Tablet PC NEWS | Pen News | Rugged PC News

New: Panasonic Toughbook C1
Panasonic introduced the Toughbook C1, an ultra-light "business-rugged" notebook convertible with Intel's latest 2010 Core processor technology. The dual input (digitizer/capacitive multi-touch) C1 is the first Panasonic ultralight that uses a convertible tablet PC design, therefore bringing this versatile form factor to those who do not need the ruggedness and weight of the company's Toughbook CF-19 that uses the same approach. It is also the first keyboard-based Panasonic Toughbook that incorporates innovations pioneered in Panasonic's Toughbook H1 tablet, such as dual hot-swappable batteries and an integrated strap for easy holding and carrying. [Read full description and specs of the Panasonic Toughbook C1] -- Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010 by chb

Motion announces first annual Excellence in Mobile Point of Care Award
Motion Computing also announced the first annual Motion Excellence in Mobile Point of Care Award, designed to recognize a commitment and dedication to deploying Mobile Point of Care Solutions that focus on enhancing clinician satisfaction and delivering the highest possible quality of patient care. The first winner is Springfield, IL-based St. John's Hospital. With more than 600 C5s in use, the hospital has seen an increase in bedside patient scans from just 20 percent to 97 percent – resulting in improved accuracy of data collected and an increase in data efficiency. [See Motion's healthcare solutions page] -- Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by chb

Motion announces new peripherals for its rugged tablets
At the 2010 HIMSS conference, Motion Computing announced new peripherals and solutions for its tablet PCs. The new ReadyDock with Ethernet and Mobile Dock with built-in lock for the Motion C5 mobile clinical assistant (MCA) and F5 Rugged Tablet PC offer more storage, charging and management options while the Motion Medical Dictionary streamlines documentation processes for healthcare professionals. [See Motion press release] -- Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by chb

Thinix demos medical software on Advantech MCA
Thinix, a developer of touchscreen user interface technology announced it will demonstrate its Thinix Touch software on the Advantech MICA-101 mobile clinical assistant and the Advantech PIT-1702 patient infotainment terminal at HIMSS, which is taking place March 1-4 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, USA. Also, see detailed paper on Thinix Touch for MCA Devices. -- Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 by chb

HP Elitebook 2740p: a tech update of the 2730p
HP has also updated its elegant and durable Tablet PC convertible to the new generation of Intel Core processors. The HP Elitebook 2740p is a technology update to the earlier HP 2730p with Core i3/i5 processors, more and faster memory, larger disks, multi-touch and optional Gobi/GPS. [See description and specs of the HP Elitebook 2740p] -- Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 by chb

Haleron iLet Mini -- A US$199 iPad killer?
Whenever a major player announces or introduces a ground-breaking product, there will then quickly be imitators that will be described as potential killers of said product. Halon Technologies' iLet Mini HAL (now there's a name!) is a prime example. It's a sleek little tablet that costs only US$199. So it costs less than the iPad and, unlike the iPad, it also has a SD Card slot. And two USB ports. The 7-inch display has 480 x 800 pixel resolution, the battery is said to last 16 hours, and you can get the iLet Mini HAL, which is said to ship as of March 1, 2010, with either Android or, for a small extra charge, Windows CE 6.0. Interesting product? Yes, but not an iPad competitor. Haleron's iLet 10 Extreme 3G with its 10-inch multi-touch display comes closer, but it is really a tablet version of an Atom N270-powered netbook and costs US$699. [See Haleron's tablets] -- Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 by chb

Lenovo introduces 17-inch ThinkPads with Wacom digitizer
Lenovo also introduced the new W701 and W701ds mobile workstations that are Lenovo's most powerful ThinkPads yet. They pair Intel Core i7 Series processors with NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800 and 3800 Series GPUs, offering the responsiveness of a workstation in a 17 inch mobile design. The W701 and W701ds are the only mobile workstations to feature an optional built-in WACOM digitizer and pen to manipulate fine details. -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb

Lenovo updates its ThinkPad tablet
Lenovo announced the ThinkPad X201, a slightly updated version of its X200 Tablet PC convertible. The X201 comes in different versions, including one that weighs under 2.5 pounds, and comes with an Intel Core i7 processor. Units equipped with a 9-cell power pack can get up to 11 hours of battery life. -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb

Toshiba updates its convertible Tablet PC to Intel i3/i5/i7
With the availability of Intel's new Core i3/i5/i7 processors, Toshiba has upgraded its venerable M750 Tablet PC convertible (which remains available for now) to the new Portege M780, which is available in several versions with the new Intel chips. The 4.65-lbs machine has a 12.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel WXGA display with both digitizer and touch. Other tech specs have been upgraded as well and while the M780 is a durable rather than rugged computer, at least the European specs suggest the ability to survive a respectable 3.3-foot drop. Prices start at US$1,279. [See description and specs of the Toshiba Portege M780] -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb

Fujitsu selects Cypress TrueTouch solution
Cypress Semiconductor announced that Fujitsu has selected the TrueTouch solution from Cypress to implement the water-resistant touchscreen in some of Fujitsu's Japanese market phones. Cypress’s TrueTouch family, which seems applicable for a wide range of commercial applications, includes single-touch, multitouch and "multitouch all-point" offerings and the company was first to introduce multitouch with an unlimited number of touches. Cypress recently announced its next-gen TMA300 multi-touch all-point family for the most demanding touchscreen applications. [Check out Cypress TrueTouch] -- Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 by chb

