April/May 2003

Casio's hybrid PDA/handheld terminal, the IT-500, which was previewed in the November-December m.logistics, is now officially available in the UK, along with the somewhat larger DT-X10 (pictured), which has an "industrial" form factor (with keyboard in a slim handgrip extension).

Although resembling a PDA, the IT-500 has a rating of IP54, is shock-resistant to 1 metre and can be used at temperatures from minus 10 deg C to plus 50 deg C. The DT-X10 is tougher, having an IP rating of 64 and an operating range down to minus 20 deg C.

Both devices come with the latest version 4.1 of Windows CE.NET. The IT-500 has a one-dimensional barcode laser scanner, and there is a version with built-in digital camera. The DT-X10 has a C-MOS imager capable of two-dimensional barcode reading, OCR reading and capturing mono pictures. Models with built-in wireless LAN module or Bluetooth and a digital camera are also available.

The IT-500 is also compatible with voice over IP, and can therefore serve as a private on-site phone, using a built-in microphone and speaker.