged Android tablet
The recently introduced Getac ZX10 fills a gap in Getac's lineup, that of a rugged 10-inch Android tablet. The new and fully rugged ZX10 follows the design of the company's Windows-based UX10 and will face a number of already established entries in this class. RuggedPCReview.com did a first assessment of the new Getac Android 11 tablet, which seems certain to be among the front runners in the segment. [See description, analysis and specs of the Getac ZX10.] -- Posted Monday, January 17, 2022

Overview: Janam's GT2 Temperature Sensing Kiosk
In these uncertain pandemic times one cannot be too careful. Various types of access control systems serve to detect elevated body temperature while others use face recognition to limit access to authorized persons. Janam's GT2 Temperature Sensing Kiosk can do both in a simple and economically priced Android-based solution that can both be gate-mounted or wall-mounted. [See overview of the Janam GT2 Temperature Sensing Kiosk] -- Posted Monday, January 17, 2022

Havis unveils a line of docking stations for Getac's new ZX10 tablet
Havis introduced a new series of docking stations for Getac's recently released ZX10 tablet. The Havis DS-GTC-1300 docking station series offers reliability and security in demanding environments such as Material Handling, Utility Services, Industrial Manufacturing and more. The lightweight and compact design with rounded edges offers end-users increased comfort and safety while preserving access to tablet features such as control buttons, ports, front-facing camera, and stylus — even when the tablet is docked. [See Havis news release] -- Posted Monday, January 17, 2022

Arbor announces "Elkhart Lake" based rugged tablet
While the rugged tablet focus has largely been on high-performance Intel "Tiger Lake" based systems as of late, Intel's much lower cost "Elkhart Lake" processors provide plenty of punch and versatility for many tablet applications. An example is Arbor Technology's just announced Pentium N6415-based G1017M rugged tablet terminal, a 10.1-inch keypad tablet designed for retail inventory, point-of-sale, warehousing, and logistics applications. [See Arbor G1017M announcement and spec sheet] -- Posted Thursday, January 13, 2022

Microsoft announces new research and technology to empower millions of frontline workers
Microsoft Corp. released a Work Trend Index Special Report, "Technology Can Help Unlock a New Future for Frontline Workers," and announced new features in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Viva designed to serve millions of frontline workers. The two billion frontline workers worldwide represent 80% of the global workforce, with 88% of organizations employing people in frontline roles. [See Microsoft media release] -- Posted Thursday, January 13, 2022

Elo introduces M60 Pay Android-powered mobile computer with built-in payment capabilities
Elo, a leading global provider of Android-powered interactive devices, today announced a major addition to their mobile computer lineup -- the Elo M60 Pay handheld computer. The new device brings payment centerstage to empower retail, hospitality, and entertainment businesses to accept payments in store or on the go -- wherever customers are located. [See Elo media release] -- Posted Thursday, January 13, 2022

Full review DURABOOK Z14I fully rugged laptop
Sometimes only a fully rugged, high-performance laptop will get the job done, and the DURABOOK Z14I is one of them. Durabook Americas has decades' worth of rugged systems experience, and that shows in the updated version of the company's fully rugged 14-inch DURABOOK Z14I, now based on Intel 11th generation "Tiger Lake" Core processors. RuggedPCReview.com examined the big Z14I in detail and found it to be a strong and very competitive offering in the hotly contested market of fully-rugged laptops. It is a machine that offers very high performance, full Thunderbolt 4 capabilities, and exceptional versatility and expandability. [See full review of the DURABOOK Z14I fully rugged laptop] -- Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2022

OnLogic unveils rugged industrial computers powered by 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake
Following the announcement of new 12th Generation Intel Core processors at CES 2022, global industrial computer hardware manufacturer and IoT solution provider, OnLogic, has revealed their upcoming Karbon 800 Series of rugged computers, designed to leverage the advanced features and capabilities of Intel's latest CPUs. The OnLogic Karbon 800 Series has been engineered for machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced manufacturing, automation, and other Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT applications, that require powerful computing in commercial and industrial environments. [See OnLogic media release] -- Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Getac expands extensive portfolio of rugged mobile computers with a new Android tablet designated the ZX10
Getac a leading producer of rugged technology and customized integrated solutions today announced the launch of its ZX10 fully rugged tablet, a versatile new 10-inch device built around the Android 11 operating system (OS). TheZX10 will join Getac's evolving portfolio of fully rugged Android tablets including the 7-inch ZX70, providing customers in industries such as public safety, utilities, energy, and transport & logistics further options when choosing rugged Android devices that can best suit their operational needs. [See Getac media release] -- Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Case study: Winmate vehicle-mounted PC exceeds expectations
Fully rugged vehicle mounted computers are increasingly installed to replace existing, less robust systems. A Winmate customer's existing system often lost communication within their facility. It was also slower, less robust, not as ergonomically friendly, and communication errors interrupted workflow. Winmate's FM10 vehicle mounted computer was retrofitted to two of the customer's 48VDC forklifts and put through typical operations by two different drivers. Results exceeded customer expectations, with positive feedback by operators and installers. [See Winmate vehicle-mounted PC exceeds expectations] -- Posted Friday, January 7, 2022

About image-stabilizing binoculars
Binoculars are often part of the gear used on the job or in the field, helping with surveys, surveillance, assessments, exploration, search & rescue and more. Unfortunately, there is one problem with standard optical binoculars — holding them still enough to actually see what you’re looking at. And on a boat or in a vehicle it's even worse. The solution is image-stabilized binoculars. In this article we're explaining the problem with binoculars, the advantage of image-stabilized models, and there's also a comparison video. [Read About image-stabilizing binoculars] -- Posted Thursday, January 6, 2022

What happened in rugged computing 10 years ago: January 2012
In January 2012, we added Korean company Bluebird's entire line of Pidion rugged handhelds. Motorola Solutions reported full-year 2011 sales of US$8.2 billion and profits of US$858 million. GD Itronix said its rugged Android-based GD300 handheld had been deployed to Afghanistan with elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment. GD Itronix also released the GD4000 semi-rugged notebook. NDP DisplaySearch said that wide viewing angle LCDs were on the move. Fujitsu released the TeamPoS 7000 POS advanced touch terminal. 3M introduced the 3M SmartPen, Datalogic created the Datalogic ADC (Automatic Data Capture) division, and Escort Radar announced the SmartOffice rugged tablet. We reviewed the Winmate G570Z Windows mini-tablet and the Getac B300 with its new 2nd gen Core processor. Psion upgraded its XT15 rugged handheld, DT Research its DT430 POS handheld, DAP its M100 handheld, and Getac beta-tested Android on its rugged PS236 handheld. [See full January 2012 archive] -- Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Platinum Equity completes acquisition of Pelican Products
Platinum Equity announced today that the acquisition of Pelican Products has been completed. Pelican is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance protective cases and rugged gear for professionals and outdoor enthusiasts, and temperature-controlled supply chain solutions for the healthcare industry. [See Platinum Equity/Pelican media release] -- Posted Monday, January 3, 2022