Fully-rugged Tablet PC with dual panel input
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

The MARS-3100R is a rugged industrial tablet computer made by Advantech, a Taiwanese embedded and industrial computing conglomerate. Founded in 1983, Advantech provides web-based technology, computing platforms and customization services in three business groups (embedded & industrial computing, eServices & applied computing, and industrial automation). Advantech has almost 3,500 employees, and operates a sales, marketing and support network in 18 countries. The company sells directly or works with third parties to provide complete computing solutions for various industries. These include medical computing, vehicle mounts, panels, rugged handhelds, and the rugged industrial Tablet PC shown here.

The MARS-3100R is a fully rugged tablet computer running Windows XP Professional or Windos XP Tablet PC Edition on an ultra low voltage 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo U2500 processor. The standard version comes with a shock-mounted 60GB hard disk and 512MB of DDR2 RAM. A 40 watt-hour Li-Ion battery pack lasts up to 3.5 hours between charges.

The very solid device measures 11.8 x 8.8 inches, is about an inch and a half thick, and weighs 4.6 pounds. The 10.4-inch SVGA (800 x 600 pixel) display has both an active digitizer and a resistive touch screen (the semi-rugged MARS-3100S only has touch input and no active digitizer).

In the connectivity department, the handsomely designed MARS-3100R has standard 9-pin serial and 15-pin VGA ports, an RJ-45 10/100 LAN jack, two USB 2.0 ports, and microphone and headset jacks. The device comes standard with 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth Version 1.2. GSM/GPRS/EDGE/EVDO/CDMA radio modules, a GPS receiver, a fingerprint scanner, and a 1.3MP CMOS digital camera are optional. All ports are sealed with rubber plugs.

A solid magnesium-alloy housing and rubber bumpers let the 3100R survive 3-foot drops and pass a variety of MIL-STD-810F tests for vibration, shock, humidity, altitude and water/dust resistance. The operating temperature range is -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and Advantech claims IP65-equivalent sealing.

The MARS-3100R is operated either via pen, touch, a four-way navigation disc or an optional external keyboard. There are three programmable function keys, a screen rotation key, and what Advantech calls a logon button. A variety of docks and mounting solutions are available.

Compared to the almost identically styled 3100S model, the 3100R is more rugged, has dual panel input, and packs significantly more processing power. As is, the MARS-3100S is a handy mobile platform for applications such as manufacturing, warehousing, shop floor maintenance, field service, transportation, law enforcement, fire or other emergency services.