Durable data collection PDA
(by Kirk Linsky)

Unitech America is a subsidiary of Taiwanese automatic data collection specialist Unitech, founded in 1979. The PA600 was originally designed as a Windows Mobile 5.0 or Windows CE 5.0-based compact yet durable PDA using the 520MHz version of the Marvell PXA270 processor. It has an integrated laser bar code scanner, USB host and client, infrared, Bluetooth Class 2, 802.11b/g WiFi as well as integrated GSM/GPRS/EDGE/2.5G. This makes the unit suitable for real time transaction processing. The PA600 measures 3.35 x 5.9 x 1.05 inches and weighs just over 10 ounces including battery and 1D laser bar code scanner. It has a powerful full-shift battery, 64MB of RAM and 128MB of Flash ROM (320MB with WWLAN). Expansion is via a single SDIO slot. The backlit 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 integrated into an 18-key arrangement that includes numeric, alpha and function keys for rapid data entry.

The Unitech PA600 carries an IP64 ingress protection rating, handles 4-foot drops, and operates in a 32 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit temperature range.

The PA600 is a modern and ergonomically designed data collection PDA that's tough enough to withstand some punishment, but small and light enough to go anywhere. Unitech offers no fewer than ten different configurations with various permutations of data collection and wireless capabilities.

Update May 2011: Unitech kept the PA600 nicely up-to-date, and the specs reflect the updated version, and not the original. In May of 2011, Unitech also announced that the PA600 was the first Unitech handheld certified on AppSource, ScanSource's new online store that gives resellers access to mobile data collection applications that work on an assortment of mobile devices. AppSource gives Unitech's resellers an easier way to implement software and hardware so that they can provide end-users with a succinct, out-of the-box solution.