Oct/Nov 2006

Hot on the heels of launches from rivals such as Symbol, Intermec has come up with a compact, stylish new rugged handheld computer in the modern mould, which combines a high specification with the appeal of a smart design and very compact form factor.

Indeed, although visually the CN3 has a lot in common with Symbol's MC70, Intermec is describing it as "the smallest rugged mobile computer in the world". It measures just 157mm (6.3 in) by 84mm (3.2 in), and is 30mm (1.1 in) deep. The weight ranges from 397g to 454g.

Distinctive features include a complete, BlackBerry-like QWERTY keypad immediately under the 3.5in transflective quarter-VGA TFT display, with the option of a simplified mainly-numeric keypad.

The processor is Intel's XScale PXA270 running at 520 MHz, which is supporter by 128MB of RAM memory and 128MB of flash ROM. There's also a user-accessible mini-SD slot for removable memory cards up to 2GB. The operating system is Windows Mobile 5.0, with the messaging and security feature pack, including direct push technology for wireless e-mail.

 

Wireless connectivity to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards is built in, and users can choose between a 1.3 megapixel camera with LED flash and area imager. There is also provision for integrated GPS.

The CN3 supports Intermec's SmartSystems device management system.