September 2016

Universal Stylus Initiative releases Specification 1.0
The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) has announced the availability of the USI 1.0 Stylus and Device Specification that provides independent hardware vendors (IHVs) and OEMs for the first time an industry standard, non-proprietary, active stylus protocol. This will enable a new generation of active styluses that allow a consistent, customizable and interoperable experience across make, model and form-factor. The USI 1.0 Specification also enables new usages for active styluses, such as multiple styluses operating simultaneously on a single device. The USI spec can be implemented on a wide range of touch-enabled devices, including phones, tablets, computing and entertainment platforms. [See USI media release and RuggedPCReview's What led to the Universal Stylus Initiative] -- Posted Monday, September 26, 2016 by chb

Xplore Technologies gets additional ultra-rugged tablet order for ongoing U.S. military project
Xplore Technologies announced a $1.1 million follow-on order for customized XC6 M2 tablet computers (see our review of the iX104 XC6). This order is the latest in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar mobility project begun with the United States military in 2012. With this most recent order, Xplore’s total revenue for this project stands at more than $10 million to date. [See Xplore media release] -- Posted Monday, September 26, 2016 by chb

A couple of days at Dell Rugged in Austin, Texas
Dell is best known as one of the world's top-three PC vendors, shipping tens of millions every year. What is less well known is that Dell also makes rugged laptops, convertibles and tablets, those being the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme and Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme, the Latitude 14 Rugged, and the Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet. RuggedPCReview had the chance to visit Dell's testing grounds, Global Command Center, and the Dell Rugged labs. [See illustrated report on Dell Rugged] -- Posted Monday, September 26, 2016 by chb

Xplore completes MobileIron Android MDM compatibility testing
Xplore announced that it has successfully completed the MobileIron Android Self Testing Program with its XSLATE D10 fully rugged tablet PC. The program is designed for manufacturers to verify whether their devices support the Google standard APIs, which are used by MobileIron to enable enterprise features such as password policies, encryption, and certificate management. Bryan Bell, VP, Engineering, Xplore, said “Xplore’s goal is to provide an easily managed enterprise mobility experience for our customers, whether they’re using a few Xplore rugged tablets to support small municipality workflows or deploying thousands of Xplore rugged tablets to drive complex global operations." [See Xplore media release] -- Posted Wednesday, September 21, 2016 by chb

Handheld updates ultra-rugged Algiz 10X tablet with full-HD procap screen, concurrent GPS
The Handheld Group announced it has upgraded its 10.1-inch Algiz 10X ultra-rugged tablet computer from a 1366 x 768 pixel resistive touch screen to a 1920 x 1080 pixel 10-point capacitive multi-touch screen with optional active capacitive pen. Handheld also upgraded the positioning system of the Algiz 10X from a u-blox NEO-6T to a u-blox NEO-M8N with concurrent GPS and GLONASS support. The upgraded version uses Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB (64-bit). [See Handheld media release and Algiz 10X product page] -- Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2016 by chb

DT Research launches DT395 rugged tablets with lower TCO than consumer devices
DT Research announced two new DT395 Series 8.9-inch tablet that the company says can have a lower total cost of ownership than consumer-grade tablets over the lifetime of the product. Powered by a quad-core Intel "Cherry Trail" Atom x5-8300 processor, the capacitive multi-touch tablets offer full 1920 x 1200 HD resolution, IP65 sealing, numerous integrated options, and run Windows 10 IoT Enterprise. [See DT Research media release and RuggedPCReview description, analysis and specs of the DT395GS and DT395CR] -- Posted Monday, September 19, 2016 by chb

Analysis: GammaTech's updated DURABOOK R11 with keyboard
In July, GammaTech announced it was now making available a special keyboard to go with its thin, lightweight DURABOOK R11 rugged tablet. That way, the R11 could work not only as a tablet, but also as a laptop, making it a more complete high-performance mobile computing solution. The resulting combination can be used for any mobile application subject to constant movement, bumpy rides, or use in damp or dusty areas, and where real-time information and updating is crucial. RuggedPCReview has now had the chance to examine GammaTech's solution. [See GammaTech DURABOOK R11 + keyboard] -- Posted Tuesday, September 13, 2016 by chb

IDC: Basic wearables soar, smart ones not so much
IDC reports that shipments of wearable devices reached 22.5 million in the second quarter of 2016, growing 26% year-over-year as new wearable uses (including enterprise productivity potential) slowly emerge. However, while basic wearables (mostly fitness trackers) surged ahead, smart wearables declined. Fitbit stayed in first place with 5.7 million shipped, but Apple tanked from 3.6 million down to just 1.6 million. [See IDC media release] -- Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2016 by chb

Intel introduces Kaby Lake, the 7th generation of Core processors
In August, Intel officially introduced the first few of its 7th generation Core processors, codenamed "Kaby Lake." That comes at a time where the news about PCs generally isn't very good, where Microsoft has a very hard time convincing users to switch to Windows 10, and where it's becoming increasingly more difficult for vertical market hardware manufacturers to keep up with Intel's rapid-fire release of new generations of high-end processors. [read full RuggedPCReview blog article] -- Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2016 by chb

Wacom releases reflective electrostatic Bamboo Omni pen
Projected capacitive multi-touch is terrific, unless you want to write, do art or do anything else that requires a precise pen. Wacom is now addressing this issue with their new 5.6-inch long Bamboo Omni pen with a super-fine 1.9mm tip. It uses Reflective Electro Static (RES) technology that does not need a Bluetooth connection, but does have a rechargeable battery. The pen is supposed to work with most iPads, the iPhone 6, and most Android devices without pairing. Available November 016 for US$49.95. [See Wacom Bamboo Omni] -- Posted Thursday, September 1, 2016 by chb