A look at Intel's new Core i3/i5/i7 processors and how they will affect rugged computing
Just when most manufacturers of rugged mobile computers have switched from earlier platforms either to Intel Atom or Core processors, Intel raises the ante again with new Atoms and the next generation of Core processors. By now Intel has released some three dozen Core i3/i5/i7 processors as part of the mobile "Calpella" and the not-so-mobile "Piketon" platforms that include "Lynnfield," "Clarkdale," and "Arrandale" processors, including a number designated as embedded processors. They offer some interesting new capabilities and will surely have an impact on tablet computing platforms. [more...] -- Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 by chb

Review: Fujitsu Lifebook T4410 with multi-touch
Fujitsu was one of the early pioneers in pen computing and has been making tablet computers and pen-enable convertible notebooks ever since. Their experience shows in the latest convertible notebook, the Lifebook T4410. This is a versatile 4.5-pound notebook that offers excellent performance without compromising battery life. The outdoor-viewable 12.1-inch display offers both pen and touch input, and under Windows 7, the multi-touch capabilities are very good. [See full review of the Fujitsu Lifebook T4410] -- Posted Monday, February 15, 2010 by chb

Panasonic introduces the rugged Toughbook H1 Field
Panasonic introduced a new version of its Toughbook H1 tablet computer, the Toughbook H1 Field. Specially configured for use by field personnel and equipped with a 64GB solid state disk, the H1 Field offers impressive ruggedness specs (6-foot drop, -4 to 140 F temperature range, IP65 sealing), an excellent 10.4-inch sunlight-viewable dual-touch display, and 6-hour battery life thanks to a power-efficient Intel Atom Z540 processor. For data capture there's, depending on the version, a 1D/2D barcode reader, RFID, and a camera as well as smart card and fingerprint readers. Also available: Gobi2000 mobile broadband. [See detailed description and specs of the Panasonic Toughbook H1 Field] -- Posted Thursday, February 11, 2010 by chb

Microsoft closes door on Tablet PC blog
Just when the rest of the world is getting really excited about tablets, Microsoft gives up. The final entry on Microsoft's Tablet PC Team Blog reads: Although we continue to innovate around all natural user interface input methods--including ink, multitouch, and handwriting recognition--the Tablet PC Team blog is no longer active. Instead, blog posts from our team members can be found on the Windows Team Blog (http://windowsteamblog.com/). -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

Handheld introduces rugged, ultra-mobile Algiz 7
Handheld announced the Algiz 7, a rugged, ultra-mobile Intel Atom-based tablet computer designed for use in homeland security, public safety, field service, GIS/mapping, logistics, railways, telecommunications, energy, law enforcement, military, warehousing, etc. The Algiz 7 has a 7-inch MaxView WSVGA sunlight-viewable touch screen, excellent connectivity, onboard camera and Mediatek GPS, and it is available with Gobi 2000 WWAN technology that provides access to any wireless WWAN frequency used around the globe. [See description and specs of the Handheld Algiz 7] -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

Dick Brass: Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator
In an article published in the New York Times, former Microsoft VP Dick Brass, the driving force behind Microsoft's 2001 re-invention of the Tablet PC, describes why "Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator," lamenting the lack of systems for innovation, internal competition and sabotage, and a steady exit of the company's best and brightest. [See article on Microsoft's decline] -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

Flood of iPad support announcements
A day after Apple announced the iPad, there's already a flood of announcements of all sorts of iPad peripherals, add-ons and other iPad goodies. Examples: Belkin's iPad cases, mobile learning firm inkling is heavily counting on the iPad, NearbyNow announced iPad extensions for its a mobile shopping and in-App advertising platform, educational institutions get in the game, with Abilene Christian University’s student-run media staff announcing its commitment to produce the first paper of its kind for Apple's iPad, and so on. ANd that's months before the device is actually available. -- Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 by chb

Apple announces the iPad
After months of intense hype and speculation, Apple announced the iPad, a 7.5 x 9.6 inch tablet that's just half an inch thick and weighs just a pound and a half. The iPad has a 9.7-inch 768 x 1024 pixel multi-touch display, runs all iPhone apps and starts at US$499. There are also 3G versions that start at US$629. Apple announced a US$14.99/month limited and a US$29.99/month unlimited plan, without 2-year contract, and the iPad is unlocked. Apple also announced an iBook Store and special iPad versions of the iWorks apps. [Read full description of the new Apple iPad]
-- Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 by chb

Xplore launches military tablet computer
Xplore Technologies launched a new version of its iX104C4 rugged Tablet PC, this one geared for military duty. Drawing upon a reliable low voltage Intel Core Duo processor, the company's proprietary enhanced outdoor viewing technology, single or dual mode digitizers, the i104C4M is designed to be a compact tablet computing platform able to meet rigorous military requirements. [See description and specs of the Xplore Technologies iX104C4M rugged military tablet.] -- Posted Wednesday, January 20, 2010 by chb

MobileDemand announces availability of ultra-compact xTablet 7000
Leading Tablet PC provider MobileDemand announced the availability of the "Retail Ready" xTablet T7000, a rugged mini Tablet PC that combines the functionality of a notebook, full Windows OS and the portability and data collection capabilities of a handheld in a light-weight slate form factor with a built-in numeric keypad, optional QWERTY keyboard attachment, color camera and 7-inch high resolution (1024 x 600 & 768) all-light-readable touch screen display. [See full review of the Mobile Demand xTablet T7000] -- Posted Friday, January 15, 2010 by chb

