The DT382GL, introduced by DT Research in August 2020, is an 8-inch rugged tablet that runs Windows 10. It was designed primarily for two-factor authentication and long range asset verification. At a time where CACs (Common Access Cards) are standard issue ID for military personnel, civilian and state employees as well contractor personnel, a small handheld Windows device with a built-in CAC reader addresses very real needs.
"The number and variety of physical and digital assets that government agencies and companies need to keep secure continues to grow," said Daw Tsai, president of DT Research. "We saw a need in the market for a small Windows 10 handheld device that delivers two-factor authentication required by government agencies, along with long range, Ultra High Frequency RFID, which can be used by government agencies, military operations and corporations to authenticate ID badges, validate vehicles entering controlled areas and immediately identify physical assets within busy warehouse/logistics operations."
And so DT Research built such a device, using Windows 10 IoT Enterprise — a full version of Windows 10 with special features that allow the creation of dedicated devices locked down to a specific set of applications and peripherals.
Why not using Android, the OS that powers the vast majority of the world's billions of smartphones and, increasingly, is available on rugged tablets as well? Because Windows still offers greater security and is better integrated with the Microsoft infrastructure and backends than Android is.
But isn't an 8-inch screen on the small side for Windows 10? That depends. It would be if you ran standard Windows desktop software on it. That's not what the DT382GL is for; most deployments will use custom-designed software for very specific applications. For those an 8-inch screen is plenty big enough.
As is, the DT382GL has a 9.4 x 6.1 inch footprint. That's 14% smaller than the latest iPad, even though the DT Research tablet is heavily protected against drops and similar mishaps and has four programmable physical keys. The DT382GL, however, weighs 2.43 pounds while the iPad weighs in at just over a pound; we are talking a rugged, industrial-grade tablet here.
What about performance? DT Research didn't make the mistake of going with a basic (and almost invariably underpowered) Intel Atom chip. Instead, they used a "Gemini Lake" Pentium Silver N5000 that runs at a base frequency of 1.1GHz and has a high maximum burst frequency of 2.7GHz. This is a very competent and rather quick quad-core processor that should be plenty fast and more than powerful enough for the intended applications.
The 8-inch capacitive touch screen offers 1280 x 800 pixel (189ppi) resolution and 800 nits luminance, which is bright enough for outdoor/daylight operation. The 16:10 aspect ratio works well both in landscape and in portrait orientation.
Unlike consumer tablets, the DT382GL's hot-swappable battery is exchangeable. The standard battery packs 45.6 watt-hours. If longer life is needed, DT Research offers 61.6 and 91.2 watt-hour options. Even with the standard battery, operating time between charges should be excellent; hot-swappability and the availability of two higher capacity battery options should make battery life a non-issue.
Depending on the intended application, the DT382GL can be equipped with an integrated 1D/2D barcode scanner, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a uBlox M8 GNSS module, and either an NFC/RFID reader or a UHF RFID reader that can read from up to 30 feet with the available trigger grip (see righthand column).
On the ruggedness side, the DT382GL is as tough as it needs to be for its intended deployments. Ingress protection is at the IP65 level, which means it's fully dust-proof and can handle low-pressure water jets from all directions. The standard operating temperature range is 14 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Shock and vibration testing was performed to MIL-STD-810G procedures.
Overall, with the DT382GL, DT Research adds another purpose-built tablet to its large lineup. Out of the box the DT382GL is equipped to handle various two-factor authentication jobs with its built-in CAC reader that meets data encryption and digital signature requirements for secure systems and network access. But that's not all; with the barcode scanner, GNSS and UHF RFID options the DT382GL can also make an excellent supply chain and inventory management tool. And for those customers who'd like all this in an even smaller form factor, Digital Research offers that, too, in the 6-inch DT382GL. Same tech, same OS, but smaller.-- Conrad Blickenstorfer, Sept. 2020
