A compact and handy, yet versatile and very rugged PDA from an experienced manufacturer
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

On October 18, 2010, DAP Technologies introduced the M2000 Series rugged PDA. Designed to be as small and light as possible while providing the power and flexibility needed for tough jobs in the field, the M2000 is handy enough to fit almost anywhere, but powerful and rugged enough for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications.

Measuring just 3.2 x 6.1 inches and being just 1.2 inches thick, the M2000 Series is about the size of a traditional Pocket PC, and its weight of 13.4 ounces likewise won't weigh you down. Yet, this is a handheld that can handle five foot drops and low pressure water jets from all directions, extreme operating temperatures as low as minus four degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and it is totally sealed against dust.

In terms of technical specs, the DAP M2000 Series runs Windows CE 5.0 Professional on a 520MHz Marvell PXA270 processor; comes with 128MB of RAM and a gigabyte of Flash; IrDA and Bluetooth; a special connector that supports serial as well as USB host and client; and has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with QVGA resolution and adjustable LED backlight. The unit includes a user-accessible SD Card slot, supports a 1D laser scanner or a 2D imager, and can be ordered with a variety of optional functionality, such as 802.11b/g WiFi, GPRS/EDGE WWAN, a GPS or HF RFID module (your choice of HF or UHF), and either the standard or a high capacity battery pack.

Customers can also order either a phone-style numeric keypad version or an extended alpha/numeric version. Both have control and function buttons as well as navigation keys, and both use white LED backlighting.

DAP positions the M2000 for use in field service, utility, transportation, logistics, parking enforcement and warehouse environments. DAP also offers shoulder strap or waist band holsters, single or 4-slot chargers as well as cables and adapters.

Where does the new DAP M2000 Series fit in? It's for users who like the convenience of a full numeric or alphanumeric keypad for rapid data entry, but want it in a compact PDA device rather than a larger flashlight-style terminal. The M2000 is also highly configurable and customizable for a variety of data communications and mapping/GIS applications, and by using the time-tested industrial-strenghth Windows CE 5.0, customers have access to a large library of existing applications and development tools. Finally, DAP has been around for over 30 years and has vast experience in rugged mobile computers. They know what they're doing, and they make quality products.