April 2007

The portable computer division of Advantech, a diversified Taiwanese computer maker with 33 branches worldwide and 2,700 employees also active in vehicle-mounts and medical computing platforms, has released the WinCE/XScale-powered MARS-1030 compact handheld mobile terminal for use in retail, warehousing, logistic and ordering service applications. The MARS-1030 carries an IP54 rating, can handle 5 foot drops to concrete, and operate between 14 and 122 degrees. Memory is up to 128MB of Flash and up to 256MB of SDRAM. There's a 3.5-inch transflective touchscreen display, both CF and SD card slots, 16- or 44-key keypad options, and a full-shift battery power. Options include integrated wireless LAN, Bluetooth, 1D/2D barcode scanners, GSM/GPRS and a large variety of accessories including pistol grip, holster, chargers, docks and cables. [see Advantech MARS-1030 product page]

DRS Technologies gets large Army contract
GCN reports that DRS Technologies scored a $52 million contract with the US Army for computer systems in vehicles, operation centers and command posts. The DRS Tactical Systems unit in Melbourne, FL., will produce the computers, including more than 5,700 processors, 5,800 display units, 5,300 keyboards, 6,700 hard disk drives and 1,400 rugged, solid-state hard disk drives. -- Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by chb

Review: GETAC M230
The GETAC M230 is not your typical rugged notebook computer. This Intel Core Duo-based cool-running, silent magnesium-alloy machine is thinner than most (just 1.8 inches), yet has a media bay that can accommodate an optical drive or a second battery. It has a very high resolution 15-inch display (1400 x 1050 pixels), plenty of connectivity (including legacy ports), and state-of-the-art 3G wireless options (including a SIM slot). The GETAC M230 also features exemplary ergonomics and excellent industrial design. [read our full review of the GETAC M230] -- Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2007 by chb

Added/updated Fujitsu listings
We've added and updated listings for various Fujitsu Tablet PC products: Fujitsu LifeBook P1610, Fujitsu LifeBook B6210, Fujitsu LifeBook T4215, and the Fujitsu Stylistic ST5100 Series. -- Posted Wednesday, April 4, 2007 by chb