February 2023

Autel Robotics' drone helps scientists with volcano research
An Autel Robotics drone was used by a scientific team of international academics to document activities on Irazú Volcano in Costa Rica. The Autel EVO Lite+ drone was selected by the scientists because of its high-quality sensor and durability, making it an ideal solution for conducting professional research with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The EVO Lite+ was able to fly safely through 17 knot winds and can be used in conditions up to 37 knots, making it a perfect fit for the high-altitude project. [See Autel Robotics media release] -- Posted Monday, February 27, 2023

FULL REVIEW: Durabook R8 rugged 8-inch Windows tablet
A lot of industry-specific software is only available for Windows, and sometimes you need that in the field, running on a small, compact yet powerful package that fits anywhere and won't weigh you down. That's what the Durabook R8 was made for. It is a fully rugged, Intel 12th generation "Alder Lake" based 8-inch tablet computer weighing just 1.88 pounds. Our full review revealed the Durabook R8 as an eminently portable package combining state-of-the-art technology with great functionality and significant customization potential. [See full review of the Durabook R8] -- Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2023

FULL REVIEW: Zebra ET80/ET85
The ET8x series represents Zebra's entry in the important segment of rugged tablet computers running Microsoft Windows on 12-inch screens. The Intel "Tiger Lake" powered ET80 and ET85 are rugged 2-in-1 designs that are thinner, lighter and offer higher resolution than the competition. The sole difference between the ET80 and the ET85 is that the latter comes with 5G WWAN and GNSS. Overall, we found the Zebra ET8x series to be an impressive combination of performance, functionality, and ruggedness in an ergonomic, slender package that can work as a standalone tablet, a mounted tablet or a laptop. [See full review of the Zebra ET8x series of rugged 2-in-1 tablets] -- Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions to present 'YOUnifying Experiences' by enabling personalized consumer interactions
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions will be exhibiting at The NGA Show 2023 from February 26 to 28, 2023, at Caesars FORUM Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company will showcase its best-in-class portfolio of solutions at booth #1339 demonstrating how retailers can provide personalized interactions with shoppers and improve their operations. [See Toshiba media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Zebra announces Q4 and full-year 2021 financials
Zebra Technologies announced net sales of $1,503 million in Q4 2022 compared to $1,467 million in Q4 2021. Net income for Q4 2022 was $186 million, compared to $191 million for Q4 2021. Full year 2022 sales were $5.781 billion compared to $5.627 billion in 2021. Net income for 2022 was $463 million, compared with a net income of $837 million in 2021. Net sales in the Enterprise Visibility & Mobility ("EVM") segment (formerly Enterprise segment) were $1,022 million in Q4 2022 compared with $1,031 million in the Q4 2021. Asset Intelligence & Tracking ("AIT") segment (formerly Legacy Zebra segment) net sales were $481 million in Q4 of 2022 compared to $436 million in the prior year period. The company expects full-year 2023 net sales to be in the range of a 3% decline and 1% growth compared to 2022. [See Zebra Q4 and full year 2022 financials] -- Posted Friday, February 17, 2023

Intel launches new Xeon workstation processors — the ultimate solution for professionals
Inteltoday announced the new Intel® Xeon® W-3400 and Intel® Xeon® W-2400 desktop workstation processors (code-named Sapphire Rapids), led by the Intel® Xeon® w9-3495X, Intel's most powerful desktop workstation processor ever designed. Built for professional creators, these new Xeon processors provide massive performance for media and entertainment, engineering and data science professionals. With a breakthrough new compute architecture, faster cores and new embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) packaging, the Xeon W-3400 and Xeon W-2400 series of processors enable unprecedented scalability for increased performance. [See Intel media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2023

U.S. Navy awards DT Research third consecutive contract for rugged tablets
DT Research, the leading designer and manufacturer of purpose-built computing solutions for vertical markets, today announced the company's third consecutive contract award for the U.S. Naval shipyards. The DT311Y rugged tablets will continue to be deployed at several shipyards on the east coast (Norfolk and Portsmouth), the west coast (Puget Sound), and Hawaii (Pearl Harbor). DT Research secured this three-year award in conjunction with Akira Technologies, a DT Research technology partner. [See DT Research media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Getac launches powerful new X600 Server and X600 Pro-PCI models, expanding X600 line of rugged mobile workstations
Getac Technology Corporation, a leading producer of rugged technology announced today the expansion of its flagship X600 rugged mobile workstation product line with the launch of the X600 Server and X600 Pro-PCI. The new models will reside alongside the recently launched X600 and X600 Pro, creating a comprehensive lineup of rugged mobile workstations that are purpose-built to meet the increasing demands of professionals working in challenging industries such as defense, manufacturing and oil & gas. [See Getac media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2023

U.S. Navy awards DT Research third consecutive contract for rugged tablets
DT Research, the leading designer and manufacturer of purpose-built computing solutions for vertical markets, today announced the company's third consecutive contract award for the U.S. Naval shipyards. The DT311Y rugged tablets will continue to be deployed at several shipyards on the east coast (Norfolk and Portsmouth), the west coast (Puget Sound), and Hawaii (Pearl Harbor). DT Research secured this three-year award in conjunction with Akira Technologies, a DT Research technology partner. [See DT Research media release] -- Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Winmate releases outdoor display series for commercial and industrial spaces
Winmate Inc., a global leader in industrial solutions with more than 25 years of experience creating and delivering high-quality industrial displays monitors, releases the outdoor display series that brings higher visibility for digital drive-thru menus, bus shelter advertising, window displays, smart cities, etc. Available with either capacitive or resistive touch in sizes from6..5 all the way to 55 inches, the outdoor displays offers versatile installation modes, up to 2,000 nits luminance, and extensive customization for a broad range of applications. [See Winmate Outdoor Industrial Displays or visit Winmate's VR Expo -- Posted Monday, February 13, 2023

