GammaTech Computer Corporation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, July 2017. That's amazing longevity in an industry where big names come and go. And it marks GammaTech as one of the pioneers in an industry and technology that truly changed the world. So congratulations, GammaTech, on your 30th anniversary, and for contributing so much to making computers durable, tough and rugged enough to hold up out there on the job and in the field. And for keeping them affordable. Best of luck for the future. You have much going for yourselves. [Read GammaTech celebrates its 30th anniversary] -- Posted Monday, July 31, 2017 by chb
DT Research blog: Military-grade rugged tablets answer the call of duty
A recent DT Research blog describes how purpose built rugged tablets for the military meet a variety of challenges faced daily by military personnel on or off base, in an office setting or a demanding environment. High-grade, cutting edge technology is nothing new for the US Armed Forces, but rugged tablets are becoming more popular across branches and bases, on land, in the air, and at sea. [See Military-grade rugged tablets answer the call of duty] -- Posted Monday, July 31, 2017 by chb
Utah State University Engineers Without Borders students use Juniper Archer 2 to identify dangerous arsenic levels in Peru
Arsenic is a carcinogen, increasing cancer rates for those who ingest it. Found at high levels in the groundwater in a number of countries, a group of seven Utah State University engineering students left for the Puno region of Peru, just north of Lake Titicaca, to work toward eliminating the problem. After data collection training from members of the Juniper Systems team and extensive arsenic removal research prior to the trip, students worked to identify arsenic levels through sample mapping and removal exploration. [Read full blog post] -- Posted Monday, July 31, 2017 by chb
Xplore secures new workforce mobility project with major telecommunications provider
Xplore Technologies announced that it has secured multiple orders for its high performance XSLATE R12 rugged tablet PC part of a new multi-year project with one of the largest telecommunications providers in the United States. The long-time Xplore customer is now equipping its Outside Plant Engineers with the Intel®-powered 2 in 1 tablets, office docks and accessories as part of a division-wide mobile technology upgrade that began this month. The XSLATE R12 will replace standard-issue corporate laptops and replicate the paper-based planning workflows that have been used for years. Xplore expects ongoing orders over the next several quarters in support of this project. [See Xplore press release] -- Posted Thursday, July 27, 2017 by chb
Full review: RuggON PM-311B 7-inch rugged tablet
Small rugged tablets are increasingly used in all sorts of field-based data collection and data verification deployments. With their Blaxtone PM-311B, RuggON offers a tough and exceptionally versatile rugged tablet platform that has uses in numerous public safety, government, military, industrial and commercial applications. With a footprint no bigger than that of an iPad, the PM-311B fits almost anywhere, yet offers full Windows 10 IoT Enterprise features, performance and capabilities. RuggedPCReview examined the PM-311B in detail and found it an exceptionally versatile tool of impeccable quality. [See full review of the RuggON PM-311B] -- Posted Tuesday, July 25, 2017 by chb
DT Research and ITG bring purpose-built rugged tablet solutions to defense health market
DT Research, the leading designer and manufacturer of purpose-built computing solutions for vertical markets, and Integration Technologies Group (ITG) announced the companies will showcase several models of the Rugged Medical Tablets in the ITG booth #509 at the Defense Health Information Technology Symposium (DHITS), Orlando, FL, USA — show July 25-27 in Orlando. [See DT research press release] -- Posted Tuesday, July 25, 2017 by chb
Switch to PCIe SSDs helps updated Xplore R12 rugged tablet shatter benchmark performance records
Xplore Technologies' rugged 12.5-inch XSLATE R12 tablet was already among the fastest devices RuggedPCReview has ever tested. Now Xplore raised the ante once again by switching to an even faster Kaby Lake processor and, most importantly, switch from SATA to PCIe solid state disks. The result is absolutely blazing PassMark benchmark performance. The updated XSLATE R12 is half again as fast as the predecessor model, and the overall fastest device we have tested in the RuggedPCReview lab. [See Xplore press release and Hot-rodding the rugged tablet — Xplore Technologies presents super-high performance version of its sleek, lightweight 12.5-inch R12 Kaby Lake Windows tablet] -- Posted Tuesday, July 18, 2017 by chb
Panasonic works with Volkswagen to deliver a next generation production line mobile testing solution for the automotive manufacturer
Volkswagen and Panasonic have collaborated to create a new rugged and versatile Automotive Mobile Test Solution (AMTS). Christoph Lach, Project Manager, at Volkswagen AG explained: "The AMTS is based on the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet and it meets our production requirements. We use the hardware for commissioning the control units in the vehicle. We have the option of connecting to an external vehicle communication interface, which enables us to communicate with the vehicle, but we can also load the UPS-Client from the vehicle. The steering wheel holder meets all the requirements we had here in the group, which means it's compatible with every steering wheel." [See Panasonic press release] -- Posted Thursday, July 13, 2017 by chb
Xplore collaborates with Microsoft to accelerate Internet of Things solutions
Xplore Technologies Corp announced it has joined Microsoft Azure Certified for Internet of Things (IoT), ensuring customers get IoT solutions up and running quickly with hardware and software that has been pre-tested and verified to work with Microsoft Azure IoT services. Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT allows businesses to reach customers where they are, working with an ecosystem of devices and platforms, allowing for faster time to production. [See Xplore media release -- Posted Wednesday, July 12, 2017 by chb
Juniper’s “Mapping Blitz” helps Bear River Land Conservancy maintain important habitat
In its latest blog entry, Juniper Systems relates how Juniper staff worked with members of the Bear River Land Conservancy to aid in the conservation of important habitat along the Bear River. Using the Geode Sub-meter GPS Receiver, the Mesa 2 Rugged Tablet, and the Allegro 2, a handful of our rugged handheld enthusiasts mapped updates and information on important plants, large debris, fence lines, and more while getting additional hands-on experience using Juniper’s data collection solutions. [See Juniper’s “Mapping Blitz” Helps Bear River Land Conservancy Maintain Important Habitat] -- Posted Tuesday, July 11, 2017 by chb
IOGEAR KeySlate Ultra-Slim Bluetooth 4.0 Keyboard
Tablets have changed the world, and 2-in-1 designs are broadening their appeal even more. But often the usefulness of both tablets and 2-in-1s comes down to having a good keyboard. That's what (among lots of other cool stuff) the folks at IOGEAR provide, great keyboards for tablets. We tested their iOS version and loved it (they offer versions for Android and Windows as well) . [See review of the IOGEAR KeySlate Ultra-Slim Bluetooth 4.0 Keyboard, with some contemplations about keyboards in general] -- Posted Saturday, July 8, 2017 by chb
Habey's fully adaptable touch screen controls
Habey USA is promoting what the company calls "fully adaptable touch screen devices". These look like standard consumer tablets from the front, have 7 to 12.1-inch screens, come with ARM and Intel chips, resistive or capacitive touch, and use a variety of operating systems. From the back, they look more like small Panel PCs, offering plenty of configurable, customizable connectivity. As such, these devices can serve as friendly user interfaces for any number of embedded systems and devices. [See Habey media release] -- Posted Thursday, July 6, 2017 by chb