Motorola ES400 Repairs Just Got Simpler

30 11 2012
Motorola ES400 Repair is easy at Rugged Rescue

Motorola ES400 Repair is easy at Rugged Rescue!

Motorola generally make great Rugged mobile computers but the Motorola ES400 is one that has struggled for quality in our opinion and one of the main reasons for this is that it’s often not sold into the right customer or solution.  The Semi Rugged PDA, is only a durable Rugged Mobile Computer at best and this is often overlooked when the low price is revealed!

We’re Moto partners here and have been for many years so we know how to look after Motorola ES400′s bought form us, we also understand when a customer needs the comprehensive support packages or not so we know a lot about getting ES400′s up and running, quickly on the hardware, firmware or OS front.

Motorola ES400 Repair

So what do you do if you have a an ES400 thats out of warranty and needs help? Well our friends over at Rugged Rescue think they have the answer for repairing out of warranty Motorla ES400′s and have just launched a new no fuss repair product for the ES400.

Basically any repair, is now done in 5 days or less for £200 (exc VAT).  This covers you for 1 major part repairs, if you need a new screen and mainboard on the Motorola ES400 then the device is generally uneconomical to repair but £200 will cover off any new rubbers and a screen for instance to get your Es400 back running in the field quickly.

Go check the website for more details and don;t forget that we offer full RAMCare service products and plans on all the majopr brands we sell, with many like PIdion and Dotel being done right here in the UK.  If you have any questions about Rugged PDA repair then just get in touch with us here.

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Top Tips

Pidion BIP-6000 Gets an Updated Case

28 11 2012
The Pidion BIP-6000 Rugged Mobile Computer gets a new case!

The Pidion BIP-6000 Rugged Mobile Computer gets a new case!

The Pidion BIP-6000 is just one of those stalwart Rugged Mobile Computers that has really driven innovation and been a quality product through the many years it has been on sale.  Like with all great products the BIP-6000 seems to receive the odd tweak here and there, rather than major updates which keeps it fresh and updated in a more consistent manner.  Bucking the trend of most manufacturers who are moving everything to China, Pidion recently moved their own manufacturing facility to South Korea, citing quality and innovation as the major factors in the decision when they were here visiting us last, so lets see what the changes are and more importantly what we think of them here at RAM!

So whats changed on the Pidion BIP-6000?

Basically the whole of the outside has changed!

Front and back case

The Rugged Mobile Computer gets a new front and back case with a grippy textured feel to it.  I’m not personally convinced about this, the older rubbery case feels more grippy to me, however the case is definitely harder and will be harder wearing than the old one.  With re-sale values of kit a growing concern for end users, these new cases should look like they will look newer for a lot longer.

The BIP-6000 case has a rugged texture to it.

The BIP-6000 case has a rugged texture to it.

Power Button

The power button has been increased in size and it has a better feel to it.  It’s still tucked away so the device won’t switch on in the pocket or toolbox, but it’s just a little bit nicer to look at and to use.

Side buttons

This change i’m not convinced about.  The side buttons have been changed from the rubber ones to semi-clear hard plastic.  At first I thought this was because they probably lit up but alas no,. they don’t have quite the same feedback as the older rubber ones and dare I say it look a little bit cheap.  However they should last longer and when we take a look inside one of these newer BIP-6000 mobile computers we’ll see if anything changed inside.

Keyboard

As you can see the keyboard has the same layout but the colours are fresher and the colour template on the qwerty keypad is a little bit nicer to help users understand the number pad and functionality of the keypad.  It makes the device look tidier and more conservative and more expensive.

Everything else is the same, this update is purely a cosmetic facelift.  We have had a question already about which case will be on repaired devices and also if the newer case can be swapped out and the answer to that will be we’ll let you know once we’ve had a try!  For now though we have plenty of parts for both devices.

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : New products and First Looks

The Future of Rugged Tablets

26 11 2012
IOS, Android, RUgged or cheap? We asked 3 different people where the tablet market is going.

IOS, Android, Rugged or cheap? We asked 3 different people where the tablet market is going.

Rugged tablets are a complex products, still finding their feet unyet will be the central to IT innovation in the next 10 years.  I met some interesting people last week, all of whom are Tablet focussed manufacturers, distributors or solution based providers so I took the opportunity to ask all of them what they thought the future of the tablet would be.  I’ve decided to keep names and numbers private in this case but the facts are still very interesting.

What will the role of the Tablet be in the next 5-10 years?

