Sept/Oct 2005

A combined handheld computer, scanner and portable printer has been launched by printer specialist Paxar, which says it meets a need for a reliable single solution to all these requirements in warehousing, retailing and similar applications.

At the heart of the Monarch Pathfinder Ultra Platinum 6039 is a Pocket PC-based computer running Windows CE .NET. The processor is an Intel XScale unit of unspecified speed, and the display is a 240 by 320 pixel quarter VGA colour LCD touch-screen. Seventeen alphanumeric keys are provided.

Included as standard is a Symbol-manufactured lightweight laser scanner, and a high-speed version is optional.

The integral printer is a 2in wide model offering 203 dpi resolution, and printing at 4in per second. It can handle a variety of standard barcode symbologies such as EAN/UCC 8, 13, +2 +5 and 128. The company says it can print on a variety of label, tag and receipt paper stock.

Expansion is handled by a CompactFlash slot, an SD slot and a USB port, and there is provision for 802.11b wireless networking via the CompactFlash slot. The quoted weight, including battery, is 940g.

Alongside the usual development tools for Windows CE, Paxar supplies a software development kit) to help operators integrate the inbuilt printer and scanner features.

The company says the device meets a growing user demand for integrated operations, and is ideal for users struggling with ageing, incompatible equipment.