Slates and tablets: Deja Vue All Over Again
At the 2010 CES, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer played with a supposed HP slate during his keynote, disappointing those who'd bought into the massive tablet hype and had expected more in terms of real product. But wait, is the tablet shown in the picture to the right perhaps the new HP tablet? Nope. That was a Compaq tablet concept shown at the Tablet PC press event at the 2001 Comdex. Interestingly, back in 2001, there was actually a solid technological effort behind the (much more modest) hype, the Tablet PC project. See what all happened in 2001 and what was expected of tablets in a pilot version of Tablet PC Magazine (we pitched it to Microsoft; they were not interested). -- Posted Saturday, January 9, 2010 by chb

CNN reports on tablets at CES
Though there really wasn't much to see in terms of tablets at CESS, the current slate and tablet hype has even the biggies reporting and covering. CNN's contribution is a report entitled "What is a tablet anyway?" Well, it was really Microsoft that named the platform "Tablet PC" back in 2001. Before that, people usually spoke of pen computers or slates, though there were efforts to introduce other terms as well (like "pads"). CNN also reports that in the past, "Consumers couldn't touch the screens with their fingers to control the tablets," which, of course, is not true, but such is the reporting of history. -- Posted Saturday, January 9, 2010 by chb

InfromationWeek publishes "Tablet PCs: Learning From The Past"
InformationWeek reprinted, with permission, RuggedPCReview.com editor Conrad Blickenstorfer's "Tablet PCs: Learning From The Past" [See article in InformationWeek] -- Posted Friday, January 8, 2010 by chb

Slate and tablet computers: learning from the past
According to CNN, tablet-sized computers are now "a much-hyped category of electronics." But tablets were not invented by Microsoft in 2001, as many editors and industry pundits seem to think. Fact is, slate and tablet computers have been around for a good 20 years, and in 1991, there was as much hype about slates as we have today (see excerpts of "The Past and Future of Pen Computing" by RuggedPCReview.com editor Conrad H. Blickenstorfer). The image shows an Apple concept called the Knowledge Navigator from 1987, way before the World Wide Web was even invented. Read about Slate and tablet computers: learning from the past. -- Posted Thursday, January 7, 2010 by chb

Lenovo hybrid Win7/Linux convertible tablet
Lenovo introduced a rather odd device in the IdeaPad U1 hybrid tablet. Hybrid here stands not so much for using it as a tablet or a notebook (though you can), but for the U1 being both a Core 2 Duo-powered Windows 7 machine (when docked) and a Snapdragon-powered Linux slate (when using just the tablet/display). It's essentially two computers with that share some hardware (like the 11.6-inch multi-touch display, the battery, comms) but not memory or storage. The whole thing weighs 3.8 pounds, the tablet alone just 1.6, and pricing starts at US$999. -- Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by chb

HP TouchSmart tm2: improved multi-touch
HP has updated their TouchSmart tx2 with the TouchSmart tm2, an elegant, aluminum-clad convertible Tablet PC with multi-touch capabilities on its 12.1-inch display. Sporting Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the tm2 gets up to nine hours of battery life, a variety of touch-optimized software (including "BumpTop," a touch-enhanced 3-D interface for photos and documents), a fingerprint reader, but no optical drive. Pricing starts at US$949. -- Posted Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by chb

Freescale proposes second-gen "Smartbook" tablets
With netbooks selling by the millions and there being renewed interest in tablets, Freescale revealed a second-generation "Smartbook" reference design with a 1024 x 600 pixel 7-inch touch screen based on Freescale's i.MX515 processor incorporating ARM Cortex-A8 technology as well as other FreeScale chips and an accelerometer. The reference tablet measures 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches, weighs 13 ounces, has WiFi and Bluetooth (and a 3G modem option), 4-64GB of internal storage, a 3mp camera, and runs Linux or Android. Smartbooks baed on the platform should have prices under US$200, feature instant-on and just generally combine the best of smarthones and netbooks. [See FreeScale Smartbook reference design] -- Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 by chb

Multi-Touch Virtual Keyboard for Windows 7
The ever-innovative folks at Comfort Software Group have added multi-touch support to Hot Virtual Keyboard, their on-screen typing solution for Windows. Replacing the original Windows On-Screen Keyboard, Hot Virtual Keyboard 5.0 offers numerous benefits over the built-in version to allow computer users type faster and with more comfort. The latest edition adds support for Windows 7 and its sensor input with up to 255 touch points. There's also word auto-complete, programmable keys, several dozens of different layouts, as well as complete customization. -- Posted Wednesday, December 16, 2009 by chb

Xplore secures working capital credit facility
Xplore Technologies Corp., makers of the Xplore iX104 line of ultra-rugged tablets, announced that it has entered into a $4.75 million working capital credit facility with Far West Capital. The new working capital facility replaces a credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank, which has been paid in full. -- Posted Wednesday, December 16, 2009 by chb

MP samples of Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR820 now available
Samwell International announced in an email to current and prospective customers that samples of their Atom Z530P-based RUGGEDBOOK SR820 tablet are now available. The SR820 seems a compelling device: Netbooks are selling by the millions, so why not offer the same size and technology in a ruggedized touch screen device without the extra bulk and weight of a physical keyboard? [See Samwell announcement and SR820 product description] -- Posted Wednesday, December 16, 2009 by chb

