The touch screen display is a standard 3.5-inch transflective LCD with 240 x 320 pixel QVGA resolution and a front light. This is the tried-and-proven screen technology that's been used for years in PDAs and Pocket PCs. The display is bright and very readable indoors and remains very viewable outdoors. The LCD, which can display 64k colors, offers a wide viewing angle both horizontally and vertically but there are substantial color shifts when viewed from an angle, as is usually the case on this type of display. That is not as big a deal as with notebooks. Screen brightness can be adjusted in ten steps from full bright down to backlight off. While transflective displays don't work very well in notebooks, they are perfectly suited for PDAs where they provide superb outdoor viewability as well as a crisp, sharp indoor display.

On the storage side, the M3 Mobile comes with 128MB of SDRAM and 128MB of Flash memory. Flash can be increased up to 512MB. a Mini-SD card slot can be used for additional storage. An 9.1 watt-hour (4.15 Volt, 2,200mAH) Li-Ion battery pack provides full-shift (8 hours) operation under normal use.

The M3 Mobile has a built-in camera capable of taking pictures up to 1600 x 1200 pixel, or two megapixel. It can also shoot video in QVGA format and it has an LED illuminator to provide extra light.

Like many tool-for-the-job data capture devices, the M3 Mobile has both a touch screen and a fairly elaborate keypad to speed up data entry. Essentially, what you get is a full phone-style keypad with a special alphanumeric button, a navigation diamond, four function keys, phone pick up and hang-up buttons, and two soft buttons.

Going around the unit:

• On the bottom are the surface-mount cradle contacts as well as a charge and USB/serial port connector that can be sealed with an attached rubber plug.

• On the left side are two round rubber buttons that control volume.

• On the right side are two round rubber buttons that are programmable. You can set them to activate the camera and the scanner. Our review unit was optimized for phone use and the two buttons were set to bring up Contacts and place calls. The IR port is also on the right side.

• The top of the unit features the barcode scanner window, the Mini-SD card slot and an earphone plug. The card slot and earphone plug have an attached protective rubber cover.

• The backside of the M3 Mobile house the battery with the SIM card slot underneath it as well as the camera and LED flash. There is also a hand strap and a garage for the plastic stylus.

• The front side has, in addition to the screen and keypad, the microphone, speaker, and three indicator lights for charge status, wireless radio status, and scanner.

Where does Windows Mobile stand?

Windows Mobile, on the other hand, is a platform that is also based on Windows Embedded CE, but has the more consumer-oriented look and feel and features required for PDAs and smartphones. A device like the M3 Mobile could be used either with Windows CE or Windows Mobile, depending on the intended application. In general, customers who design their own custom applications may lean towards a Windows CE implementation whereas customers with more general needs prefer the friendlier Windows Mobile platform, and that is what Handheld offers in the M3 Mobile.

While Microsoft's smallest OS has always lived in the shadow of "full" Windows, CE is a multi-threaded, multi-tasking, fully preemptive OS environment that had been targeted from the start specifically for low-power, economical hardware with limited resources. However, Windows CE supports a rich subset of Microsoft Win32 APIs and many additional programming interfaces.

While the CE .NET and CE variants can (and often do) include multimedia, PIM applications and communications tools, they don't have the polished Today screen and all the Pocket PC functionality and Pocket versions of popular Windows applications users have become familiar with.

The bigger picture is that Windows Mobile remains a curious animal. Unloved by most (and it seems even Microsoft), the platform nevertheless became the de-facto standard for industrial and vertical market handhelds, and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. The look and feel of Windows Mobile really hasn't changed much in a good decade, so while it may have industrial-strength underpinnings, it feels painfully slow and dated compared to, say, the super-sleek Apple iPhone.

By now Microsoft has six more years of Pocket PC phone experience, and the M3 Mobile takes advantage of that. Pop an activated SIM card into the slot in the battery compartment and the M3 Mobile becomes a phone. I used the SIM from my AT&T LG Shine and it worked without as much as additional configuration. The M3 Mobile's voice quality is very good and better than that of a good many of today's tiny phones. And since this is the Pocket PC Phone Edition, you're not just adding cell phone capability to a rugged PDA; the wireless capabilities are integrated deeply into the device.

