February 2021

Dell reports record fiscal 2021 financials
Dell Technologies reported record 2021 full-year sales of US$94.2 billion, up 2% from 2020. 2021 operating income was a record US$5.1 billion, up 96% from 2020. "In the past year, our team rallied to support our customers and partners worldwide as technology played a central role in keeping our society, economy and lives moving forward," said Jeff Clarke, chief operating officer, Dell Technologies. [See Dell Technologies 2021 financial media release] -- Posted Sunday, February 28, 2021

Union Built PC Inc. and Durabook Americas announce strategic alliance
Union Built PC Inc., a leader in labor specific hardware solutions, and Durabook Americas, Inc., the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, have entered into a strategic alliance agreement with the goal of providing Labor Unions and Organizations with cost-effective, ruggedized laptops and tablets. These are high-performance products designed to increase productivity, drive a clear return on investment, and deliver a low total cost of ownership. [See Durabook media release] -- Posted Friday, February 26, 2021

Cincoze announces flagship GP-3000 industrial-grade high-performance GPU computer
Cincoze, a professional manufacturer of embedded systems, has announced its new flagship GPU edge computing system, the GP-3000. Its crowning feature is an exclusive GPU Expansion Box that provides expansion for up to two high-end GPU graphics cards and creating a high-performance industrial-grade GPU computer. [See Cincoze media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Interview with Winmate CEO Ken Lu about challenges and opportunities of the rugged computing industry in the COVID-19 pandemic era
Periodically, we ask industry leaders in the rugged computing and communications market questions about their products, their views, and their opinions on trends, emerging technologies and a variety of other issues. In this segment we're talking with Winmate CEO Ken Lu, about his company's views of the enormous challenges and new opportunities the Covid-19 era has brought to designers and manufacturers of ruggedized vertical market computing and communications equipment. [Read interview] -- Posted Monday, February 22, 2021

Motorola Solutions reports full-year 2020 financials
Motorola Solutions reported 2020 full-year sales of USS$7.414 billion, down 6% from US$7.887 billion in 2019. 2020 operating earnings were US$1.383 billion, down 13% from 2019's US$1.581 billion, with 2020 net earnings of US$949 million vs. net earnings of US$868 million in 2019. For full-year 2021, Motorola Solutions expects revenue growth of f 7.25% to 8%. Motorola Solutions ended the fiscal year with a record backlog of $11.4 billion, up $175 million from a year ago. [See Motorola Solutions 2020 financial media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2021

faytech and Kastus bring light-powered antiviral & antibacterial protection to touchscreens
The global pandemic has transformed how we interact with touchscreen surfaces forever. Businesses had to rethink sanitation and hygiene practices like never before as consumers and staff are concerned about exposure to germs and viruses when using touchscreens. It's not surprising when you consider that recent scientific studies have shown that Human Coronavirus can last on surfaces such as glass for up to 28 days. [See faytech media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Panasonic updates fully rugged 2-in-1 TOUGHBOOK 33
Panasonic announced enhancements to its fully rugged 2-in-1 TOUGHBOOK 33. Bringing better performance, greater flexibility, enhanced functionality and more security, the TOUGHBOOK 33 updates were driven by the evolving needs of mobile workers in extreme field conditions every day. Since its introduction to the market in 2017, the TOUGHBOOK 33 has been one of the best-selling fully rugged models of any laptop, 2-in-1 or tablet. [See Panasonic media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Socket Mobile launches first enterprise-grade scanners for Apple iPhone 12 series
Socket Mobile, Inc., (NASDAQ: SCKT), a leading provider of data capture and delivery solutions designed to enhance workplace productivity, is excited to announce the arrival of the DuraSled™, the first enterprise-grade barcode scanner for the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini. With the sleek, high-performance DuraSled, users of all Apple iPhone 12 series devices can access professional-grade scanning solutions. [See Socket Mobile media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Innserve boosts productivity and cuts costs with Panasonic TOUGHBOOK rugged tablets
Innserve, specialists in the supply, installation and maintenance of beer and soft drinks dispense systems, has rolled out Panasonic TOUGHBOOK L1 Android tablets to its 400 dispense technicians across the UK, powered by the SOTI ONE Platform. A video detailing the story can be found here https://youtu.be/sJOVNXBaRcg. [See Panasonic media release] -- Posted Monday, February 15, 2021