Pfizer equips sales reps with Lenovo Tablet PCs
The Wall Street Journal reports that Pfizer is equipping its sales reps with Lenovo ThinkPad X200 convertible Tablet PCs. Planning for the Tablet PC project began a year and a half ago, and became more urgent when the systems became part of an agreement with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Tablet PCs will help in not only provide more thorough and up-to-date information about drugs to doctors, but also displaying a list of preapproved products. -- Posted Monday, December 14, 2009 by chb

Shenzhen Guangxuntong Communication Technology Co., Ltd.
And yet another cool little machine we'll never get. Offered by Shenzhen Guangxuntong Communication Technology Co., Ltd. of China, the eKing S515 is an Atom Z515 or Z520-powered micro-UMPC with a 5-inch 800x480/1024x600 display, 16GB of SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G modules, a camera and USB ports. The little thing weighs less than 12 ounces and apparently runs Windows 7. [See website] -- Posted Friday, December 11, 2009 by chb

Healthcare Technology Online: Don't lose faith in EHRs
A recent study led by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School suggested that EHR (Electronic Health Records) so far have not resulted in the savings and increased quality hoped for. Healthcare Technology Line, however, feels it's much to early to pass judgement on EHR and that its benefits will become more than evident over time. These systems are of important to the rugged industry which has been bringing a variety of MCA (Mobile Clinical Assistant) devices to market. [Read Heathcare Technology Online position on EHR] -- Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 by chb

MSI touch-screen PCs used for White House exhibit
MSI announced that its Wind Top All-in-One desktop PCs are being used by the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Ill., for its new exhibit, The White House: A Look Inside. The exhibit is leveraging MSI’' All-in-One PCs with 18.5-inch widescreen displays to help provide guests with never-before-seen views inside America’s most famous landmark. The MSI AE1900 models use an Atom 230 or 330, are in the US$500 range, and provide touch screen browsing and computing with netbook performance in a sleek and elegant all-in-one. -- Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 by chb

Little Japanese Atom-powered Win 7 Tablet PC
Every time I go to Japan I see lots of interesting gear that never makes it stateside. Some of it is too small, specialized or expensive for the US market, but some products would be interesting to have on the US market. Take, for example, the Atom Z520-powered, Windows 7-based Onkyo NX707A4, a small (7.6 x 5.2 x 0.95 inches) and light (1.6 pounds) convertible Tablet PC with a 1024 x 600 7-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, dual cameras, a multi-card reader, etc. Cost? US$675. [See the Onkyo NX707A4] -- Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 by chb

DLI announces rugged, super-compact point-of-sale tablet
DLI, a LaPorte, Indiana based manufacturer of rugged mobile tablets has announced the DLI 8800 Mobile POS tablet. The rugged Atom Z530-powered DLI 8800 has a 7-inch screen, weighs just 2.3 pounds, has an integrated mag stripe reader, and can be ordered with an integrated RFID reader and 2D barcode scanner. The DLI 8800 is available either with a touch screen or an active digitizer. [See description and specs of the DLI 8800 POS tablet] -- Posted Tuesday, December 1, 2009 by chb

PhatWare releases update to PenOffice
PhatWare has released an update to its PenOffice app, adding compatibility with Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It also offers pen-based collaboration, improved security and reliability features, support for multi-core processing, and configuration and management features to improve mobile working. PenOffice supports numerous languages and is designed for use with Windows-based PCs. Beyond the Microsoft Office markup feature, PenOffice now adds support for OpenOffice.org 3.0 or later documents. [See the PhatWare PenOffice page] -- Posted Tuesday, December 1, 2009 by chb

Tablet PC deja-vue all over again
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Back in June of 2002 we reported how Microsoft gave working versions of Acer TravelMate TM100 convertible notebooks with the Windows Tablet PC Edition to a small group of journalists who participated at a Microsoft Tablet PC Reviewer's Conference in Seattle (see here). More than seven years later, Microsoft handed out Acer Aspire 1420P convertibles with Windows 7 to full-conference attendees at the Professional Developer Conference 2009, in Los Angeles (see here). Interestingly, Acer really has never been much of a factor in Tablet PCs, and Tablet PC technology has remained almost totally stagnant in those seven years. -- Posted Monday, November 30, 2009 by chb

GammaTech now offers Durabook R13S convertible Tablet PC
GammaTech is now offering the Durabook R13S, a rugged notebook computer that can also be used as a tablet. The IP54-sealed machine uses a frugal Intel U7500 Core 2 Duo chip, offers good connectivity, and its 13.3-inch wide-format touchscreen is larger than what most of the competition in this class offers. The R13S is a bit heavy though (9 pounds) and there's no active digitizer option. [See description and specs of the GammaTech Durabook R13S] -- Posted Sunday, November 29, 2009 by chb

Fedora 12: Out-of-the-box Tablet PC support
Accoding to a Jack Wallen article at ghacks.net, the newly released Fedora 12 will work on Tablet PCs without having to configure xorg.conf. The new release supposedly supports tablet pressure sensitivity, handwriting recognition, and many more features without any special configuration at all. -- Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by chb

