Future Proofing Your Mobile Computers
How the Features You Select Now Can Protect & Extend Your Investment Years into the Future
Rugged mobile computers deployed to warehouses, DCs and other transportation and distribution environments often aren’t used as long as expected, and as result cost the organization more than expected. Companies typically replace their DC computers after about 3 1/2 years, which is approximately seven months sooner than planned at the start of the deployment, according to a study. Rugged devices can actually last even longer, but are retired prematurely because the processors, software, communications data capture capabilities contained within the rugged housing are considered inefficient or obsolete.
Extending service life increases the value of mobile computers. When life cycles go down, so does the return on investment, and the total cost of ownership (TCO) goes up. The table below illustrates how changes in the replacement cycle impact the TCO for mobile computing deployments. It reflects how much the purchase price of a $3,000 rugged computer used in warehousing and distribution contributes to the annual and monthly TCO. Note that replacing mobile computers after 31/2 years instead of four (which is about the average intended life cycle) increases the annual TCO allocation by $107, or 14.2 percent.
CipherLab 8700 Now Compatible With Nut Software
CipherLab announces that the latest 8700 Series Industrial Mobile Computer has been evaluated and certified for Nut Software applications
CipherLab has annuonced that its newest rugged mobile computers, the 8700, is certified for implementation with Nut Software’s suite of applications.
Nut Software, Inc. is a leading provider of inventory tracking, barcode and data collection software designed to make asset tracking, inventory control, and processes more efficient for the tree nut industry.
How e-Citation Systems Increase Productivity & Revenues While Improving Officer Safety
Electronic citation (e-Citation) systems represent one of the most succcessful uses of mobile and wireless technology in public safety operations. Electronic citation systems have earned high user satisfaction ratings from state highway patrol agencies, police departments, parking authorities and campus security organizations across the country because of their well-proven ability to save time for officers, improve safety while issuing tickets, reduce errors and illegible tickets, and improve collection rates.
The only significant obstacles to more widespread use of electronic citation systems are insufficient awareness, understanding and budgets. This white paper will provide the background information needed to pursue an e-Citation initiative, plus benefit data and tips to help win funding for it.
e-Citations in Action
The Snohomish County (WA) Sheriff’s Office experience with electronic citation systems is typical. Deputies in the traffic unit each used to write about 12 to 15 paper citations a day. Each citation took four to five minutes to write, and a similar amount of time back at headquarters to enter into the computer system. With 20 traffic deputies working on a typical day, the sheriff’s office collectively spent between 43 and 47.5 hours daily writing and entering citations.
Snohomish County switched to creating citations on handheld computers, which produce a copy for the offender on a vehicle mounted printer and automatically download the citation information to the headquarters computer system without manual data entry. Productivity – and citation revenue – have since soared.
Motorola ET1 Updates Designed for a Better Retail Shopping Experience
Motorola Solutions delivers new accessories that will help retailers extend the functionality of the ET1 Tablet for improved sales support, mobile point of sale.
Motorola  announced the availability of a suite of accessories for the ET1 Tablet. Offering a consumer-class user experience on a true enterprise-class tablet, the ET1 helps retailers offer a better shopping experience by providing the tools store associates need to answer questions, provide feedback and close a sale without leaving the customer’s side. Motorola introduced its ET1 accessories along with its vision of the future retail shopping experience and the results of the 2012 Future of Retail study.
Motorola’s Future of Retail study found that 39 percent of shoppers  were least satisfied with the level of help or information that store associates were able to provide. The ET1 is a flexible and capable mobile device that can help enhance the shopping experience of both customers and sales associates.  With the ET1 scan module, store associates can provide an improved shopping experience by offering more product information and better sales support. The powerful imager enables the capture of multiple barcode symbologies, including the ability to read mobile barcodes from cell phones. The ET1 scanner/magnetic stripe reader (MSR) expansion module adds the ability to read credit, gift and loyalty cards to the functionality of the scan module and turns the tablet into a mobile point of sale (MPOS) device. Now, store associates can provide more information and assisted selling, plus the MSR’s encryption technology can help the associate securely complete the sale, eliminating long lines at the cash register.
