Cipherlab Week

4 11 2013
The Cipherlab Rugged Family

The Cipherlab Rugged Family

Our Cipherlab rugged handheld range has been a bit patchy of late but that’s all about to change this week as Cipherlab get their PDA range in check at last!

Their Bluetooth barcode scanners and batch scanning devices need no introduction at all but this week we’re going to be talking all about Cipherlab’s new products, their foray into the budget world and why they’re worth a look, when others in this price range aren’t.

We’ll also beading the products to the website as we talk about them.

So later today we’ll kick of looking at the CP/CPT range and move on through the week covering the whole CP series as well as their new budget rugged tablet sold under their “Ganedata” brand and why it’s worth a look.

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : New products and First Looks

Microsoft still getting it wrong

31 10 2013

Now don’t get me wrong, i’m a Microsoft guy through and through which is why I get so annoyed when I see stories like this. I think Microsoft are still trying to find their feet in the mobile market. They have a brand issue, they don’t understand mobile and they’ve all but forgotten us in the rugged market and I say that knowing full well about W8 Embedded Handheld!

Microsoft get one thing right though. Providing powerful ways to generate content and to try to focus on power being on the PC or tablet or phone and I think they’ve still got this attitude running through their veins.  The big question is whether this is still relevant in the mobile and cloud “connected user” era we live in today?  I personally don’t think so and I think we’re all tried of the muscle flexing and “shots across the bows” too.

I think Apple bundled their iWork apps for free because of the pressures of the “Free App” mentality and I don’t think it’s anything to do with Microsoft. The fact that people now have a free Office-like suite on their ipads is a by product of the real reason and probably one that will help them but it’s not the reason why they did it.

My opinion on Microsoft?  Well I think they have got to start to behave like the company they are, not what they think they still are or want to be. Its not the young new fresh kid on the block any more. It’s more like the George Clooney of the industry. He’s still cool, he’s still relevant, he still gets the juicy film roles and even gets a nomination now and then so why don’t Microsoft ,take a leaf out of his book and stop trying to be the “brat” of the market. We all moved on from that.

Oh and by the way, we sell a Microsoft based product every single day here on rugged PDA’s or via one of our software products. When was the last time you came and asked us our opinion? Apple do every 6 months and we don’t even sell their kit!

I rest my case.

Dave


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Categories : Dave's Corner

RAM Bites Apple just can’t win

30 10 2013

We don’t sell apple products here but you can’t be in our market without talking about them sometimes and they are relevant to some business customers.

I found it really interesting how Apple share pricing is struggling at 13% down on its high last year and all the talk is on how their profit is dropping, whilst sales are up! Isn’t this just how it goes? No-one stays at the top for long and Apple have done an incredible job of staying there for as long as they have done. Will they drop?  Of course they will, China is becoming more expensive so margins are being squeezed from the bottom. More competition and arguably better devices from HTC and Samsung will mean Apple has to make their product range more desirable and they haven’t, whilst price pressure from the cheaper manufacturers like ZTE, Huawei and even supermarkets getting in on the act now like Tesco with their Hudl Tablet mean there’s going to be a lot of price pressure full stop.

Should Apple be worried? No, not yet in my opinion. $140B in the bank can go a long way if spent wisely. The Apple iCloud ecosystem is only in the early days of its life at the moment but forms a great platform to build upon, the iStore is healthy and the brand equity and trust they have compared to anyone in their market almost makes their competition look embarrassing.

Unyet all the analysts can talk about is the iPhone 5C not being “cheap enough!”

I think Apple have learnt from the past, I think they should focus on the top end and creating community and I think they will fall but rise once again but in a more disruptive manner. I’m looking forward to the battle once again!

Dave


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Categories : Dave's Corner

How businesses choose mobile devices – WAN, 3G, Data whatever you call it!

29 10 2013
GPRS, 3G and now 4G needs still need to be carefully considered

GPRS, 3G and now 4G needs still need to be carefully considered

Continuing our look at the top things business look in a mobile device, today we start getting into some technology areas that come up on the list. Battery life was highest, however a close second was mobile device “in-the-Field” connectivity or 3G or data or whatever people are calling it these days!

What does connectivity mean?

Lets break this down into something meaningful. All these terms mean the same to me:

  • WAN (Wide Area Network)
  • GPRS, 3G, 4G
  • Data connectivity
  • Field data connectivity
  • Modem connection
  • Phone network
  • Mobile connection

We hear a different version every week too!  Basically what we’re talking about here is the ability to send and receive data form a mobile device whilst on the move, not within a WiFi network or connected to a PC.  The device is relying on the phone network to send and receive data directly. Most people call this 3G so that’s what we’ll settle on in this article!

Now that’s sorted out when we scratched deeper on this the following subject areas came out.

Understanding the differences

This was all about businesses trying to understand the different types of 3G, GPRS, 3G and 4G. Basically most of you don’t but most importantly the worry here was that you weren’t able to make a decision on the type that was best for your business now and in the future.