Xplore raises $3.21 million in private placement
Rugged Tablet PC company Xplore Technologies (see review of the Xplore iX104C4 says it has raised an additional US$3.21 million through a private placement, including US$1 million from Chairman and CEO Philip Sassower who said, “There are very significant large scale sales opportunities, including those in the military, currently being aggressively pursued by Xplore and we believe the Company may be on the cusp of capturing a significant portion of this business.” -- Posted Thursday, November 12, 2009 by chb

The Austin American-Statesman on Motion Computing
In an article entitled "Tablet PC maker is back on track," statesman.com discusses Motion Computing's start back in 2001, its early successes, its challenges and its strong rally over the past year. [Read Tablet PC maker is back on track] -- Posted Monday, November 9, 2009 by chb

Samwell introduces space-saving Intel Atom-powered MCA
While most current Mobile Clinical Assistant's (MCAs) follow Intel's 2007 reference design, Samwell introduced a new and smaller form factor with a 8.9-inch wide-format display that leaves off the handle part, but includes RFID, barcode scanning, and camera for flexible data capture. The low-power Intel Atom Z530P allows for a fanless platform, and the aluminum-magnesium housing is rugged and carries IP54 sealing. Weight is just 2.4 pounds. [See description and specs of the Samwell RUGGEDBOOK MCA9 Medical Clinical Assistant] -- Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by chb

Aaeon introduces rugged Intel Atom-powered tablet computer
Taiwanese Aaeon Technology is now offering its rugged RTC-1000 platform with an Intel Atom N270 processor running Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009. The device has a 10.2-inch WSVGA (1024 x 600) touch display with LED backlight and both sunlight-viewable and active digitizer options. There are disk and SSD based systems, good onboard connectivity and expansion, ruggedness, IP65 sealing and optional 3.5G wireless, GPS, scanning and bar code reading. If more speed is needed, a Core Duo version is available as well. [See description and specs of the Aaeon RTC-1000A] -- Posted Thursday, October 29, 2009 by chb

Dell introduced toughened-up XFR version of its XT2 convertible
Dell introduced the Latitude XT2 XFR, a ruggedized version of their Latitude XT2. What you get here is a toughened-up version of Dell's sleek convertible Tablet PC, one that is sealed against the elements, can handle desert-hot and icy-cold, and is altogether better equipped to handle life on the road where things can get bumped and dropped. [Read description and specs of the Dell Latitude XT2 XFR] -- Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by chb

MobileDemand xTablet T7000: A smaller rugged Tablet PC
Your average full-function rugged Tablet PC weighs between four and five pounds. That's light enough to carry such a device around on the job, but it's still quite substantial. So how about a UMPC device that provides pretty much the same functionality as a full-size machine, but is a lot smaller? If that thought appeals to you, check out what MobileDemand of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have in store for you. RuggedPCReview is taking a first, and detailed, look at the MobileDemand xTablet T7000. [Read review of the MobileDemand T7000 rugged Tablet PC] -- Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by chb

Motion: complete line ready for Windows 7
Motion Computing announced that its complete line of rugged tablet PCs are ready to ship with Windows 7 Professional. Additionally, the Motion J3400, C5, F5 and LE1700 Tablet PCs are supported for upgrading to the new operating system. With enhanced tablet PC functionality, faster performance and improvements to power management for extended battery life, Windows 7 helps mobile users extend the productivity benefits of computing with highly mobile Motion Tablet PCs. -- Posted Thursday, October 22, 2009 by chb

New: Fujitsu Lifebook T4410 multi-touch convertible
Fujitsu announced the Lifebook T4410 Tablet PC convertible available with Windows 7 and optional dual-digitizer that includes capacitive multi-touch. The T4410 has a 12.1-inch WXGA display with a 200-nit LED backlight (300-nit wide viewing angle version available), a multi-bay with optical drive, and good connectivity (including an HDMI port). The 4-pound T4410 is powered by a selection of fairly potent Core 2 Duo processors and is also available in a home/student version (the T4310). Pricing starts at a very reasonale US$1,199. [See description and specs of the Fujitsu T4410] -- Posted Monday, October 19, 2009 by chb

White Paper: The case for the Tablet PC in health care
An interesting white paper on Tablet PCs in health care is available for free download from Healthcare Technology Online. It concentrates on HP's Tablet PCs, but offers a good overviews of how Tablet PC technology can help in various health care settings. Free registration required. [See The Case for the Tablet PC in health care] -- Posted Tuesday, October 6, 2009 by chb

Elbit Systems introduces rugged vehicle computer
Elbit Systems of America, a supplier of tactical handheld computers to the US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy, introduced the Intel dual core-powered ETC Mark IV rugged vehicle computer. The Mark IV has a sunlight-viewable 10.4-inch touch screen, an integrated QWERTY keyboard, programmable function keys, and both commercial or military connectivity and communications. [See description and specs of the Elbit Systems ETC Mark IV] -- Posted Monday, October 5, 2009 by chb

New York Times article on Tablet PCs
The New York Times ran an interesting article titles "Just a Touch Away, the Elusive Tablet PC," taking a brief look at the past and possible future of tablet computing devices. -- Posted Monday, October 5, 2009 by chb

Full review: Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR800
The Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR800 is a compact rugged Tablet PC that offers a good balance between performance (Intel Core Duo U2500), features, ruggedness, portability, and battery life. Its 10.4-inch display is larger and offers higher resolution than that of most machines in its class and the tablet has both a touch screen and an active digitizer. [See review of the Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR800] -- Posted Sunday, October 4, 2009 by chb

