Large format touchscreen vehicle-mount
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

The TouchPC Hawk from TouchStar Solutions is a small and handy Windows CE powered tablet meant primarily for vehicle mount applications. It measures just 7.5 x 5.3 inches and is 1.6 inches thick. The vehicle mount has a quick-release to that operators can easily remove it from the mount and use it as a portable computer. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the TouchPC Hawk is its wide-format touch screen offering 800 x 480 pixel resolution on a large LCD that measures about 7.5 inches diagonally.

The Hawk is powered by a 400MHz Marvell XScale PXA255 processor, has 64MB of RAM and up to 128MB of Flash. Connectivity is via the vehicle-mount cradle shown below: serial, Ethernet, CAN Bus, and USB Host. There are models with Bluetooth and GPS/GPRS, providing a variety of communication options. A 16 watt-hour Li-Ion battery with a backup Li-Ion cell handles the power side. Further expansion is available via a SD Card and a CF Card slot, and there is also a SIM Card slot so the Hawk can be used with cellular data networks.

The Hawk's UV-stabilized polycarbonate case is saled to IP54 specifications and is both impact resistant and flame retardant. We have not been able to find comprehensive ruggedness testing specs.

The rather large hi-res screen and light weight of the Hawk make it suitable for use in a wide variety of industries. TouchStar Solutions targets energt, field service, transport, logistics, government and healthcare.