Pioneer Square Brands (PSB) acquires VAULT, leader in developing point-of-sale enclosures
Pioneer Square Brands (PSB), parent company of Brenthaven, Gumdrop, and TechShell, today announced it has acquired VAULT, a leading manufacturer of mobile device enclosure solutions, mobile payment solutions, and high-quality kiosks for enterprise customers. VAULT is known for thoughtful product design, enterprise grade mobile device protection, and a patented connectivity system that transforms Apple devices into versatile and tough business tools to power the digital transformation of the workplace. [See Pioneer Square Brands media release] -- Posted Monday, February 13, 2023

MilDef reports Q4 and full-year 2022 financials
MilDef Group AB reports that for Q4 2022 net sales increased 57% to SEK 315.3 million ($30.1 million). Adjusted Q4 2022 EBITDA amounted to SEK 43.4 million ($4.1 million). For the full year 2022 net sales increased by 57% to 738.8 million ($70.5 million) and adjusted EBITDA amounted to SEK 60.0 million ($5.7 million). "As we enter 2023 it will be with a well-filled order backlog, important framework agreements in place and a MilDef that is ready to deliver," said Björn Karlsson, CEO MilDef Group. [See MilDef 2022 financials] -- Posted Friday, February 10, 2023

Motorola Solutions reports Q4 and full-year 2022 financials
Motorola Solutions reported 2022 full-year sales of US$9.112 billion, up 12% from US$8.171 billion in 2021. 2022 operating earnings were US$1.661 billion, compared to 2021's US$1.667 billion. For full-year 2023, Motorola Solutions expects revenue in the range of $9.65 billion to $9.7 billion. Motorola Solutions ended the fiscal year with a record backlog of $14.3 billion, up $788 million from a year ago. [See Motorola Solutions 2022 financial media release] -- Posted Friday, February 10, 2023

Trimble announces Q4 and full-year 2022 financials
Trimble announced revenue of $856.5.0 million in Q4 2022 compared to $926.0 million in Q4 2021. Net income for Q4 2022 was $85.6 million, compared to $115.3 million for Q4 2021. Full year 2022 sales were $3.676 billion compared to $3.659 billion in 2021. Net income for 2022 was $449.7 million, compared with a net income of $492.7 million in 2021. For the full year 2023, Trimble expects to report revenue between $3.7 billion and $3.8 billion. [See Trimble financials] -- Posted Thursday, February 9, 2023

DT Research enhances 6-inch and 8-inch rugged tablets with built-in 60-foot range barcode scanners and Windows® 11 IoT Enterprise
DT Research, the leading designer and manufacturer of purpose-built computing solutions for vertical markets, today announced the company's DT362GL (6-inch) and DT382GL (8-inch) rugged tablets have been enhanced with built-in 60-foot range Barcode Scanners in addition to 30-foot range Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID readers to continue to deliver cutting-edge long-range asset verification and tracking capabilities. The DT362GL and DT382GL handhelds now run the Microsoft® Windows® 11 IoT Enterprise operating system, which enables a seamless field-to-office asset management experience. [See DT Research media release] -- Posted Monday, February 6, 2023

JLT Mobile Computers targets the port, manufacturing, and warehousing segments with upgraded JLT6012™ computer
JLT Mobile Computers, a leading developer of computing solutions for demanding environments, has upgraded its JLT6012 rugged vehicle-mount terminals (VMTs). Originally developed for demanding warehouse and logistics applications that require IT solutions running Windows OS, the JLT6012 VMTs have proven to be a reliable computer platform in some of the world's most challenging physical and environmental applications. The upgrades now take the rugged computers' arena of operation into further industries, including container ports, yards, and manufacturing plants. [See JLT Mobile media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Dell reports record fiscal 2022 financials
Dell Technologies reported record 2022 full-year sales of US$101.2 billion, up 17% from 2021. 2022 operating income was a record US$4.7 billion, up 26% from 2021. "Fiscal 2022 was the best year in Dell Technologies history. We reached more than $100 billion in revenue and grew 17% – a huge achievement and ahead of our long-term growth targets," said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman and and co-chief operating officer, Dell Technologies. [See Dell Technologies 2022 financial media release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2023

What happened in rugged computing 10 years ago: Feb. 2013
In February 2013, Fujitsu announced the dust- and waterproof 10.1-inch Arrows Tab Q852/F Windows tablet, DAP the 7-inch M7000 rugged enterprise tablet with projected capacitive multi-touch, and Motorola Solutions the AME 2000 Secure Mobile Solution and the MC45 mobile computer. Handheld updated its Algiz XRW ultra-rugged 10.1-inch notebook from the (dreadful) Intel Atom Z550 to the much newer dual-core Atom N2600, N-trig launched the DuoSense Pen2 and swiped at Wacom. We reviewed Juniper Systems' Aspect field mapping solution and predicted 4K video would soon be available in smartphones (yes) and tablets (not so much). Intermec started proxy mailings for its acquisition by Honeywell, Xplore reported' revenues came of US$5.9 million for the quarter, Datalogic CEO Mauro Sacchetto resigned, and TouchStar released an interesting electronic run ticketing system for crude oil and water hauling. [See February 2013 archive] -- Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2023