Review: Dell Latitude XT2 convertible with multi-touch
With the Latitude XT2, Dell offers a very competent Tablet PC convertible with a modern, economical Core 2 Duo processor, decent battery life, both digitizer and touch input, and even some multi-touch functionality. The XT2 weighs less than four pounds, has a 12.1-inch wide-format screen, and offers excellent connectivity, both wired and wireless. [Read review of the Dell Latitude XT2] -- Posted Wednesday, September 23, 2009 by chb

Motion Computing's rugged F5 now brighter and faster
Motion Computing has always been very proactive in keeping its roster of Tablet PCs up-to-date. The latest version of the F5 rugged tablet now has what we consider the best overall display in the business (Hydis AFFS+), and it's faster, too. But just how much brighter and faster is it, given that the original F5 was already quite impressive? We're taking a detailed look at the newly upgraded F5. [See detailed update on the Motion F5] -- Posted Monday, September 21, 2009 by chb

RMT's DAP Technologies expands into Windows Embedded Standard with new line of Kinysis tablets
For those who really like the quality and form factor of their CE8640 and CE8800 tablets, but need a Windows Embedded Standard OS instead of Windows CE, RMT's DAP Technologies now offers the AMD Geode-powered Kinysis 8900KS and 8900VS. The two new tablets share the CE-versions' design, size and ruggedness (4-foot drop, IP67, -4 to 122F, etc.) but can take advantage of the power and configurability of a full Windows Embedded OS. The Kinysis tablets can also accommodate custom electronic modules within their sealed expansion bay. [See description and specs of the DAP Kinysis 8900KS and Kinysis 8900VS] -- Posted Wednesday, September 16, 2009 by chb

Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 now with optional multi-touch
Fujitsu announced that the LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet PC now has a new dual digitizer option where the touch screen function on its 13.3-inch display supports multi-touch for two-finger actions including panning, rotating, flicks and zooming. With seamless switching between pen and touch, users can change tasks on the fly, from casual surfing to detailed editing or writing. The currently Windows Vista-based LifeBook T5010 is the first in a line of new LifeBook platforms and form factors designed to take advantage of the capabilities of soon-to-be-launched Windows 7. -- Posted Tuesday, September 15, 2009 by chb

The next version of Windows Embedded
Microsoft has released the Windows 7-based Windows Embedded Standard 2011 (formerly code-named "Quebec") Community Technology Preview for OEMs and developer. [See the Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2011 site] Microsoft will also host a series of five free webinars, starting October 1, exploring the enhanced functionality, networking capabilities, improved security and reliability of Windows Embedded Standard 2011 [signup page for webinars]. -- Posted Monday, September 14, 2009 by chb

Full review: RUGGEDBOOK SR858
Samwell is entering the heavily contested market for rugged notebooks with the tough-looking SR858 that provides a good balance between performance and battery life. Also unique in this class are the wide-format 13.3-inch 1280 x 800 pixel touchscreen and the convertible notebook form factor. We found the RUGGEDBOOK SR858, with its fully sunlight-readable display, an interesting addition to the current rugged notebook offerings. [Read full review of the Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR858] -- Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 by chb

Replacing a hard drive with a SSD
We're seeing more and more rugged systems with solid state disks (SSDs) instead of conventional hard drives. SSDs have a number of advantages in terms of performance, heat generation, ruggedness and reliability. SSD prices have come way down, though they are still more expensive than hard disks. For a video tutorial on how to upgrade your rugged machine to an SSD, check Hot Hardware's excellent SSD upgrade guide. For all sorts of general SSD information, check the Solid State Disks Buyers Guide. -- Posted Tuesday, August 25, 2009 by chb

Added: full PDF reviews of three rugged Winmate tablet PCs
We've added "print-style" PDF layouts for download of three of Winmate's rugged Tablet PCs. These are interesting as they compare a mostly common platform with three different processor architectures. The Winmate V280 uses a VIA chip, the Winmate IA80 an Atom N270, and the Winmate I880 an Intel Core 2 Duo. -- Posted Saturday, August 22, 2009 by chb

Motion extends its mobile Point-of-Care offering with Motion Clinical Workstations
Motion Computing announced a new line of Motion Clinical Workstations (MCW) designed to support a broad range of clinical workflows. They can be configured with the Motion C5 or Motion J3400, a small form factor PC, laptop, thin client or a combination of the available devices. Motion developed the MCWs as a complement to existing healthcare offerings that combine industry-leading technologies with specialized services to streamline access to patient information at the bedside. “This new line of MCWs is an extension of Motion’s healthcare expertise and focus on developing complete solutions for mobile clinicians,” said Mike Stinson, vice president of marketing for Motion. [See Motion MCW press release] -- Posted Wednesday, August 19, 2009 by chb

Doster Construction Deploys Motion F5 Tablet PCs
Motion Computing announced that Doster Construction Company selected the Motion F5 Rugged Tablet PC for its jobsites. Using quality control punch list software on the tablet PCs, Doster teams can now complete tasks more efficiently, saving time and money on their construction projects. “Motion offered the best solution because the F5 was an all-in-one, rugged tablet PC with the performance we needed to run our applications,” said CJ Rainer, Network Support Specialist at Doster Construction. [See full press release]
-- Posted Friday, July 24, 2009 by chb

