Symbol Rolls Out New Handheld

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1097252,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,395...,1097252,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"Symbol Technologies Inc. on Tuesday announced a ruggedized handheld computer that combines imaging capabilities with voice over WLAN support. The Symbol PDT 8146 Imaging Computer runs Microsoft Corp.'s Pocket PC Premium Edition on a 32-bit Xscale processor from Intel Corp. It includes a color screen, a backlit keyboard and a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The voice over IP is run on a separate processor, and it works in the background even while other applications are running, said officials at the Holtsville, N.Y., company."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/news/20030521-Symbol-PDT8146.gif" /><br /><br />Symbol continues to develop great enterprise applications on the Pocket PC platform. Imagine imaging (bar-code scanning) plus VoIP! I'm waiting for these enterprise all-in-one solutions hit the mass consumer market...

[KAMware]

You are right that companies like Symbol and Intermec turn out some impressive Pocket PC devices. But you will never see them marketing them in the consumer market place.

Have you ever checked the prices on these! I just did a demo to a company we want to sell a solution to. We purchased an Intermec 700 series with Monochrome screen, 2D scanner and WiFi and it cost $2400.

The power supply alone cost $300! It is just a 12 volt brick with a special connector! By they way the unit did not come with a power supply!

These companies have a large built in profit margin in these units and it would be difficult for them to sell a consumer version at consumer prices and still justify their Vertical Market prices.

To be fair they are priced this high so that they can reduce the unit costs when they make a deal for 100s or 1000s of units when dealing with large compaines but even then the unit prices are many times the consumer price.

I used to be a SE for Telxon, which was purchased by Symbol, who made some of the first Vertical Market Pen interface computers. These companies who sell Vertical Market computers and other solutions always have large builtin profit margins. They will always be too costly for the average buyer. But watch eBay in a couple of years and you will probably be able to get one for $30.

[Paragon]

We had Intermac at our usres group meeting lastnight, and they showed the new 700 device. Pricey? Yes! Good value? Yes! You can drop it from 5 feet all day long. You can spray it with a hose. you can shock the heck out of it, and it will still run. It has Bluetooth, GSM, CDMA 1X, 802.11B, and they all work simultaneously. There are several things I haven't mentioned.

It is correct that this is not a consumer device, in price, or design, and companies like Symbol, and Intermac are not going to be producing consumer products any time soon. However Intermac does have a "Tweaner" in the works. A semi rugged device with many of the 700's features.

If the sales from these two companies were included in PPC sales figures PPC numbers would look considerably different. These guys do some big numbers. companies like Coca-Cola, and many others tend to buy in the thousands not dozens. :)

Dave

Dave

[wirelessgeek]

Impressive Symbol Industry Handheld imho.

Symbol, Casio, Intermec, Psion and others make some interesting industry/enterprise handhelds......

Psion Teklogix's 7535 hand-held computer runs on the Windows CE .NET operating system, addressing the growing popularity of this operating system in the automatic identification and data collection market. Windows CE .NET provides ease of integration with enterprise infrastructures as well as the ability to run sophisticated end-user applications. The incorporation of other industry standards such as 802.11, Intel Xscale, RFID, Bluetooth and GSM/GPRS ensures the 7535 can be easily integrated into a wide variety of enterprise mobile computing projects both today and in the future.
http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=printnews&doc_id=NR20030521290.2_d19a0018b4f4027c

Intermec 700 Color Windows Powered Pocket PC 2002 integrates up to three radios in a single device, including 802.11b and BlueTooth technologies as well as Wireless Wide Area Network integrated options that include radios for GSM/GPRS and CDMA/1xRTT networks. http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles/2002/5/2002-5-20-Intermec-Introduces-Rugged.html

The Intermec 760 Color Mobile Computer, a Pocket PC 2002 PDA, costs a whopping $3,650 (street). Then again, this rugged device comes fully loaded with a 2-D bar code scanner, Bluetooth for wireless personal area networking, 802.11b for LAN communications, and GSM/GPRS capability with T-Mobile service for WAN communications (CDMA/1xRTT support is coming shortly). http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,907292,00.asp

CASIO DT-X10 industrial handheld terminal with built in C-MOS imager and Bluetooth Wireless running Windows CE.NET http://www.casio.com/corporate/pressroom.cfm?act=2&pr=5872

Casio 2.4GHz Handheld Terminal WLAN w/Bluetooth http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/tcb/Tcb731GrantForm.cfm?application_id=191768&mode=COPY&fcc_id=BBQDT-X10M30URC

Casio Handheld Terminal - Bluetooth http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/tcb/Tcb731GrantForm.cfm?application_id=398938&mode=COPY&fcc_id=BBQDT-X10M30URC

Casio IT-500M30R an IT-500M30CR with built-in WiFi http://www.casio.co.jp/English/system/pa/products/ht/it500.html

Symbol Handheld based Computers
http://www.symbol.com/products/mobile_computers/mobile_aag.html

just to name a few....

[powder2000]

Yet another pocket pc 2002 released in the midst of an operating system upgrade :roll:. I thought the new os is supposed to make the wireless experience better. Why would this device then be released with ppc2002?

[Will T Smith]

Symbol is a model for what a "blue collar" handheld computer should be. Rugged stable, all-in-one, simple.

The screwy "wine"/.net commercial from Microsoft featured an iPaq in a warehouse. This really isn't where the action is for warehousing and inventory application. Symbol makes industrial grade devices that will survive a fall or even water immersion.

Go Symbol.

[Janak Parekh]

Yet another pocket pc 2002 released in the midst of an operating system upgrade :roll:. I thought the new os is supposed to make the wireless experience better. Why would this device then be released with ppc2002?
This one is more easily justified -- it's a enterprise solution, and those typically undergo months or more of testing. Enterprises with specially-designed software that would leverage a solution like this might take months on top of that to make sure their software works perfectly with a new OS.

--janak

[Paragon]

To add to what Janak mentioned....Intermac, and Symbol tend to use a lot of their own software on top of the OS. All the firmware to handles wifi, bluetooth, and the likes is there own. As well Intermac wrote much of the firmware that manages power use on PPCs. So, on this one I have to agree that releasing close to a new PPC release isn't that significant. As well new OSs aren't quite as flashy and appealing to the enterprise side. It's more important to the to know that the device is going to be up and running 3-4 years down the road with as little added support as possible.

Dave

Hey, what happened to the white background on my avatar........thanks Janak! :)

[markph]

I was fortunate to be part of a major project which uses Symbol barcode scanners. Even though I had to write a .NET CF control (Symbol just released theirs), everything from the C API docs to the actual hardware was impressive.

I would recommend the Symbol barcode scanners, for any project requiring wireless barcode scanning functionality.

Downside??? Battery life. As is with all these devices. Still Symbol's newer models offer beefier battery life.

[wirelessgeek]

I was fortunate to be part of a major project which uses Symbol barcode scanners. Even though I had to write a .NET CF control (Symbol just released theirs), everything from the C API docs to the actual hardware was impressive.

I would recommend the Symbol barcode scanners, for any project requiring wireless barcode scanning functionality.

Downside??? Battery life. As is with all these devices. Still Symbol's newer models offer beefier battery life.

Aren't these scanners used by UPS and/or FedEx? Don't they include Bluetooth? And do you know if Motorola is offering FedEx a Mobile Device called PowerPad which includes BT as well?