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RuggON SOL PA501
With Android 9 and a blazing octa-core chip, this is not your father's rugged Android tablet
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)
Taiwan-based RuggON Corporation introduced their fully rugged SOL PA501 Android tablet on July 18, 2019. It's a state-of-the-art device, running Android 9 "Pie" on a speedy octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chip.
RuggON's claim to fame is its lineup of some of the best rugged tablets available anywhere, as well as a series of equally impressive vehicle-mount computers. If the new SOL PA501 looks familiar it's because this tablet design has been around for a number of years.
It's been available under RuggON's Rextorm line in both Windows and Android implementations and offering different levels of performance. The PX501 (Intel Core) and PM-521 (Intel Atom) are Windows tablets and have been the standard bearers of the Rextorm line as of late, but RuggON also offered the Android-based Rextorm PA-501 a few years ago (yes, at RuggON a dash can differentiate between models).
The Rugged Android tablets 2.0
So why the sudden re-emergence of Android, and why under the new SOL name? That probably has something to do with Android's peculiar history in tablets. We're living in a world where the desktop remains dominated by Microsoft whereas smartphones are dominated by Android, with Apple having its customary proprietary high-end presence in both. But whereas Android scored a knock-out victory over Microsoft in smartphones, the situation is much less clear in tablets. True, the Apple iPad instantly established the tablet form factor as a major platform right from its start in 2010. In response, rugged Android tablets appeared as early as 2011, but they didn't catch on nearly as much as expected.
Why? Perhaps it was because, unlike phones, tablets were viewed as desktop extensions. Perhaps it was because of Google's almost complete lack of interest in tablets. So for several years Android tablets were seen as a kind of junior device, not all that useful, but still good to have, given Android's massive presence in phones. As a result, many early Android tablets were timid, half-hearted attempts.
The situation is changing now. Microsoft is gone from the rugged/industrial handheld space, which resulted in a flood of really good new Android handheld hardware. Android itself is growing up and is becoming much better suited for corporate use. Add to that the almost universal user familiarity with Android, and there's now a significantly stronger business case for Android tablets.
The genesis of SOL
RuggON's launch of this new Android-based SOL PA501 tablet is an indication of that. As are other strong Android tablet entries we've been seeing. In RuggON's case, the existing Rextorm platform, which had already been offered with Android years ago, was perfect for a new push into Android. And whereas early Android tablets were quite feeble under the hood, an emerging new generation is benefitting from the tremendous advance in smartphone performance and technology.
Which finally gets us to RuggON's new SOL PA501. Unlike its old namesake, it packs a punch. It's using the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 that powers many premium brand high-end phones. The SD660 is an octa-core design that's many times as powerful as the old OMAP4470 in RuggON's original PA501. Several times as powerful and also much more efficient.
Not everything needed change, though. As mentioned above, RuggON's basic tablet platform is about as perfect for its intended use as it gets. No need to change that. The 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution capacitive multi-touch display, likewise, didn't need change. 224 dots per inch make it crisp and sharp.
Tech has changed some. There's now a reversible USB Type-C port with DisplayPort support. Bluetooth is version 5. There's 4G LTE mobile broadband. There's more and faster RAM, SDXC storage card support, much higher resolution cameras, and likely some other late-tech benefits. Mix it all together with the latest version of Android and that fast octa-core processor, and you have a much more powerful tablet that, according to RuggON, also gets twice the battery life from the same size battery.
Add that to what was already there, like the very bright 1,000 nits display with protective Gorilla Glass, optical bonding to reduce internal reflectivity, and glove-touch capability. The very good 2mm hard tip pen for precision work. The still available serial port for use with legacy gear. And the great wealth of productivity-enhancing accessories and peripherals that comes with a tablet platform which has turned out to be as future-proof as it gets.
Overall, while this new Android version of RuggON's Rextorm tablet platform, new SOL name notwithstanding, looks the same as the Windows models and also offers most of the same features and ratings, this is an impressively grown-up Android tablet. One that's riding with swagger on the crest of Android's worldwide dominance in the mobile space. And one that will undoubtedly attract a lot of attention. — Conrad Blickenstorfer, July 2019
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 Specifications RuggON SOL PA501
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Added
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Added 07/2019
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Type
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Fully rugged Android tablet
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Processor
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Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
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CPU Speed
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1.9 to 2.2GHz
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Graphics
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Adreno 512
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OS
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Android 9.0 GMS
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Graphics
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Adreno 512
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Disk/drive
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32GB eMMC SSD
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Card slots
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1 x Micro SDXC/SDHC card, 2 x micro SIM card
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Display type
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Sunlight-readable TFT with LED backlight, 1,000 nits luminance, water/palm rejection, Gorilla Glass 3
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Display size/res
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10.1-inch/WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixel, 224 ppi)
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Digitizer/pens
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10-point projected capacitive multi-touch, glove touch, 2mm capacitive hard-tip stylus
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Keyboard/scale
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Optional external
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Housing
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ABS plastic over magnesium chassis
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Operating Temp
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-4° to 140°F (-20° to 60°C)
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Sealing
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IP65
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Drop
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MIL-STD-810G Method 516.6 Procedure IV, 26 5-feet drops onto plywood
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Shock
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Est: MIL-STD-810G, Method 516.6, Procedure I, 40g, 11ms operation
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Humidity
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MIL-STD-810G Method 507.5 Humidity Procedure II
Aggravated Cycles (Fig 507.5-7), 5 to 95% non-condensing
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Thermal shock
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Est: MIL-STD-810G, Method 503.5, Procedure I
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Vibration
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MIL-STD-810G Method 514.6 Category 4, Fig 514.6C-1, Fig 514.6C-2, Fig 514.6C-3
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Altitude
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Est: MIL-STD-810G, Method 500.5, Procedures I & II
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Certifications
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CE, FCC, CB
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Size (WxHxD)
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11.0" x 7.7" x 0.9" (280mm x 195mm x 23mm)
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Weight
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3.1 lb. (1.4kg)
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Power
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4,500mAH, 10.8V, 48.6whr Li-Polymer ("13 hours"), optional extended 9,000mAH, 10.8V, 97.2whr Li-Polymer ("up to 26 hours")
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Interface
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1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2 x USB 2.0 (or optional 1 x USB 2.0 and 1 x RS232), 1 x gigabit RJ45, audio in/out, 2 x RF passthrough, dock
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Camera
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Rear: 13-megapixel AF with LED flash, front: 8-megapixel webcam
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Sensors
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Gyroscope, G-sensor, E-compass, ambient light
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Data capture
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Optional: NFC, 2D barcode reader with OCR support, fingerprint reader
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Wireless
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802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth v5.0 Class 1, GNSS (GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou), 4G LTE WWAN
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List price
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inquire
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Web page
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RuggON SOL PA501 product page
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Brochure
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RuggON SOL PA501 brochure (PDF)
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RuggON SOL PA501 Accessories
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RuggON Corporation
4F., No. 298, Yang Guang St., NeiHu Dist.
Taipei City 11491, Taiwan
Fax: 886-2-8797-1881
Web: www.ruggon.com
info@ruggon.com
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