Rugged Hardware Manufacturer

It will be central to the whole idea of mobility.  As users become totally mobile, the tablet will be the weapon of choice for businesses and possibly individuals as it provides what they need in a mobile fashion.

Chinese Tablet Manufacturer

The tablet will be the replacement for paper.  The price is being driven to nothing, we’re already finding ways to create the $20 tablet so rather than being considered a business tool, they will just become the medium to do anything.

Solution /Software Provider

I agree with both of these.  We’re almost totally focussed on tablet right now, especially Android and IOS because of the fact a tablet can simply do so much more to support the business logic, businesses require now and in the future.

How’s the iPad and iPad mini going to fit in to this?

Rugged Hardware Manufacturer

It won’t.  People will see the value in rugged hardware.  Rugged hardware will be based upon Android or Windows 8 and Apple will lose out.

Chinese Tablet Manufacturer

The iPad is still the benchmark tablet and it has so many other features like brand, “coolness” and so many people use them and grow up with them that we cannot ignore Apple.  I think they’ll get cheaper but they’re here to stay at least for the next 5-10 years.

Solution /Software Provider

People talk about Apple like they’re still on this Boom/Bust cycle but Apple has never been this big and this prevalent before.  I think they got it right this time and they will be here for some time yet.  The fact is too many kids, adults, youngsters and elderly people use them, love them and join the Apple tribe!  We’re certainly putting IOS at the heart of what we do and banking on them for the next 5-10 years.

What about Windows 8, how do you see this changing the game?

Rugged Hardware Manufacturer

It’s a game changer because it iwll give the rugged market a truly mobile rugged tablet with all the values Microsoft can bring to a mission critical market.  W8 is the main reason Apple will struggle in teh coming years.

Chinese Tablet Manufacturer

It will, but it has a big battle to fight.  If you look at the people actually buying Windows in general, they not buying it and the support for Windows XP, Vista and W7 is having to be extended.  We can put any OS on our $50 or $100 tablets easily so in a way it doesn’t matter to us but I don’t think the market is ready yet for a “do everything” tablet that will kill the iPad and Android.  I think we’ll the same type of infiltration for W8 as we have seen for WP7.

Solution /Software Provider

The truth is we’re not sure.  We have Microsoft expertise but in a world where expertise is now being spread so thinly, we feel that focus on speed and price is the way forward for mobile.  Microsoft offers neither of these to us so we’ll remain focussed on Android and IOS like everyone else in our market.  I think Microsoft will still make the best backend if you have the time and skill but they are a lot further away from winning in the mobile market than they think.

Do you see a role for Rugged Tablets

Rugged Hardware Manufacturer

Of course!  There will always be business customers who will want something tough, string, supportable and roadmapped and they will pay for that.  I understand what you just told me about the $20 tablet but that’s for a totally different market to us.

Chinese Tablet Manufacturer

It’s a good question.  Many manufacturers here are experimenting with cheap rugged android devices and whislt the odd one is a hit, most don;t really get off the ground.  You can also see the lack of faith in rugged tablets from the strategy “rugged Tablet” companies are taking when making them.  Very few are making their own put it that way.

Solution /Software Provider

Sorry to say but no I don’t.  However I also never really understood the market fully.  I understand that rugged supports certain business elements well but I also think rugged doesn’t support many important ones either.  Speed of development, easy changes/tweaks to solutions to keep pace with rivals and when tablets are $50 these days you can buy 10 for each rugged tablet, change your support strategy and still have change in the bank.

Lastly how will Android change the market?

Rugged Hardware Manufacturer

Well it’s already changing it massively in the rugged market and rugged manufacturers are reacting.  However I think many aren’t seeing it the way they need to so the rugged android tablet market is a bit of a hash up at the moment in a general sense.  Android is not going anywhere though.

Chinese Tablet Manufacturer

Its free, its easy to work with, anyone can use it as their platform, it gives us options and it’s a very nice OS.  Demand is still growing, market share is still growing and its the OS that gets the most attention from us now and in the near future.  Android is the one to beat right now, IOS comes a close second but all of it’s innovation relies on Apple.  I’m not saying Apple won’t continue to innovate but the power of the open Android market will surely win out in the end?

Solution /Solution /Software Provider

It’s key to the mobile market and in many ways is the core technology for many mobile software companies.  More and more businesses are picking it up for its price and ability to give them a changing platform that allows innovation.  Nothing else keeps up like Android does and the demand continues to grow for it too.  It will be key, it will grow even more and it will fend off W8 and IOS easily.

