December 2016

HazLoc Primer
Despite of its crucial importance to the safety of equipment and personnel, the hazardous location (HazLoc) market is poorly understood outside the small circle of people who are directly involved with it. Even insiders often struggle with describing what "HazLoc" really means, what "intrinsic safety" is, and what all the various classifications pertaining to hazardous location safety mean. In general, it's assumed that "HazLoc" is something military or something with poisons and perhaps industrial waste. For a better understanding, see our new HazlLoc Primer, prepared with the help of BARTEC, a world leader in explosion protection. [See HazLoc Primer] -- Posted Friday, December 30, 2016

Speed Demon Top 10: Rugged Tablets
By and large, performance matters in computers as much as it does in vehicles and a lot of other machinery and items we use in our daily lives. Performance, of course, isn't everything. Unless you're a race car driver and need so and so much performance to be competitive, the extra cost of the highest possible performance is a luxury rather than a necessity. What it boils down to is getting as much performance as is needed. That said, we love performance and so we're listing the "speed demons" among the rugged tablets we've tested over the past several years. Gold, Silver and Bronze galore. [See Speed Demon Top 10: Rugged Tablets] -- Posted Thursday, December 29, 2016

Getac expects rugged PCs to drive 2017 revenue growth
According to DigiTimes, Getac Technology chairman James Hwang aims to increase Getac's global market share for rugged industrial computing devices from the current 16-18% to 30% in three years. Hwang also indicated that half of Getac's rugged device revenue comes from US sales. And that Getac is supplying fiberglass plastic chassis to the world's top five notebook vendors (except Apple). [See DigiTimes article] -- Posted Wednesday, December 28, 2016

ARBOR launches 8-inch Tablet POS with dual-OS platform
ARBOR Technology announced the availability of the ARBOR Gladius G0830, a versatile point-of-sales system solution combining the advantage of both mobile and fixed POS. Designed for retail, warehousing and hospitality, inventory management, payment processing, customer data gathering and staff tracking, the Gladius G0830 Gladius has a special that dock that provides MSR, chipcard, and smart card reading, as well as additional wired connectivity. The G0830 tablet can also used with an optional pistol grip that more than doubles battery capacity. The G0830 was selected for the Taiwan Excellence Award 2017, Computex Best Choice Award 2016 in the smart retail category in Taipei, and also won the Mobility for Business Award 2016 for the best terminal innovation in Paris. [See ARBOR media release and RuggedPCReview's assessment of the Gladius G0830] -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2016

MobileDemand: Why should enterprises go with Windows 10?
Windows 10 adoption happened at a much brisker pace than that of Windows 8. The fact that Windows 10 was free of charge initially certainly helped, but it's also an altogether better OS. In a recent blog, MobileDemand answers the question why enterprises should go with Windows 10. [See MobileDemand blog] -- Posted Saturday, December 24, 2016

Technavio report lists top five rugged vendors 2016-2020
Technavio has published a new market research report on the global rugged device market from 2016-2020. According to it, the global rugged device market was valued at USD 4.36 billion in 2015, consisting of defense and military (42.7%), commercial (23.8%), government (19.3%) and industry (14.2%). According to the report, the top 5 rugged device vendors 2016-2020 are Amrel (which will surprise them as they left the business in 2016), Getac, Honeywell, Panasonic and Zebra. Technavio also broke down the market as 27.8% semi-rugged, 53.2% fully rugged, and 19% ultra-rugged. [See media release] -- Posted Wednesday, December 21, 2016

KARI selects Zebra Technologies to enhance retail supply chain operations
Zebra Technologies announced the deployment of 2,000 Zebra MC2100 mobile computers to cover all KARI shoe stores in Russia. The deal will enable KARI, one of the largest shoe retailers in Eastern Europe, to increase the quality of service and effectively manage inventory. The Zebra МС2100 is integrated into KARI’s internal stock-balance management system and its centralized database, allowing users to effectively control KARI`s supply chain in real time. [See Zebra media release] -- Posted Monday, December 19, 2016

Dell partners with Taipei to create IoT Innovation Lab
DigiTimes reports that Dell Taiwan has partnered with the city of Taipei to establish the Taipei IoT Innovation Lab, looking to enable the city to become a Living Lab for smart city technology. Dell will provide complete end-to-end technology solutions and resources to the Taipei government's IoT ecosystem, allowing IoT startups access to resources to test concepts and turn them into solutions. Prior to the lab in Taipei, Dell established labs in California, the US, Ireland and Singapore to assist its clients to develop, test and build IoT solutions. -- Posted Thursday, December 15, 2016

