August 2016

VDC Research on the global market for enterprise tablets
VDC Research issued a new report entitled "The Global Market for Enterprise Tablets." While VDC Research sees the overall tablet market to shrink some over the next five years, they project the rugged tablet market to slightly grow from US$590 million in 2016 to US&624 million in 2020. VDC Research projects that while Windows will remain the primary OS in rugged tablets, Android will gain significant growth. Competition between consumer grade and rugged tablets in enterprise Line-of-Business deployments remains fierce, with protective cases currently the most popular accessory. And what's the most important enterprise deployment selection criterion? Battery life. [See Executive Brief of The Global Market for Enterprise Tablets] -- Posted Thursday, August 25, 2016 by chb

Xplore blog: Buying accessories to fit the tablet, or vice-versa?
It's a chicken or the egg thing. Some may say the inclination to select a rugged tablet first — and then hope you can find the right mounting design to support it in your forklift or patrol car — is all wrong. That it’s more logical to think about the accessories needed to support your workflows first... and then decide which mobile computers should be shortlisted. Who's right? [Read The Mounting Debate: Do You Buy Accessories to Fit the Rugged Tablet, or Vice Versa?] -- Posted Monday, August 22, 2016 by chb

Xplore receives US$13.5 million follow-on order for Android-based XSlate D10 rugged tablets
Xplore announced that one of the largest broadband and wireless telecommunications companies in the United States has ordered more than 9,000 XSLATE D10 fully rugged tablet PCs. With this $13.5 million investment, the customer intends to completely eliminate the use of laptops by its fiber optic service division. Xplore says that after extensive field testing, the XSLATE D10 rugged tablet was the only mobile computing solution with the flexibility and adaptability to meet the division’s field-service performance standards and Total Cost of Ownership target. [See Xplore media release] -- Posted Wednesday, August 17, 2016 by chb

DT Research All-in-One medical-cart computers first to power continuous data access at Point-of-Care
DT Research announced the DT590 Series of All-in-One Medical-Cart Computers, integrating small and inexpensive hot-swappable batteries to facilitate mobility for healthcare applications. The DT590 series — available in 19, 22, or 24-inch versions with a Intel 5th Generation Core or Celeron processors — boasts a 3-bay hot-swappable battery system for zero downtime work environments to increase mobility over traditional workstations and decrease costs and maintenance associated with medical cart systems. [See DT Research media release and RuggedPCReview's description, analysis and specs of the DT590 Series] -- Posted Monday, August 15, 2016 by chb

Review: Advantech's multi-talented rugged MIT-M101 Windows tablet
Sometimes, what's needed is a rugged, speedy, unique and modern Windows tablet designed for a wide range of applications, both indoors and outdoors. And that's what we found the 10.1-inch, procap, Intel Bay Trail-powered MIT-M101 tablet from Advantech to be. It's a no-nonsense, expertly made multi-purpose platform equally well suited to demanding applications in the field as in clinical environments and mobile patient care settings. [See full review of the Advantech MIT-M101 rugged tablet] -- Posted Monday, August 15, 2016 by chb

Success report: University of Minnesota researchers choose Surface tablets in MobileDemand rugged case
The University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities is home to the Freeman Lab, an academic biological research group of professors and students who are constantly exploring the in’s and out’s of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, investigating interesting enzymes made by bacteria and fungi that play a role in making antibiotics. When they decided it was time replace pens and paper as their main source for data recording, the Freeman Lab chose the Microsoft Surface 3 with a MobileDemand rugged case as their perfect solution. [See MobileDemand success story] -- Posted Monday, August 15, 2016 by chb

Xplore reports fiscal Q1/2017 financials
Xplore Technologies announced revenues of US$16.5 million for Q1 of 2016 (down from US$24.04 million for Q1 2016). Q1 2017 showed a net loss of US$1.7 million compared to a net loss of US$224k in Q1 2016. For fiscal 2017, Xplore continues to anticipate revenue to range between $85 million and $95 million, reflecting the impact of what the company believes is a temporary global slowdown in the rugged tablet market and shipment delays experienced during the first fiscal quarter. [See Xplore financials] -- Posted Thursday, August 11, 2016 by chb

Review: Tablet Technologies ConkerTab NX10 with Pixel Qi
Assume you work outdoors a lot, in the blazing sun. And you need a computer for your work. If you use a laptop or tablet with a conventional display, even if it's one of the best, chances are you may not a happy camper. But there are a very few tablets that have a special "Pixel Qi" display that works in direct sunlight, the brighter the better. One of them is the 10.1-inch, Bay Trail-powered ConkerTab NX10 from Tablet Technologies in the UK. [See full review of the ConkerTab NX10 with Pixel Qi display] -- Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2016 by chb

Xplore rugged tablets now available to Pennsylvania's public sector agencies via COSTARS
Xplore Technologies announced that its complete portfolio of Xplore and Motion by Xplore rugged tablet PC solutions is now available for purchase through the COSTARS Cooperative Purchasing Program in Pennsylvania. The COSTARS IT Hardware Contract 003-437 awarded to Xplore VAR partner Allegiance Technology now enables all Pennsylvania state and local government agencies — including law enforcement, EMS, and fire departments — to directly purchase any of Xplore’s ultra-rugged, fully rugged or rugged tablet PCs and accessories through Allegiance without additional authorization. [See Xplore media release] -- Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2016 by chb