May 2010

RAM Mount for the Apple iPad
The Apple iPad transcends conventional computing boundaries and classifications. While it is not a rugged or vertical market device, many will use an iPad in addition to their current mobile computing gear, and in quite a few cases, iPads will replace older technology. That's probably why RAM-Mounts has introduced RAM Mounts for the Apple iPad, a series of mounting products designed to mount and take the iPad anywhere. We took a look at RAM's new iPad cradle and mounting solutions for you. [See RAM Mount for iPad] -- Posted Monday, May 24, 2010 by chb

Panasonic upgrades Toughbook 19 to Core i5 and Gobi 2000
Though Panasonic's Toughbook 19 didn't become the Toughbook 20 (as the recently upgraded Toughbook 30 became the 31), the enhancements to Pana's venerable notebook convertible might well have justified a new number designation as well. A switch from an Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 to a Core i5-540UM brings major performance improvements at no penalty to battery life, there's now optional Gobi 1000 and WiMAX, a camera, the backlight is LED now, and you can get dual touch input. Ruggedness is substantially improved as well, with IP65 sealing (IP54 before) and an incredible 6-foot drop-spec (up from 3-foot). And the starting price is down, too, to US$3,399. -- Posted Monday, May 24, 2010 by chb

Full review: DLI 8400 rugged ultra-mobile tablet
The DLI 8400 is a rugged ultra-mobile tablet with an integrated keyboard suitable for a wide variety of field service, mobile payment, first responder, fleet management and similar applications. Measuring about 10 x 8 x 2 inches and weighing a bit over three pounds, the Atom Z530-powered DLI 8400 with its 7-inch WSVGA touchscreen and integrated magcard reader is significantly smaller and lighter than full-size rugged tablets but it is still large enough to serve as a full-function computer. In a detailed analysis, RuggedPCReview.com found the DLI 8400 a very competent and highly configurable ultra-mobile tablet that can run Windows 7 or several other operating systems. [See detailed review of the DLI 8400] -- Posted Thursday, May 20, 2010 by chb

Motion brings Intel Core i5/i7power to enhanced Motion F5v tablet
Motion Computing released a major update to its rugged Motion F5 tablet. The new Motion F5v gets a substantial performance boost by switching to Intel Core i5/i7 processors. In RuggedPCReview's benchmark testing, the new Motion F5v has roughly 2.2x performance compared to the 2009 Core 2 Duo machine while improving on battery life. The new F5v also benefits from additional enhancements such as onboard USB, dual cameras, larger hard disk, Gobi 2000, and standard Corning "Gorilla glass" for a nearly unbreakable display. [Read detailed review and benchmarks of the new Motion F5v tablet] -- Posted Wednesday, May 19, 2010 by chb

Added: QSI TREQ-DX and TREQ-L rugged vehicle terminals
We added two more small vehicle-mount systems from QSI Corporation to RuggedPCReview.com. The TREQ-DX has an 800 x 480 pixel 7-inch wide-format touchscreen, function buttons and directional controls, runs Windows CE 5.0, and can be equipped with digital I/O, WiFi and WWLAN. The TREQ-L is a more economical version for when there's no need for wireless or extra connectivity. [Read description and specs of the QSI TREQ-DX and QSI TREQ-L] -- Posted Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by chb

Bill Gates still believes in pen computing but iPad, not so much
In a wide-ranging interview just broadcast on FBN, Bill Gates commented on the state of Microsoft's tablet projects after the demise of the Courier project:

“Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we're pursuing. We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time.”

Though he praised Apple's success overall in the interview, he delivered a not-so-subtle jab at the iPad's lack of a stylus back in February, basically calling it a "nice reader" but that's about it:

"You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard -- in other words a netbook -- will be the mainstream on that."
LINK TO: Interview at GuruFocus.com

-- Posted Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by dtm

WinPad redux
Microsoft sort of cancelled another product that never really was. According to several reports, Microsoft PR guru Frank Shaw made the following (non-)statement, "At any given time, across any of our business groups, there are new ideas being investigated, tested and incubated. The 'Courier' project is an example of this type of effort and its technologies will be evaluated for use in future Microsoft offerings."
-- Posted Saturday, May 1, 2010 by chb