Symbol Release MC9000-G: RFID Fun for all the Family

[Jonathon Watkins]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=4349' target='_blank'>http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.a...?ContentId=4349</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Based on Symbol's flagship mobile computer platform, the MC9000-G with RFID offers integrated bar code scanning and local 802.11b wireless connectivity along with a drop specification of six feet, including the integrated lightweight RFID antenna. Bluetooth is optional. . . . The MC9000-G is a multi-OS device, giving organisations the option of selecting either the Windows CE .Net 4.2 or Windows Mobile 2003 platform. The device is based on an Intel XScale PXA255 (400MHz), and comes with option of 32MB RAM/32 MB ROM (Windows CE .Net 4.2) or 64MB RAM/64 MB ROM (Windows CE .Net 4.2 or Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC). Its display is a 3.8 in. 1/4 VGA (mono or colour)."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/MC9000G_RFID_wScreennew216.jpg" /> <br /><br />The sort of jobs the MC9000-G is particularly suited to, include inventory management, price verification by retail personnel, warehouse management using both RFID &amp; bar codes and baggage tracking by airline personnel. You will be overjoyed to learn that it is designed to handle first and second generation RFID tags. One day, all Pocket PC will have pistol handgrip like this one. (Or possibly not). ;-)

[Mike Dimmick]

The image in the article is of the standard MC9000-G, with barcode scanner only. The integrated RFID version looks like this:

ftp://symstore.longisland.com/Symstore/productlibrary/Mobile/MC9000G/MC9000G_RFID_wScreennew.jpg

Image taken from Symbol's Graphics Library page.

So you understand the scale, the screen is about the same size, or a little larger, than my Dell Axim x30's. This thing is not small.

Nor is it light. Comparing the specs of this (http://www.symbol.com/products/mobile_computers/mc9000-g_with_rfid.html) and the barcode-only version (http://www.symbol.com/products/mobile_computers/kb_mc9000.html), the RFID version weighs over 9 oz more, about 36% heavier. Ouch. The regular version balances quite well, I'd expect that unless they've added a big ol' lump of lead to the battery/keyboard end of the unit, this will be horribly unbalanced.

We've used the MC9000-G and the other members of its family, the MC9000-K (http://www.symbol.com/products/mobile_computers/kb_mc9000k.html) and MC9000-S (http://www.symbol.com/products/mobile_computers/kb_mc9000s.html), pretty successfully. The main problems we've seen have been issues with the battery - sometimes the device reports that the (non-existent) battery door is not closed on bootup. All in all, though, it's a very performant and quite reliable unit.

[dh]

I was playing with the RFID version yesterday. It's actually not as heavy as it looks in the pictures, not too much heavier than the standard MC9000.

What I really want them to make is a simple wireless RFID reader/scanner - like the P370. I have many customers who would rather have that form factor than a big ol MC9000.

Don't know what's happening with Symbol's QA these days, we are getting tons of DOAs on some models.

[Jonathon Watkins]

The image in the article is of the standard MC9000-G, with barcode scanner only. The integrated RFID version looks like this:

So it does. Cheers for the heads up. :)