Jan/Feb 2006

NordicID, the Finnish data capture specialist, reckons it has come up with the lightest and most compact handheld computer yet with UHF-standard RFID reading capability built in.

In RFID form, the PL3000 weighs 500g - not exactly featherweight, but you need to bear in mind that it includes a full-size 3.5in TFT display, plus a 29-key keyboard. Without the RFID, the quoted weight for the base computer is 450g. The measurements are 230mm by 45mm by 90mm

The RFID capability currently covers ISO-18000-6 B, UCODE and EPC 1.19 standards, and the company says it will shortly be extending the range to include ISO 18000-6 A and Gen 1 and 2 of EPC Class 1. The unit can also be equipped to read standard 1D and 2D barcodes.

Behind the scenes, the unit is fitted with a Sharp 200MHz ARM processor, and comes with 64 or 128MB of SDRAM and 32 to 96MB of flash ROM. There is also an SD/MMC expansion slot. Expandability is provided by a PCMCIA Type II card slot. The operating system is Windows CE .Net, and GPRS and 802.11 wireless connectivity are optional.