Small Rugged PDA - The Group Small with Attitude
So this week we’re looking at small rugged PDA’s and we have a great selection of the little PDA’s to look at. To be a small rugged PDA you need to be:
- Small or super slim in some way
- Rugged which means IP54 or above, a decent drop spec, clear device roadmap and comprehensive support products.
- Have to have a full array of data capture options built-in like barcode scanners, RFID Readers.
This means no Semi-rugged here, these guys are proper tough small rugged phones that we can seriously say will last the fight.
The Test
We’ll go by day by this week and next and publish our findings we’ll do this in 5 individual blogs where we’ll focus on the group as a whole and give the individual devices their chance to shine too! I’ll put the links here as we go along:
- Group Overview (today)
- Features/Benefits and USPs
- Technical and Benchmark/performance testing
- Opinion, final thoughts & Conclusions
Group Overview
Today we’re going to have a look at the small rugged PDA group in particular and discuss why they’re here, why some are not and what we’re hoping from them.
1. Intermec CS40
The benchmark device for us here, it has everything you need but it is expensive. Will the CS40′s high price be justified?
2. Opticon H21
Second most expensive device here although there is a price drop in the pipeline. The H21 also has everything you need here with a few more options but will its support let it down?
3. Honeywell Dolphin 6000
The brand new contender from Honeywell. Great pedigree from a manufacturer that is getting back on its feet. The dolphin 6000 is seriously inexpensive but uses a Chinese MTK CPU and main board. The budget option from the normally higher end manufacturer but will the risk win out?
4. Dotel Doth-300
The largest device here, but it’s so slim and inexpensive in configured down form that it sneaks in for the test. New, very innovative and very well specced. I gives the smallest 3,5″ LCD option.
5. Ganedata GX8900 (Gsmart)
Highly rugged, middle of the road on price, RFID options and a real work horse of a device. Quirky colour scheme isn’t for some but its one great package from the Cipherlab owned Ganedata boys with great service and support.
We would have loved to have the Getac MH132, we couldn’t get hold of one for the test, you can see our first look here though. Like-wise the Ganedata GX8010 doesn’t get in on this one as unless you have a specific need for this device, it’s now showing its age. The new Cipherlab CP30 solves but it’s too new and we couldn’t get a device in time. the Anything semi-rugged like the Motorola ES400 and Pidion Bm170 are not included in this test, great devices they may be but they’re in a different class when it comes to ruggedness. No wimps allowed here!!
We’ll do a test each day this week and publish the results here for all to see with the aim of helping you decide on which one is our winner of the Small Rugged PDA class.
www.ruggedandmobile.com