Connection expectations

Following on from above the next big issue we saw raised was all about what each type of data connection delivered and what you should expect from it.  We’ve seen a shift in question here which used to be all about speed when 3G cam out and superseded GPRS. Now however there seems to be a general acceptance of data speed as all of use it with our own smartphones, so the questions tend to lie around coverage instead. 4G brings this to a head as no-one seems to understand exactly where you can get it.

Technology costs

The next big issue we saw raised here was about the real costs of 3G, especially 4G.  Many businesses we spoke to simply didn’t understand how having a 100 MBit connection but then having a price plan that didn’t really allow you to use it, would work.  People seem scared to bite the bullet because they think they’ll get fleeced, especially if they build a business model around something that can fleece them!

Future technology resilience

The last main issue was about business being able to choose technology that fitted now but also in the future.  Key to this is being able to buy a device with GPRS, 3G and 4G capability so that having old hardware would not be an issue.  However many devices don’t give you this option in the rugged world so you have to be careful.

So there’s 3G for you. Hopefully that insight has helped you understand that you’re not alone and also the main questions you need to be asking your rugged pda and network supplier.

As always comments welcomed!

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Top Tips

How businesses choose mobile devices – Battery life

28 10 2013
Rugged Handhelds With Big Batteries

There’s a lot to know about Rugged PDA Batteries

As we continue our series on the top things business look for in a mobile device, today we’re talking about battery life.

So what ‘s battery life all about?

Put simply it’s how long your mobile device will last for on 1 charge and this requirement was so important that it came up 4th in the list with businesses looking at mobile devices.  Mobile devices aren’t plugged in to the wall 24/7 like PC’s and have to rely on a battery for their power.  However with new power hungry features being added to mobile devices all the time, it’s important to know exactly where you stand.

You can address device power in many ways, here are some of the main considerations:

Battery size

First off you can buy a device with a big battery, plain and simple and this is probably where a rugged PDA will win over a smartphone every time. With a typical smartphone carrying a 1600-2000mAh battery, Rugged PDA’s with batteries over 5200mAh in size are going to have a far greater chance of working all day on one charge.

Ability to hot swap batteries.

Some devices have great backup batteries and have the ability to let you hot swap batteries without requiring a reboot.  This can make carrying a spare when needed and swapping it out quite easy for end user.  Some mobile devices are a lot better than others when it comes to this.

Battery technology (Li-ION or Li-POL)

Whilst we all focus on screen sizes and resolution, super accurate GPS, gazillion MP cameras and super fast 4G, battery technology is having to evolve fast to keep up with ever more power draining features. Lithium Polymer batteries are a newer and better battery technology than Lithium ION ones.  They give a better charge so you can rely on less capacity = smaller and light mobile device.  Ask about li-POLY as they can change your whole attitude to battery life.

Device power consumption

Some devices we sell harp on about special power sipping technologies and we remain a little sceptical about most of them, however every device does have a specific behaviour and where one might now work for you, another might just work perfectly.  Some devices are better at running data capture features like barcode scanners better, some have better components that use less power and some are just really great generally! Ask your reseller for user experiences.

Device spec

Often overlooked, remember that a 4.3″ screen will take substantially more power to run than a 2.8″ one. Remember that brighter screens will generally need more power, backlit keypads, barcode and RFID scanners and running 3 or 4G all day will all take power.  Have a look at the device spec, if your battery needs are acute, then it might be best to compromise on the device spec.

Charging on the move

We see a lot of users now where any 1 battery is going to struggle.  These guys tend to be tracking via GPS, syncing data over 3G or WiFi continuously during the day, using the mobile device for phone calls, texting and emails and also scanning barcodes, RFID tags and more.  Here’s what our customer said they were looking for.

Be aware of Battery limitations

We’ll blog about this more later in the next blog but like all technology batteries perform better in certain conditions. Moisture, temperature and how you handle then are all important to a battery’s performance.

There we go, that should keep you interested for a while. Our advice is to find a reseller with experience of devices battery performance and to also make sure you can demo a device before you buy.

As always comments welcomed!

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Top Tips

How businesses choose mobile devices – Security Features

25 10 2013
Mobile device security will make or break your business

Mobile device security will make or break your business

So people, we continue our series on the top things business look in a mobile device  and today we’re discussing number 3 on the list with security.

What do we mean by Security?

Security has been a big thing in IT generally for many years, but be honest now, how many of you worry about viruses and Trojan horses on your mobile device? Exactly, security in the personal world may be taken for granted as hackers have continued to focus on servers, however mobile device security is now very topical and it has to be addressed.  This subject raised a lot of areas with the people we spoke to so I’ve tried to summarise the main ones below

General OS security

This was the area most people talked about and was simply about how secure the mobile operating system was. In the business world this is probably the number 1 reason Windows Mobile is still such a strong option as it’s mature (in it’s 70′s some world say!), string, well put together and supported. IOS is also very secure but businesses also feel very locked in to the Apple ecosystem, it’s almost claustrophobic to some and the hardware isn’t cheap and becomes unsupported very quickly. Android is the new kid on the block and despite v4.0 onwards really being quite secure now, it’s taking time for businesses to trust it fully.  The recent security problem with

Multiple Operating Systems

Whilst it’s largely about Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, IOS and Android, there are in fact 7 or 8 mobile OS’s that I can think of straight off the bat but with more coming every day businesses have to make a decision on where they go and then they have to keep people skilled up on them to ensure they use their mobile kit securely. The fact is that these days developers and IT staff are having to become hybrid “Jack of all trade” types to stay employable and this doesn’t bode well for security.

