September 2020

Stealth's new rugged fanless Mini PC with Nvidia video
Stealth.com, (a Sparton company), a leader in the industrial computer and peripherals market has released a new rugged fanless Mini PC featuring a dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics card and Intel® 6th and 7th Generation Core™ i5, i7 & Xeon processors. Packed with robust capabilities, the LPC-950 is ideal for a large variety of demanding applications. [See Stealth.com media release] -- Posted Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Durabook Z14I fully rugged laptop offers endless customization possibilities
Durabook Americas, Inc., the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, offers boundless customization capabilities to users of its Z14I fully rugged laptop. The unit's endless configuration possibilities assure users of the power, flexibility, functionality, and data security that they need for their specific applications. [See Durabook media release] -- Posted Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Datalogic launches the new PDA Memor™ K — a powerful and pocket-sized PDA for any application
Datalogic, is pleased to announce the availability of the new Memor™ K mobile computer, a powerful, pocketable companion for any data capture application in your retail store, manufacturing floor, or distribution center. Leveraging its light weight, great ergonomics and pocketable size, personnel can use the device all day long without any stress or fatigue. It can be kept in the pocket and used whenever needed. The Memor K combines an extremely thin design with a very rugged assembly. It can sustain repeated drops up to 1.2 m / 4 ft onto concrete, and its IP54 rating guarantees strong endurance. [See Datalogic media release] -- Posted Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Full review: Janam XT3
With their XT3 rugged high-performance handheld, Janam offers customers a substantial upgrade over the XT2 and XT2+ predecessors. The XT3 is quick enough to please smartphone users spoiled by rapid technological advance, and that can make or break a deal. About the size of a modern smartphone, the Snapdragon SD660-powered XT3 has integrated GPS, NFC/RFID reading, mobile broadband and industrial-grade 1D/2D imager for bar code reading. The dual cameras (13mp and 5mp) are among the best we've seen in rugged devices. And there's a modern USB-C port. [See full review of the Janam XT3] -- Posted Monday, September 28, 2020

Ring Always Home Cam
Ring's just announced Ring Always Home Cam is, according to Ring, "a new way to look after the home and provide multiple viewpoints with one device. This autonomous indoor security camera flies your chosen, personalized paths so that you can easily check in on your home for peace of mind." It has nothing to do with rugged gear, but a lot with the huge application potential of drone technology in numerous vertical markets. [See Ring's announcement] -- Posted Friday, September 25, 2020

Preview: RuggON VULCAN X
RuggON's just announced VULCAN X vehicle mount computer is of interest for those who seek a compact Intel Core-powered and fully-rugged onboard system that's easy to use and operate either via touch or via programmable buttons. The very bright (1200 nits) 10.4-inch display fits almost anywhere, and there's plenty of legacy and state-of-the-art I/O. [See description, analysis and specs of the RuggON VULCAN X] -- Posted Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Preview: DT Research DT382GL
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 compact handheld Windows tablet with a built-in CAC reader addresses very real needs. [See description, analysis and specs of the DT Research DT382GL] -- Posted Monday, September 21, 2020

RuggON launches vehicle mount computer providing exceptional performance for logistics and heavy-duty applications
RuggON, a leading-edge mobile computing solution provider, announces the VULCAN X rugged vehicle-mount computer. Based around a high-visibility 10.4-inch display, this versatile device upgrades any vehicle, and its crew, into a productive asset in the corporate IoT (Internet of Things) — reporting and responding to real-time events, reliably and rapidly. VULCAN X is ideal for cold chain, logistics, warehousing, and heavy-duty vehicles in agriculture, recycling, waste management, and mining. It is perfect for port and cargo cranes. [See RuggON media release] -- Posted Saturday, September 19, 2020

11th gen mobile Intel processors may offer large performance gains
Intel has been struggling a bit with significant performance gains over the last generations of its CORE processor line, but according to an article by hothardware.com, the new 11th generation "Tiger Lake" mobile chips may change that. After testing a prototype setup, hothardware.com reported that "in terms of raw performance, from its 15 Watt to 28 Watt power profiles, Tiger Lake delivers in spades, offering huge gains in both single and multithread workloads, as well as easily the fastest integrated laptop graphics solution currently, bar none." [See hothardware.com's "Intel Tiger Lake And Xe Graphics Benchmarks: Laptops Will Roar"] -- Posted Thursday, September 17, 2020

Rugged Computers vs. industrial computers – What’s the difference?
Both industrial and rugged computers provide maximum reliability and high performance to run powerful software and control complex applications. The difference between a rugged computer and an industrial computer is simply that rugged computers have additional design features to make them ultra reliable and operable in particularly harsh environments. [Read Sarah Lavoie's (OnLogic)Rugged Computers vs. industrial computers – What’s the difference?] -- Posted Thursday, September 17, 2020

