July/Aug 2005

The roll-out of attractive, PDA-like handheld terminals from the big guns of the data capture world continues with the launch by Intermec of the neat and stylish CN2.

The new model, running under Microsoft's latest CE .NET 4.2 operating system, looks beguilingly like a slightly oversized consumer PDA, admittedly with a few extra buttons on the fascia, but actually has the kind of ruggedness associated with industrial handhelds. It meets the IP64 standard for dirt and dust ingress, and has been tested to US MIL-PRF-28800F vibration and shock standards. It is also said to survive 26 drops from 3ft on to steel or concrete.

That said, it weights just 370g, which is light for this type of device. And in the specification it includes barcode scanning and Wi-Fi wireless networking capability.

The processor is an industry-standard Intel XScale 400MHz unit, and memory includes 128 MB of SDRAM and 64 MB of non-volatile flash. The display is a 3.5in diagonal (quarter VGA) transflective screen of 240 by 320 pixels, supporting 16-bit colour depth, and keyboard options are an Elastomeric keypad with 10-key user-navigation style or 18 key numeric layout.

Suggested logistics applications include receiving, putaway and picking, shipping and inventory management, as well as in-store operations. Deliveries start in September.

l Intermec has also announced a ruggedised version of its existing 52-key CK30 handheld. It has an IP64 environmental rating and has been tested to MIL-PRF-28800F standard. Operating temperatures can range from minus 20 deg C to plus 50 deg C. The microprocessor is an XScale 400MHz unit, and the operating system is Windows CE .Net 4.2.