Spring 2006

A rugged, waterproof handheld terminal and barcode scanner using the Palm operating system - that's the intriguing package on offer from distributor Varlink, which reckons it's the first such product on the market in Europe.

The Meazura comes from New Zealand developer Aceeca, which has appointed Varlink to distribute it in the UK, along with Tracer Professional, a software package that handles data capture and downloading to a host computer.

The operating system is Palm's OS 4.1, which runs on a 33MHz Motorola Dragonball processor. The specification includes 16MB of SDRAM (nearly all available to users) and 4MB of flash memory (2MB available to users). The display is a greyscale FSTN panel of 160 by 160 pixels.

Two scanning options are offered - CCD (charge-coupled device), giving 250 scans/sec, and a laser scanner offering a minimum of 52 scan lines/sec.

 

The waterproofing features include operation in relative humidity of up to 90 per cent, and water ingress resistance to IP67 standard.

Varlink sees a variety of applications for such a device, including barcode scanning, signature capture, mobile sales, meter-reading, field service operations and courier deliveries. The list price is £550, which makes the unit very competitive in the rugged handheld market, even if the unit lacks a colour screen or other more expensive refinements.