Mobiles are…Mobile!

In the 80′s life was great.  Michael Jackson was still bringing out great tunes,  but more importantly everyone’s PC’s were all in 1 place and IT knew where they stood and kept everything secure. Now your business data and equipment could be anywhere and it’s too costly to support in person so there are huge challenges to ensure data, property and the security of us people is kept to the maximum.  MDM software is now a must and applications must be controlled and crafted so they are secure talking over multiple network protocols.

User error/loss

Your end users will lose kit, it will get stolen and some will even try to steal it or sabotage their mobile devices themselves. After all we’re all human, and some of us are little devils! How do you stop this when you don’t know where the user is, you don’t know where the hardware is, what network they are using to connect and indeed if you can reach them at all?

Prying eyes!

One of the things that kept coming up about Apple and Google Android in particular was that you’re never that sure what you’re signing up to with them, especially on consumer grade smartphones and tablets, and how much of your data they might be pinching. Its one thing Google knowing what my web browsing and GPS habits are, but what if these are key USP’s or critical data factors for your business that might even put you at risk?  Do you really trust Apple or Google with this data?

Back end integration

This was a big headache for the businesses we spoke to and where we get engaged a lot with them.  I’m a Microsoft guy first and foremost. I’m actually hybrid now able to program in Android, IOS, .NET, HTML5 and quite a few other technologies so it puts me in a position where I understand integration.  If you build a Microsoft Windows Mobile solutions and integrate it into a Microsoft server back-end then you’re going to largely have a lot of fun watching things work and stay working.  However the reality is that we need to sync with many different technologies these days and the challenge is to find people who can do it well and then to do it well!

There were many other topics but these were the main ones I could pick out, the key thing to take from this as a business is to ensure that you understand the technology you have chosen to run your mobile solution, understand the areas that could create security issues for your people, applications and process and to make sure you engage the right resources to ensure it’s done right.  This way your business will fly unhindered.

As always comments welcomed!

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Top Tips

How businesses choose mobile devices – Price

23 10 2013
Value for money is becoming more and more important but it's not just about price

Value for money is becoming more and more important but it’s not just about price

This is part 2 of our series on what businesses look for in a mobile device, and today we’re looking at the second most popular area…Price.

What does Price actually mean?

Price is a funny old thing, we have customers that just want the best at the best price, we have some where money’s no object and we have some in the middle but one theme runs through all of them; they want value for money.  Price, despite not being the top requirement, is always up there and the recent recession has also meant that there seems to be a fresh re-focus on pricing so lets explore what this really means.

We asked our customers again exactly what they thought about price and 3 common themes came out of this and we explore them below:

Value for money

This was all about price up front Versus the cost over the years of running your mobile hardware.  A lot of our customers were becoming far more focussed on the cost over the years opposed to the price up front.  What this means is that customers are truly now looking for a reseller that can offer everything, expertise, support, repairs as well as being a problem solver and general go-to guy but at a value for money price point.  They accept that if we stand by a product that perhaps doesn’t quite have the Motorola badge on it then it’s OK…and guess what….. it is!

Getting the right device

Getting the right device was also deemed as key to the price.  Too many customers we talked to felt that certain resellers pushed them down certain routes or brands and ended up feeling like they might not have seen the choice before buying.  Price was deemed as being quite strongly tied to getting the right device that had the right spec but at the right value point.

There’s more to life than Motorola!

The long tail is hitting all industries now and bringing huge choice to customers.  The rugged market is no exception and we must get 1 or 2 new suppliers every week contact us with new stuff for us to sell!  Now a lot of this is simply not something we deem suitable but some of it is and we feel that bringing alternative kit has given true choice to customers.  However it runs deeper than that with a lot of less expensive alternatives being seen as more niche and suitable, as well equipped as many of the existing brands and therefore we’re now seeing a shift in the trust to deliver at this level from the prestige brands to the lesser known ones who are taking the time to engage their reseller base in the right way.

Basically there’s better kit out there at a better price point but customers are clever enough to understand that having the right reseller engagement, having the support they need and getting what they need resolved quickly is what value for money is all about.  It seems that the “Back-to-Manufacturer” model is maybe dying? :-0!

So that’s what we know about price!  Hope this helps your business to position pricing and to understand the value for money and where it counts most.  We’ll continues with the series on Friday.

As always comments welcomed!

http://www.ruggedandmobile.com


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Categories : Top Tips

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