Syndico distributes Samsung rugged mobile solutions in UK
Syndico announced that Syndico is an authorized Samsung partner as part of the 'Samsung One' program. Syndico's reseller partners can now provide their customers with rugged mobile solutions from a widely recognized brand and global leader in smartphone technology. Syndico's proposition with Samsung devices is significantly bolstered with a combination of Knox, Samsung's MDM solution, and Workforce Connect PTT Pro, the wide-area push-to-talk (PTT) platform from Zebra Technologies. [See Syndico media release] -- Posted Monday, February 15, 2021

Trimble announces Q4 and full-year 2020 financials
Trimble announced revenue of $829.7 million in Q4 2020 compared to $824.0 million in Q4 2019. Net income for Q4 2020 was $180.7 million, compared to $279.4 million for Q4 2019. Full year 2020 sales were $3.148 billion compared to $3.264 billion in 2019. Net income for 2020 was $389.9 million, compared with a net income of $514.3 million in 2019. For the full year 2021, Trimble expects to report GAAP revenue between $3,299.7 million and $3,399.7 million. [See Trimble financials] -- Posted Friday, February 12, 2021

Custom rugged tablets and handhelds by Juniper Systems | Field Ready
-- Posted Thursday, February 11, 2021

Zebra announces Q4 and full-year 2020 financials
Zebra Technologies announced net sales of $1,308 million in Q4 2020 compared to $1,192 million in Q4 2019. Net income for Q4 2020 was $199 million, compared to $169 million for Q4 2019. Full year 2020 sales were $4.448 billion compared to $4.485 billion in 2019. Net income for 2020 was $504 million, compared with a net income of $544 million in 2019. Net sales in the Enterprise Visibility & Mobility ("EVM") segment (formerly Enterprise segment) were $879 million in Q4 2020 compared with $813 million in the Q4 2019. Asset Intelligence & Tracking ("AIT") segment (formerly Legacy Zebra segment) net sales were $434 million in Q4 of 2020 compared to $379 million in the prior year period. The company expects full-year 2021 net sales to increase 10% to 14% from 2020. [See Zebra Q4 and full year 2020 financials] -- Posted Thursday, February 11, 2021

Crystal Group accelerating autonomous vehicle development for harsh edge environments09-02-2021
Crystal Group, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged computer and electronic hardware, announced today its increased focus on developing autonomous vehicle (AV) compute systems for industrial and military applications. Equipped to handle the harsh and unpredictable operating challenges inherent to edge environments, Crystal Group's rugged AV servers deliver the critical combination of robust compute power with hardened physical assets. [See Crystal Group's media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2021

JLT Mobile Computers forms software development subsidiary to accelerate its service-based growth strategy
JLT Mobile, a leading supplier of reliable computers for demanding environments, today announces the launch of JLT Software Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to software development, and the appointment of Andreas Nivard as General Manager of the new venture. Over the next few years, JLT aims to grow the complementary software business by recruiting a strong development team with solid software expertise. With this move, JLT is taking an important next step in executing the company's long-term growth strategy, which centers on providing comprehensive IT solutions, complementary products and services for industries operating in challenging environments. [See JLT Mobile media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2021

JLT Mobile Computers opens customer pilot program for new Android 10-based rugged vehicle-mount computer
JLT Mobile, a leading supplier of reliable computers for demanding environments, announces the launch of a pilot program for its state-of-the-art Android 10-based JLT6012A vehicle-mount computer designed to boost productivity in warehousing and other logistics deployments. Bringing Android 10 to the popular JLT6012 platform brings convenience and exciting new opportunity into forklifts and many other types of vehicles. JLT delivered its first advance JLT6012A unit to a customer last month and additional interested customers can now apply to the limited pilot program. [See JLT Mobile media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Tickets.com's Alfred™ to provide contactless ticketing convenience at NASCAR's DAYTONA 500 and DAYTONA Speedweeks events
Tickets.com announced today its new Alfred mobile platform will power the access control for the start to NASCAR's 2021 season with DAYTONA Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth events and the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway. To provide a tap-and-go experience that moves fans quickly into the venue, NASCAR will validate all ticket entry for fans this week with Janam's XT3 handheld devices powered by Alfred, a contactless solution that offers the most advanced digital ticketing technology. [See Tickets.com media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Interview with RuggON about emerging opportunities between drones and rugged mobile technology
Periodically, we ask industry leaders in the rugged computing and communications market questions about their products, their views, and their opinions on trends, emerging technologies and a variety of other issues. In this segment we're talking with RuggON, a rugged mobile technology pioneer and innovator in advancing the state-of-the-art in rugged mobile technology solutions, about the synergy between rugged mobile computers and drone/unmanned mission technologies. [Read interview] -- Posted Monday, February 8, 2021

