Nov/Dec 2004

A new player in the world of rugged tablet PCs is CMC Mobile Computing, a Cheshire-based company that already specialises in ruggedised mobile and in-cab PCs for a wide range of applications. The JLT8402 comes in a smart cast magnesium casing, and has a range of standard tablet PC buttons.

Its has what the company describes as a "photograph quality" 8.4in high-brightness display with backlighting for daylight operation, which the company describes as a breakthrough in its market. This is achieved with an 800 by 600 pixel poly-silicon TFT SVGA screen, driven by a Silicon Motion SM1 712 Lynx EM4+ graphics card with 4MB of memory.

The computer runs under Windows XP, using a low power-consumption 800MHz Transmeta Crusoe processor. Memory is provided by 256MB of SDRAM as standard, expandable to 512MB, while primary user storage is provided by Compact Flash cards of up to 4GB. There is also a system hard disk drive.

The batteries are said to run for eight hours on a single charge, thanks to the low-consumption processor. They are hot-swappable, allowing the user to change them while running applications without the need to reboot or shut down the tablet.

 

Wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GSM, and there is provision for a GPS module as well.

The unit can operator at temperatures of up to 50 deg C, is sealed against water and dust to IP65 standard, and is drop-tested to 3ft on concrete.

CMC has established itself in the field service and local authority sector, and is aiming the new unit at all these markets. It sells through channel suppliers and original equipment manufacturers.