RMT 8404 now available with Atom processor, 1100-nit display
The RMT Duros™ 8404 rugged tablet computer (see our original review) has been reengineered to include an Intel® Atom™ Processor and an improved sunlight-viewable 8.4” diagonal SVGA resistive touch screen. Already one of the most rugged PCs on the market due to features including its solid-aluminum chassis and non-rotating compact flash drive, the Atom processor and new screen are designed to boost performance of the computer in the field. [See full press release] -- Posted Thursday, July 16, 2009 by chb

Motion nows ships C5 and F5 tablets with the Hydis AFFS+ display
Motion Computing announced that the F5 Rugged Tablet PC and C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant now include the Hydis AFFS+ (Advanced Fringe Field Switching) display as a standard feature. That's an excellent move as the Hydis AFFS+ display, thanks to its brightness and perfect viewing angle, is hands-down by far the best display for Tablet PCs. [Read Motion press release on the Hydis AFFS+ display in the C5 and F5] -- Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 by chb

Spellex releases Tablet PC Suite 2009
Spellex announced a new version of their popular Spellex Tablet PC Suite that includes thousands of new medical, pharmaceutical, biotechnical, and legal words to enhance handwriting recognition and spell checking capability. The Spellex Tablet PC Suite 2009 allows a Tablet PC to better recognize handwritten industry terms while greatly enhancing the Microsoft Office basic English spell checker with hundreds of thousands of industry terms. Pricing for the Spellex Tablet PC Suite 2009 starts at $99.95 depending on the number of industry dictionaries. -- Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 by chb

Motion J3400 tablet now available with new Intel SU9600 CPU
Motion Computing has a long history of always quickly making the latest processors available to their customers. They did it again by offering the just released 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9600 in their flagship J3400 tablet (see full review of the J3400). The new processor, which has the same low 10 watt thermal design power of the 1.4GHz SU9400 that remains available, should make the already quick J3400 tablet even faster with little or no impact on battery life. [Read press release] -- Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by chb

Sundt Construction picks Motion F5 tablet
Motion Computing announced that Sundt Construction has selected the Motion F5 Rugged Tablet PC for use on its jobsites. Sundt, which managed historical projects such as the relocation of the London Bridge to Arizona and the construction of Launch Pad 39-A at Cape Canaveral, chose the Motion F5 tablet PC because of its rugged design and integrated features, allowing Sundt’s project personnel to spend more time in the field, observing and managing the efforts of subcontractors, instead of spending valuable time shuttling back and forth between the construction office and the project site. [See Motion press release] -- Posted Monday, June 15, 2009 by chb

GETAC's V100 now faster, more powerful
GETAC announced a substantial technology update to its rugged, versatile V100 Tablet PC convertible. The machine is now powered by a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor, can be ordered with more RAM (up to 4GB), larger hard disks (up to 320GB), and UL1604 certification for operation in potentially explosive environments. WiFi now supports 802.11 draft-n, and there's a ExpressCard slot. RuggedPCReview expects a 25-50% performance increase at the same or better battery life compared to the predecessor model. [See full review of the GETAC V100 rugged Tablet PC convertible] -- Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 by chb

Another Mobile Clinical Assistant: Advantech MICA-101
With electronic medical records and automation in the healthcare field a high priority, a number of new "Mobile Clinical Assistant" tablet PCs are entering the market. We're taking a detailed look at Advantech's MICA-101, a 3.5-pound Atom-powered tablet with RFID, barcode reader, dual cameras and dual panel input. [Read full review of the Advantech MICA-101] -- Posted Sunday, May 31, 2009 by chb

Xplore receives major order for its rugged Tablet PCs
Xplore Technologies announced it has received significant orders totaling over $1 million from a major pharmaceutical company for its iX104C4 rugged Tablet PCs. Many of the devices will be utilized in clean room environments. -- Posted Thursday, May 28, 2009 by chb

Review: Winmate I980 rugged Tablet PC
Taiwanese computer manufacturer Winmate prides itself in offering innovative and highly customizable solutions based on your choice of processor and OS platform. We're taking a detailed look at the latest version of Winmate's rugged Tablet PC, the Intel Atom Z530-powered I980 that's available in 8.4, 10.4 and 12.1-inch display versions. [Read review of the Winmate I980 rugged Tablet PC] -- Posted Thursday, May 28, 2009 by chb

Review: Handheld US Algiz 8 rugged Tablet PC
Handheld US is a North American distributor of rugged PDAs and handheld computers. The latest update to their Algiz 8 rugged Tablet PC platform, now powered by an Intel Atom Z510 processor, offers more RAM and storage, longer battery life, and a super-bright 8.4-inch display option. We're testing speed, battery life and outdoor display performance. [Read review of the Handheld US Algiz 8 rugged Tablet PC] -- Posted Thursday, May 28, 2009 by chb

Data Ltd introduces rugged UMPC
LaPorte, Indiana, based Data Ltd, Inc., introduced the DLI 8400 ultra-mobile Rugged Tablet, ideally suited to a wide variety of harsh environment applications such as field service, first responders, fleet services and transportation. The Atom Z530-powered DLI 8400 measures 9 x 7.3 x 1.6 inches, weighs just 3.1 pounds, has a 30-key keyboard, IP54 sealing, a 4-foot drop spec, numerous expansion, wireless and data capture options, and is said to run up to nine hours on its dual Li-Ion batteries. [See description and specs of the DLI 8400] -- Posted Thursday, May 21, 2009 by chb