Enterprise Mobility and Explosion Protection: Keep Your Eyes Open When Shopping for Hardware!
With the ongoing quest for cost-effective productivity enhancing measures, there's an increase in demand for intrinsically safe mobile computing gear, the safe operation of which requires far more than mere certification documentation. Improper deployment can have life-threatening consequences, and ultimately the responsibility for proper use is with the user. [Read "Enterprise Mobility and Explosion Protection: Keep Your Eyes Open When Shopping for Hardware!" by Johannes Buhn of BARTEC] -- Posted Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Zebra launches updated TC70x ultra-rugged handheld with either Android or Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise
Now that Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise is finally here to replace the old Windows Mobile/Embedded Handheld, industry leaders are starting to offer rugged handheld hardware that supports both of the operating systems. The latest example is Zebra's updated TC70x ultra-rugged touch computer. Newly equipped with hexa-core Snapdragon processors and a slew of tech enhancements, the 4.7-inch handheld with integrated industrial-grade scanner is targeted at various enterprise deployments. [See description, analysis and specs of the Zebra TC70x] -- Posted Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Getac posts strong November sales
DigiTimes reports that Getac Technologies had consolidated revenues of US$64 million for November 2016, up 27.5% compared to November 2015. Year-to-date revenues through November are US$519 million, up 10.53% from the first 11 months of 2015. -- Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Zebra and IoT leaders identify "Intelligent Enterprise" as decade's most impactful trend
Zebra Technologies announced that global leaders from healthcare, retail, transportation and logistics and manufacturing validate the "Intelligent Enterprise" as the defining trend of the decade for industries globally. Less than six months after introducing its vision for Enterprise Asset Intelligence, Zebra, in partnership with the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard (TECH) assembled 40 leading executives, industry experts and policymakers for the 2016 Innovation Symposium: The Intelligent Enterprise. A whitepaper summarizes the outcomes of the discussion along with considerations paramount to the successful adoption and deployment of IoT solutions and how organizations can harness their full potential. [Access TECH whitepaper] -- Posted Monday, December 12, 2016

Xplore receives follow-up rugged tablet order
Xplore Technologies announced that one of the nation’s top 10 electric power and natural gas utility companies has placed a $1.7 million follow-on order for XSLATE B10 fully rugged tablets, bringing the customer's total investment in Xplore solutions to more than $2.7 million in 2016. [See Xplore media release] -- Posted Monday, December 12, 2016

Janam launches XG3 with Android
Janam Technologies announced that its XG3 rugged mobile computer is now available with Android, making for a secure, flexible and collaborative platform to help organizations work smarter and faster. The XG3 is a gun-shaped rugged mobile computer designed from scratch as a workhorse based on tried-and-true, yet technologically up-to-date, technology, and capable of handling substantial abuse on the job. The XG3's 3.5-inch screen is super-sharp (229 ppi), the gun-style form factor is optimal for many applications, and the XG3 is available with industrial-grade 1D or 1D/2D integrated scanning. The availability of Android adds a secure, rich and familiar user experience option that may well enhance productivity at the point of activity. [See Janam media release and Janam XG3 product page] -- Posted Thursday, December 8, 2016

GammaTech DURABOOK S15AB with large 15.6-inch screen
When it comes to laptops, sometimes nothing other than a really big screen will do. GammaTech reminds that its DURABOOK S15AB is currently the only 15.6-inch semi-rugged notebook on the market. RuggedPCReview examined the S15AB in detail earlier this year, found it an exceptionally well constructed machine with very good performance from its Intel Broadwell processor, full-shift battery life, and we loved that large, bright, semi-matte display. [See GammaTech media release and our full review of the DURABOOK S15AB] -- Posted Thursday, December 8, 2016

JLT Mobile selected by Poland's largest container facility
JLT Mobile Computers announced it has delivered 47 of its JLT VERSO+ 10 rugged mobile vehicle computers to the new T2 deep-water terminal at DCT Gdansk in Poland, the nation's largest container facility, and the only deep-water terminal in the Baltic Sea region. The rugged mobile vehicle computers, supplied by JLT partner Autepra, have been installed on Kalmar T2 terminal tractors. Running the Navis N4 Terminal OS, they are part of DCT's effort to open a second 650 meter deep-water berth at the T2 terminal, which will double the handling capacity of DCT Gdansk. [See JLT Mobile media release and JLT VERSO+ 10 product page] -- Posted Wednesday, December 7, 2016

ARBOR announces conformal coating services
ARBOR Technology announced its automated conformal coating service. Conformal coating relates to applying coating materials to electronic circuits in order to protect them against failure resulting from moisture, temperature extremes, mold, friction, dust or chemicals. In contrast to other methods of coating, conformal coating produces a uniform, repeatable layer of protection, exactly what's needed for maximum reliability under trying environmental conditions. [See ARBOR media release on conformal coating] -- Posted Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Draeger's supermarkets increases profitability with Janam mobile computers
Janam Technologies announced that Draeger’s Supermarkets, an upscale grocery chain in one of the most tech-savvy cities in the United States, has deployed XG3 rugged mobile computers from Janam to improve inventory management in its grocery and housewares departments. Equipped with Zebra’s SE965 laser scan engine, Janam’s XG3 provides Draeger’s with rapid and accurate barcode scanning to drastically reduce the time needed to complete in-store tasks. Utilizing a custom Wavelink Terminal Emulation client designed especially for Janam’s XG3, Draeger’s provides mobile workers with access to applications residing on their host system, while ensuring productivity is optimized. [See Janam media release] -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2016