April/May 2003

The futuristic-looking Nexus on-board computer announced by ICS Black Box a year ago (and featured in the first issue of m.logistics) is now in production.

In its final form it runs under version 4 of the Windows CE.Net operating system, which is said to make it particularly well-equipped for developers integrating data with back-office or other remote systems by means of Web Services.

The system is built round a 400MHz MIPS core processor, and has 32MB of SDRAM memory and 32MB of Flash storage (both upgradeable to 63MB). Connectivity features include a PCMCIA (PC Card) slot, and Ethernet and RS232 serial port. The large casing includes a full QWERTY keyboard plus six programmable function keys. Options include Bluetooth wireless connectivity, 2D barcode scanner and RFID chip reader/writer.

Use of a standard operating system means users can run their own software on the Nexus, but for those who want a preconfigured package it is supplied with MDRS Pro, a software suite that includes features such as driver reports, hours totalling, communications and project management.

 

Initially the in-cab unit is captive at the end of a cable connection, but a truly portable removable version is understood to be in the pipeline, allowing drivers to use it for data capture or other off-vehicle operations.

• ICS Black Box has launched a GPRS-enabled version of its Fleet Log in-cab computer, which sends readings of vehicle data such as speed, distance, acceleration and engine performance back to base every 30 seconds. Data can include "service alerts", and can be transmitted onwards to laptop computers or PDAs. The cost per vehicle is put at £5 per month line rental plus £1 per megabyte of information transmitted.