Review: Handheld US Algiz 10 rugged Tablet PC
The Algiz 10, offered by Handheld U.S., is a compact, Windows XP-based rugged Tablet PC that offers a good balance of performance, features, ruggedness, portability, and battery life. The other thing that sets it apart is its 10.4-inch display that is larger and offers higher resolution than that of most machines in its class. [See review and specs of the US Handheld Algiz 10] -- Posted Friday, May 8, 2009 by chb

New MobileDemand video - Tablet PC in a Paint Shaker!
MobileDemand released another video in their "Torture Chamber Series" where they subject their xTablet T8700 rugged Tablet PC to all sorts of abuse. In this latest one they strap their super-tough tablet computer to an industrial paintshaker machine, attach an accelerometer to it, and then record the g-forces on the machine while it is being shaken. Quite impressive. [See MobileDemand T8700 rugged Tablet PC on a paint shaker] -- Posted Tuesday, May 5, 2009 by chb

Windows 7 on Fujitsu T5010 tablet
Channel Insider installed Winodws 7 on a Fujitsu T5010 Tablet PC to see how the new OS would handle the tablet hardware. They found that Windows 7 properly identified and installed all major component, including Wacom drivers, Intel Turbo Memory, wireless, web cam and the biometric fingerprint sensor. They also found a marked improvement in boot, shutdown, and operation speed compared to Vista Business. [See Channel Insider report] -- Posted Thursday, April 30, 2009 by chb

Arbor expands the MCA field with large-screen M1256
With the lucrative electronic patient records project gathering steam, we're seeing more and more MCAs (Mobile Clinical Assistants) being released. Arbor Technology's Atom N270-powered M1256, available in Q2 of 2009, differentiates itself with a larger 12.1-inch wide-format 1280 x 800 pixel touchscreen display. [Read description and specs of the Arbor M1256 MCA] -- Posted Friday, April 24, 2009 by chb

Samwell joins RuggedPCReview.com as premier sponsor
Samwell Group has joined the ranks of RuggedPCReview premier sponsors, thus helping to make possible rugged computing news, information and detailed product reviews. Samwell specializes in product and system integration services, OEM/ODM electronics manufacturing services, as well as components manufacturing and supply. The company markets a complete line of semi-rugged and fully rugged mobile computing products that include convertible notebooks, Tablet PCs and ultra-mobile PCs under its RUGGEDBOOK brand. Check Samwell's RUGGEDBOOK homepage on RuggedPCReview and see a full description of the Atom-powered RUGGEDBOOK SR820. -- Posted Monday, April 13, 2009 by chb

Motion J3400 review available as PDF
RuggedPCReview.com's full review of the Motion Computing J3400 Tablet PC is now available as a print-style PDF. -- Posted Thursday, April 2, 2009 by chb

Motion Computing updates and improves C5 MCA and ruggedized F5 Mobile Field Tool
At CTIA Wireless 2009, Motion Computing announced that the F5 rugged tablet PC and the C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) are now available for use on the Verizon Wireless mobile broadband network. Additionally, Motion announced upgrades to the devices including enhanced performance and efficiency through an upgrade from Core 2 Solo to Core 2 Duo processor technology, the latest WiFi technology and a new 64GB solid state drive (SSD) option. The upgrade to the C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant puts the C5 ahead of the MCA competition in terms of performance. -- Posted Wednesday, April 1, 2009 by chb

New Tablet PC software to calculate and report oil slicks
The Oil Spill Training Company Ltd. ) has released a new software package enabling personnel to calculate rapidly the volume of floating oil slicks. This means immediate results can be obtained at the site of an oil spill incident, using a Tablet PC during initial surveillance. More detailed reports can be generated in various file formats and customised using a full range of markers, standard terms and symbols. -- Posted Thursday, March 26, 2009 by chb

Twinhead/Gammatech also announce a Mobile Clinical Assistant
GammaTech Computer joined the growing number of companies offering medical slates based on Intel's mobile clinical assistant reference architecture. The GammaTech Durabook RT10 MCA, a Twinhead design, follows Intel's original proof of concept platform with its tablet form factor and integrated multi-purpose handle for easy carrying and use during a clinical environment work shift. See how the RT10 measures up. [Read description and specs of the GammaTech Durabook RT10 MCA] -- Posted Monday, March 23, 2009 by chb

Motion Computing introduces new J3400 Tablet PC
Motion Computing released the Motion J3400, a powerful, versatile semi-rugged Tablet PC with a superb and fully outdoor-viewable 12.1-inch wide-format display. Both performance and battery life are significantly improved over the prior generation platform. The J3400 can automatically geo-tag images with its integrated camera and GPS, use worldwide wireless services via GOBI Mobile Broadband, and is rugged enough to survive true point of service usage. [Read full review and specs of the Motion Computing J3400 Tablet PC] -- Posted Monday, March 16, 2009 by chb

Full review: Panasonic H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant
The Toughbook CF-H1 is Panasonic's entry into the potentially very lucrative medical patient record market. The cleanly designed and executed Atom-powered tablet benefits from Panasonic's expertise in rugged and semi-rugged mobile computing equipment, has excellent battery life, a sunlight-viewable display with dual auto-sensing digitizers, and a wealth of data capture features (RFID, barcode, camera). [Read full review of the Panasonic Toughbook H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant] -- Posted Wednesday, March 11, 2009 by chb

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