Motorola Solutions Combines AI capabilities with a network video recorder to present an All-in-One solution
Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI), today announced the newest addition to its video security and analytics portfolio, the Artificial Intelligence Network Video Recorder (AI NVR). The AI NVR combines the traditional Avigilon NVR with the capabilities of the Avigilon AI Appliance to provide enterprises with a solution that fulfills their analytic, storage and cyber security needs. The solution is cloud-connected, enabling remote management through Avigilon Cloud Services so that users can easily perform software upgrades and download new applications. [See Motorola Solutions media release] -- Posted Monday, February 8, 2021

American drone manufacturing plant takes root in Connecticut
Aquiline Drones (AD) meets the increasing demand for "Made in America" drones by opening the first drone manufacturing and assembly plant in Connecticut. The Hartford-based aviation cloud solutions provider and commercial drone manufacturer now produces Drone Volt's Altura Zenith and Hercules 2 drones — re-branded by AD as the Spartacus line of drones: Spartacus MACKS and Spartacus HURRICANE. [See Aquiline media release] -- Posted Monday, February 8, 2021

Handheld continues expansion and local support with new North American regional sales managers
Handheld Group, a leading global manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, continues its ongoing commitment to provide customers with personalized support at a local level with the addition of two new Regional Sales Managers for Handheld US, Rob Bollweg and John Townsend. Both join Handheld after working directly for a Handheld reselling partner, so they share a comprehensive understanding of the needs and requirements of companies who sell Handheld devices. [See Handheld media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Dirac brings high-quality audio to new FUJITSU Notebook LIFEBOOK U9311 and U9311X
Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac today announced that Fujitsu's LIFEBOOK U9311 and U9311X business laptops, produced by Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Kawasaki, Japan) and sold by Fujitsu Limited (Kawasaki, Japan), now include Dirac audio technology to deliver an immersive sound experience with upgraded sound quality for various content and use cases. The Dirac-enabled Fujitsu`s new LIFEBOOK models feature selectable audio modes for specific use cases — teleconferencing, music-listening, and movie-watching — that correspondingly enhance the audio experience of each use case. [See Dirac media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Cincoze GM-1000's new Quadro MXM GPU modules satisfy stringent machine vision performance requirements
Cincoze, a manufacturer of embedded systems, expands the Cincoze GM-1000's machine vision application performance with two new Quadro MXM GPU modules. Building on the GM-1000's powerful processing base, the MXM-RTX3000 and MXM-T1000 provide the additional GPU capacity for rapid adoption of machine vision in smart factories, from simple environmental perception applications such as positioning, measurement, identification, and sorting, to more complex vision-guided automation functions. [See Cincoze media release] -- Posted Monday, February 1, 2021

What happened in rugged computing 10 years ago: February 2011
In February 2011, we compiled our first media tablet table. Fujitsu released their 10.1-inch Stylistic Q550 Windows tablet, DLI their DLI 9200 Vehicle-Mount Computer, Motion the low-end C5v MCA with a Core i3 chip, MobileDemand the xTablet C1200 convertible, Trimble the GeoExplorer 6000 handhelds, and HP the webOS-powered TouchPad. LXE, which introduced the LXE Tekton handheld, became part of EMS Global Resource Management. We reviewed the Advantech ARK-3390, ARK-3403, ARK-3440, ARK-6320 and AIMB-780, and Getac's updated V100 convertible. Intermec announced 2010 revenues of US$679 million, and Microsoft announced Windows Embedded for thin clients while Windows XP Embedded mainstream support was terminated. [See full January 2011 archive] -- Posted Monday, February 1, 2021