JLT Mobile Computers launches 10-inch rugged Android VMT to future-proof warehouse productivity
JLT Mobile Computers, a leading supplier of reliable computers for demanding environments, announces an addition to its rugged vehicle-mount portfolio to help customers in logistics, warehousing and other demanding industries boost productivity. The new JLT VM3010A computer is an Android 9.0-based rugged vehicle-mount terminal (VMT) that packs the high computing performance of a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 660 Octa-core 2.2GHz RISC processor into a 10-inch form factor. This combination makes for a powerful yet compact rugged unit that fits seamlessly into the tightest vehicle cabins to increase and future-proof warehouse productivity. [See JLT Mobile media release] -- Posted Wednesday, September 16, 2020

What happened in rugged computing 10 years ago: Sept. 2010
In September 2010, Psion Teklogix introduced the "Modulus"-based Omnii XT10 ultra-rugged handheld, Intermec the CS40 rugged keypad handheld, Motorola the tough MC65 enterprise digital assistant and MC75-HC healthcare handheld, Handheld the Algiz XRW ultra-rugged netbook, and Getac the V200 convertible. We reviewed the Panasonic Toughbook 31, the Trimble Yuma tablet, and Winmate's IP67-sealed rugged panels. LXE announced a series of media and partner events, but a major investor already demanded that LXE be sold. Jon Peddie Research predicted embedded graphics market share would increase, but level off in the low 50%. RuggedPCReview said, "if you need 3D and, especially, OpenGL performance, discrete graphics are almost a must." Android had problems accommodating devices with different screen sizes and resolutions. And Intel announced the E6xx "Tunnel Creek," its first System-on-Chip Atom. [See September 2010 news archive] -- Posted Tuesday, September 15, 2020

faytech joint venture CLEAR-BOND celebrates the production of its 200th ton optical bonding blue
In 2017, faytech invented a new optical bonding process suitable for the mass production of large format optically bonded touchscreens. Since 2018, faytech has been the world leading supplier in this niche market. Based on its market position, the process was since then steadily improved further with tailored machines to improve the yield and bond-line thickness control. During this time period, parts of the optical bonding process was patented by faytech as well. [See faytech media release] -- Posted Monday, September 14, 2020

When emergencies strike, Motorola Solutions' new cloud service provides maximum resiliency for essential communication networks
Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) today introduced the next generation of mission-critical radio technology and performance with CirrusCentral Core, a cloud-based secondary core for ASTRO® 25 P25 land mobile radio (LMR) systems. Available as a subscription service, it is always current with the latest communication software, and it eliminates the need for public safety agencies to maintain a physical, in-building backup core site. [See Motorola Solutions media release] -- Posted Monday, September 14, 2020

NVIDIA to acquire ARM for $40 billion, creating world's premier computing company for the age of AI
NVIDIA and SoftBank Group Corp. (SBG) today announced a definitive agreement under which NVIDIA will acquire Arm Limited from SBG and the SoftBank Vision Fund (together, "SoftBank") in a transaction valued at $40 billion. The combination brings together NVIDIA's leading AI computing platform with Arm's vast ecosystem to create the premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence, accelerating innovation while expanding into large, high-growth markets. [See Nvidia media release] -- Posted Sunday, September 13, 2020

Getac's next generation UX10 fully rugged tablet delivers seamless mobile performance for professionals in challenging work environments
Getac, has today announced the launch of the next generation UX10, a powerful fully rugged tablet that's built to thrive in challenging working environments, such as those found in the public safety, utilities, natural resources and manufacturing industries. Building on the success of Getac's original UX10, this next generation tablet delivers improved performance, storage, connectivity and rugged reliability in a stylish new chassis, all while retaining the same proven form factor of its predecessor. [See Getac media release] -- Posted Thursday, September 10, 2020

RuggON SOL PA501 ultra-rugged tablet now MIL-STD-461G certified
RuggON, a reliable rugged solution provider, has updated Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) certification testing for its SOL PA501 ultra-rugged 10-inch Android tablet to MIL-STD-461G procedures. MIL-STD-461G standard testing measures radiated emission, determines susceptibility, and also electromagnetic compatibility, which is important for military communications. [See RuggON media release] -- Posted Friday, September 4, 2020

Preview: DT Research DT362GL
The DT362GL, introduced by DT Research in August 2020, is a 6-inch rugged handheld that runs full 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. [See description, analysis and specs of the DT Research DT362GL] -- Posted Thursday, September 3, 2020

Intel launches world's best processor for thin-and-light laptops: 11th Gen Intel Core
Intel today unleashed a new era of laptop performance with the launch of its next-generation mobile PC processors and the evolution of its broad ecosystem partnerships that are propelling the mobile PC industry forward. New 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics (code-named "Tiger Lake") are the world's best processors for thin-and-light laptops with unmatched capabilities for real-world productivity, collaboration, creation, gaming and entertainment across Windows and ChromeOS-based laptops. [See Intel media release] -- Posted Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Trimble announces the next evolution of its flagship GNSS solution<
Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today the Trimble® R12i GNSS receiver, the latest addition to its Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) portfolio. The Trimble R12i incorporates Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)-based tilt compensation using Trimble TIP™ technology, which enables points to be measured or staked out while the survey rod is tilted, empowering land surveyors to focus on the job at hand and complete work faster and more accurately. [See Trimble media release] -- Posted Wednesday, September 2, 2020