Tough state-of-the-art smartphone enterprise PDA
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Datalogic introduced the Memor 20 rugged mobile computer in April 2020 as yet another addition to its growing roster of rugged Android PDA devices designed for scanning-enabled applications in Retail, Healthcare, Transportation and Logistics, and Manufacturing. Datalogic's overall goal with the Memor 20 was to combine the best features of a smartphone with the durability and functionality of enterprise level devices.

Given the massive worldwide proliferation of smartphones, offering enterprise-class versions that can stand up to the daily use and abuse on the job in industrial and other demanding professional applications makes perfect sense.

Hitting the right balance between consumer smartphone looks and industrial features and durability, however, is not an easy task. The quick product cycle of consumer smartphones makes it hard to keep up, and the universal availability of inexpensive protective cases represents a challenge for makers of ruggedized handhelds. This means providers of such special purpose smartphones/PDAs must offer a compelling value proposition and features that set their products apart.

Here is what we assume Datalogic considered when they designed the Memor 20:

• Up-to-date-technology — The specs and electronics had to be reasonably close to the current consumer smartphone state-of-the-art. So the Memor 20 has a 2.2 GHz octa-core Octa-core Qualcomm SD660 processor, a 5.7-inch display with 424ppi retina resolution, a small second display on top of the device for certain Android notifications, an up-to-date version of Android (v9), USB Type C 3.1, fast WiFi, Bluetooth, and mobile broadband.

• Industrial grade functionality — Most consumer phones can scan with an app and their cameras. That's not good enough for enterprise use where scanning is often a big part of the work. The Memor 20 has an industrial-grade 1D/2D scanner with Datalogic's unique "green spot" technology that projects a green flash right onto the barcode just scanned. And to make extended scanning easier, Datalogic offers a pistol-grip handle.

• Service — When it comes to service and repair, many smartphone providers are less than helpful and often downright antagonistic. That won't do in the enterprise. As a global provider in the automatic data capture and process automation for decades, Datalogic knows that and offers a whole range of post-sales services, organized in three levels of support (see Datalogic's customer service)

• Security and management — Setup, deployment and management of devices is important in the enterprise. To that extent, Google created the "Android Enterprise Recommended" program. To qualify, a device must support multiple major operating system releases, deliver Android security updates within 90 days of release from Google for a minimum of five years, and must be protected against moisture and dust intrusion. In addition, the devices must offer bulk deployment options, including the Android zero-touch enrollment option for easy setup and configuration. The Datalogic Memor 20 is qualified.