So there we have it.  Interesting views indeed from 3 very different people.  I’d be interested to hear what anyone else has to say so join the conversation, comments are open!!

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Opinion

Trimble Yuma 2 – Announced!

23 11 2012
Trimble Yuma 2 - Lighter and faster

Trimble Yuma 2 – Lighter and Faster

With so many Tablet Computers being launched right now it’s important to get the product right and with so much focus on Android tablets right now, the Trimble Yuma 2 is a breath of fresh air!

The Trimble is first and foremost a Windows 7 X86 based tablet, it’ll take over from the discontinued Yuma tablet and it’ll replace the old Yuma with a completely updated spec.  everything is new and better from the CPU, RAm and all the chips inside making the Yuma bang up to date on that side of things.  However the main changes we see are:

  1. The size of the Yuma 2 tablet PC is far smaller.  It’s slimmer and lighter to use hold.
  2. Ergonomics are better too.  The buttons on the older Yuma were just not quite in the right place, the new Yuma 2 addresses this whilst also its new design makes holding it far nicer.
  3. The batteries are slightly improved rising to 3000 and 6000 mAh in extended format.  The Yuma 2 still allows 2 of these to be inserted to make for a whopping great 12,000mAh of battery power available if needed.
  4. Most interestingly is the Capacitive screen on the Yuma 2, which is not only something that will make the quirky Windows 7 operating system a little better to use on the device, but it also perhaps harks the Yuma 2 to being ready to run Windows 8 which is a far more tablet oriented operating system.  We’re not sure how that will work as but it will be something we follow closely as it’ll help answer whether capacitive screens are usable in a rugged environment.

The Trimble Yuma 2 is still a specialised Rugged Tablet aimed squarely at business users who need a tool that’s seriously dependable in all scenarios.  The Trimble Yuma 2 will no doubt keep focussed on this end of the market and continue to be a super rugged offering at the top end of the rugged tablet market.

Price is yet to be confirmed but expect it to be top end.  The new Trimble Juno T42 is £1000+ for most oft he range, the older Yuma was £2000+ so this will probably be somewhere in that range.

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : New products and First Looks

Motorola MC67 – IP65 Vs IP67

21 11 2012
IP67 does make a difference, to some mobile computer users.

IP67 does make a difference, to some mobile computer users.

Due to the launch of the new Motorola MC67 rugged mobile computer, we already got a bit our first questions on what the exact differences are, specifically in terms of the ruggedness of the Rugged Mobile Computer so we thought we’d do a quick blog today on the major differences at the top of the IP scale.  We already did a great blog here about IP ratings in general but here we’ll zoom in on the top end.

IP and Dust

There are 2 ratings that we’re worried about in terms of dust intrusion,. which is the first digit in the IP number.  IP6X is the top number and it means that the mobile computer is totally dust tight.  This means nothing gets in at all!  IP5X does not actually  mean a device is dust “tight” but it does mean dust will not alter the functionality of the device.  This mean dusty screens are still a big no-no and it usually means that the rugged mobile computer has some kind of plate somewhere that dust can lie under but still not affect the device over its life.

To be honest we rarely see anything IP5 or 6X that has dust that has affected it or indeed got under the skin of the mobile computer.  Anything below this is not rugged!

IP and water

So what exactly is the difference between IP 65 and IP67.

Well in terms of dust protection, it’s the same, but in terms of water there is a difference.

IP65 rugged mobile computers are protected from “jets” of water from all angles.  This means they are more water-resistant than just weather as these jets of water in the IP tests tend to be more powerful and smaller in nature.  It shows the mobile computer is more than protected against rain.

IP66 we rarely see but it means the device is protected form “Powerful Jets” of water.  Again this is slightly open to interpretation but it means in our experience that you can hose a mobile computer down.

so IP67 then is where we get jiggy with immersion in water.  People don’t realise that make something watertight is hard enough but to withstand water pressure from immersion, even at 1M is a pretty special thing!  Immersion in “up to 1M” is what IP67 gives you and there’s usually a time limit that comes with this figure too.  Typically the manufacturer will specify the exact meaning of this on their spec sheet but you should in essence be safe to drop your device in up to 1M of water as long as you get it out quickly enough.

I have to say that in my experience IP taings do have to be taken relatively.  We see devices that push it when stating they’re IP65 and some stating they’re IP54 could be more.  I think the MC65 is one of these and is the reason Motorola have probably found it natural to launch and IP67 device.  The Motorola MC65 range is very reliable when it comes to its IP ratings.

more soon…

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Test Centre

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