The Falcon X3 Mobile Computer and Elf PDA Power Boosted with Upgraded Firmware
Firmware release v1.7 is now incorporated in the Falcon X3 mobile computer and Elf  PDA. This release is available for both Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 and CE6 models.
This release transitions Elf and Falcon X3 to the Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 brand (latest Microsoft version), ensuring application compatibility with Windows Mobile 6.5 solutions and sustainability expected ‘out of the box’ with device management and security capabilities.
CE6 v1.7 release, similarly provides the latest AKU (Microsoft Update) as well as the reliability and flexibility Datalogic customers expect from mobile computers.
Some of the Features and Benefits provided with this upgrade include:
Choosing the Right Connectivity
â€Always connected†was a phrase without meaning 20 years ago; today, being always connected is a necessity. Enterprises of every type know they need employees with more mobility – and more connectedness – than ever to grow their businesses and remain competitive. But which type of wireless technology to use is difficult to determine. This paper examines the wireless options for mobile computer connectivity and takes a close look at some nontraditional choices that can save you money while still delivering improved productivity.
Communicating within four walls usually relies on 802.11a/b/g/n (also called Wi-Fi or WLAN for wireless local-area networks). Going outside the four walls requires other technology, typically wireless widearea networks (WWAN) or satellite. Each has strengths and weaknesses.
Continue reading »
How to Use Mobile Payment Collection Technology to Boost Profitability
Enterprise investments in mobile automation are enabling field sales and service professionals to complete their tasks faster than ever before. But are their organizations getting paid any faster? If not, they are missing out on some of the lowest-hanging fruit on the mobile automation benefits tree.
By equipping mobile workers to collect payment in the field, businesses can significantly and permanently improve their cash cycle time, reduce uncollectable invoices and even increase revenues by upselling and cross selling service plans, spare parts, accessories and additional products. These benefits are available to many types of businesses, including sales, service and delivery organizations.
Mobile payment collection represents low-hanging fruit because it often only requires a modest incremental investment in complementary components. If field sales and service staff already have mobile computers and wireless connectivity, the incremental investment needed to enable mobile payment collection can be recovered very quickly, often in months, and will provide a sustainable cash flow benefit. If mobile computers are not currently used, a payment collection application will shorten the time to return-on-investment (ROI) for a mobile automation initiative.
This white paper provides an introduction to how mobile payment collection systems work, explains what components are needed to enable mobile workers to process card and check payments in the field, and highlights the cash flow and other benefits that businesses of different sizes and in different industries can expect from enabling their mobile workers to collect payment at the time of service.
Continue reading »
Maximize Productivity with the Unitech HT680
Increase the efficiency of any application with the Unitech HT680
From the age verification to managing your warehouse, the Unitech HT680 is a flexible and cost effective mobile computer to improve the accuracy of any process in your business. Â Â Designed for the toughest work environments, the HT680 gives you the reliability and flexibility needed to increase productivity and efficiency in all of your data collection applications.
Are your Smart Phones Smart Enough?
How Development, Deployment and Management Capabilities Impact Productivity and Value
BlackBerries popularized the smart phone, then the iPhone revolutionized and consumerized the category. Droids are the hottest models today – but that could change tomorrow. Meanwhile, Windows Mobile models continue to outsell other handheld computers used in the enterprise. There is always plenty of buzz about what makes smart phones cool, but enterprises must focus on what makes users more productive.
Why do companies buy smart phones and rugged mobile computers? They do so to:
- Improve productivity and efficiency.
- Increase sales and revenue.
- Improve customer satisfaction.
- Lower operating costs.
Made for Mobility: The Unitech PA690 Handheld Computer
Enable you mobile workforce in any application!
The Unitech PA690 is a rugged outside-the-four-walls device designed to empower your mobile workforce in today’s competitive business environment. With multiple data collection options and a comprehensive wireless platform, the PA690 is mobility at its best.
