Compact enterprise PDA
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Unitech America is a subsidiary of Taiwanese automatic data collection specialist Unitech, founded in 1979. The PA500, shown here, is a Windows Mobile 5.0-based compact enterprise PDA using the 520MHz version of the Marvell PXA270 processor. It has an integrated laser bar code scanner, USB hst and client, infrared, Bluetooth Class 2, and 802.11b/g WiFi. The PA500 is a fairly small and handy unit measuring just 3.0 x 4.95 x 0.9 inches and weighing 7.5 ounces including battery and scanner. It has a powerful full-shift battery, 64MB of RAM and 64MB of Flash ROM. Expansion is via a single SDIO slot. The touchscreen display measures 3.5 inches diagonally and has the standard 240 x 320 resolution. Operation is via touch, stylus, a four-way navigation pad and six function keys.

Despite the "enterprise" designation, the PA500 is fairly rugged and can handle 4-foot drops. Operating temperature range is 32 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. No IP rating is supplied.

The unit has a microphone and headset jack for VOIP and voice recognition applications. GPS can be added via the SDIO slot.

The PA500 is a handy, modern, nicely designed enterprise PDA meant for scanning and other data collection applications.

Update April 2011: product no longer listed as active on Unitech website.