September 2002

The mobic communicator bristles with connectivity options, and is built to last

Another Siemens division has made a claim on the burgeoning market for mobile computers, joining the likes of Siemens VDO Trading and Siemens Communications. The new contribution from Siemens Automation and Drives, which manufactures and supplies industrial control and automation equipment, is a rugged notepad computer called the Mobic T8 (Mobile Industrial Communicator), which it has developed in conjunction with Scottish company Diagnostic Instruments, a specialist in ruggedised handheld computers. Target sectors include field service, transport and logistics, and facility management.

Mobic product manager Michael Sporbert says the division is responding to the growth of wireless devices in fixed-asset management and production facilities. "Predictions are that mobile communicators will overtake fixed ones by 2005. The number of mobile employees is increasing by 20 per cent a year."

The company has concentrated on making the Mobic 8 as versatile as possible when it comes to communications, and it therefore includes as standard many comms protocols that are usually either optional or only found on mobile notebooks. The Mobic 8 is a "thin device", so has no hard-disk drive. Instead it connects to a server, which provides all the processing power and any applications the Mobic requires.

 

Connectors include an RJ45 Ethernet socket, internal and external PCMCIA cards for LAN, wireless LAN, WAN, GSM and GPRS communications, an infra-red interface and an RS232 serial data port for linking with PCs and printers. There is a headphone socket for voice-over IP (Internet Protocol) communications, and a USB port for connecting peripheral devices. An impressive package.

The Mobic has a MIPS processor, and comes with 48MB of RAM and 32MB of flash RAM. Windows CE 3.0 is the standard operating system, but Windows CE .net, due for release later this year, is optional. CE enables the Mobic to support mobile hardware such as memory flash cards, and to run other Microsoft applications including Word and Messenger. Touching the Word icon, for example, neatly brings up an alphanumeric touch keyboard in the bottom third of the screen. Also standard is a Java virtual machine, a Web-oriented software component that runs functions such as dialling into a local intranet or the Internet.

The Mobic is oblong-shaped, with a large 700mm by 800mm high-contrast touch-screen set between two turquoise soft-plastic grips with integral strap holders. The right hand grip incorporates five programmable function buttons. Pressing the top button activates the screen in just one second, thanks to CE's instant-on facility - there is no need to wait for the operating systems and programs to load.

The chunkiness of the keys reflects Siemens Automation's industrial experience. "You have to remember that however sophisticated the device might be, the user can be low-skilled or hampered by having to wear gloves," Michael Sporbert points out. All typing tasks can be done via the touch screen, either by hand or with a supplied stylus.

One of Siemens' design criteria was that the Mobic should stay connected even when dropped. The large, fragile Toshiba TFT screen sits in a cradle that moves up to 5mm on impact. The drop test was from 2 metres on to 2in thick concrete-backed plywood. The Mobic is dustproof and waterproof to IP65 standard. The battery pack has an eight-hour life and is rechargeable.