To bring up the phone, simply push the phone button or select "Phone" from the menu. The phone application shows the last call, an onscreen keypad, and access to call logs and speed dial. The call log provides summary information about the number of calls and call time. Individual call log entries provide one-button call-back or SMS messaging as well as access to any notes that may be attached to a call. Or you can create a new Contacts entry automatically. You can also take notes during a call. The note will have the caller's name, the phone number, and the time of the call already on it. Needless to say, to take a note you'll have to use the M3 Mobile with the headphone assembly. Volume for the phone can be set separately from the system itself. There is also a vibrate function.

The M3 Mobile comes standard with integrated 802.11b/g WiFi as well as Bluetooth. The Bluetooth module is a HANA Micron HBM2X1M chip (see HBM2X1M datasheet) and offers V1.2 standard performance (nominally 1 Mbit/second) and Class 2 range (approximately 30 feet). The M3 Mobile can also be used as a GSM/GPRS phone. This functionality is provided by an integrated Siemens MC75 GSM/GPRS module that supports quadband 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM and EDGE technology, and operates in all existing GSM networks in the United States, Europe and Asia. The MC75 module is designed specially for Windows Mobile-based devices.

When within range of a network, 802.11b/g wireless can be used for web browsing, email, terminal emulation sessions, synchronization or, thanks to the unit's microphone and speaker, for VoIP (Voice over IP) voice communication.

While infrared communication is no longer as popular as it once was, the M3 Mobile has an IrDA port on its right side. This still comes in handy for peripheral connectivity and even synchronizing.

Connection to a PC for synchronizing or communication with a backend server or peripheral can be via USB, WiFi or Bluetooth. Relationships can be established via standard Microsoft ActiveSync.

The M3 Mobile's integrated camera can capture pictures with resolution up to two megapixel. It also has an LED illuminator that you can turn on and off via software to add extra light. It's not a flash, but can help generating better pictures. The camera can take pictures with resolutions ranging from 176 x 144 pixels all the way up to full 1600 x 1200 pixel. Operation is via the Pictures & Videos application that offers a good number of image capture and playback options. You can play slide shows, designate a picture as the Today wallpaper, beam a shot via IR, email in various sizes, and so on. In capture mode you can set a self-timer or do 5-shot burst mode (not very fast but maybe still useful), you can set white balance as well as brightness. In video mode you can record at a maximum of 320 x 240 pixels and set limits (15 seconds, 30 seconds, unlimited).

The battery is part of the backside of the unit and fits flush into the device. A slider secures the battery. It is not possible to accidentally open the slider.

Sealing -- the ability to keep out dust and water -- is crucial for a handheld computer. The M3 Mobile carries an IP64 ingress protection rating. The "6" means the unit's inside is totally sealed against dust. The "4" means it can handle water spray from all directions.

Summary

The M3 Mobile combines a lot of functionality into one device. It is a full-function Pocket PC with mobile versions of Office apps as well as email, messaging, browsing and numerous utilities. It can be used as a full-function smartphone with excellent integration into the PDA part of the unit. Mapping and GIS applications became available via the optional integrated GPS receiver. If used as a data capture device, it can be equipped with an internal imager or laser scanner. An internal 2-megapixel camera with LED illuminator light can be used to document data or even take video, with the usual limitations such integrated cameras have. The alphanumeric keypad allows for very rapid data entry.

The unit's battery can last a full 8-hour shift. A pistol grip is available for scanning applications, and a LAN-enabled four-slot battery charger can be used to make sure that charged power packs are available on demand for multiple units. A 520MHz version of the Marvel PXA270 processor makes for good performance and the bright 3.5-inch display is easy to use and read indoors and even in bright sunlight.

The M3 Mobile is also a well-connected device that can communicate via 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, and voice/data cellular service, fitting into almost any environment that requires full remote connectivity.

Overall, the M3 Mobile's integration of a variety of data capture and communications functions as well as its well-chosen balance of size, power and ruggedness make it an excellent multi-function computer and communicator for a large variety of commercial and industrial jobs. -- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer

Handheld U.S. M3 Mobile Specs: