Symbol Toughens Data For Forklifts

Written by Adam Gosling

Tuesday, 11 July 2006

Putting a computer on a forklift is prone to causing a whole mess of trouble for yourself. It's a tough environment vibration, dirt, temperature variation and bumps and bruises all play havoc to electronic components. But the demands of modern warehousing make realtime data capture of business critical information systems a necessity. The only way to meet these conflicting needs is to make sure the gear you strap to vehicles operating harsh in environments is tough enough to withstand everything you can throw at it. Symbol has made a business out of providing hardware for these sorts of environments, so it doesn't surprise that its latest offering ramps up the rugged design features for realtime data capture devices. The latest from Symbol Technologies is the VC5090 mobile computer for vehicle or fixed-mount applications. The wireless enabled (802.11a/b/g) device is designed specifically to withstand the harshest environments, from the warehouse floor to the loading dock and the freezer, as the company says. Made to industrial and military grade specifications for vibration, shock, temperature and sealing, the VC5090 can endure repetitive pounding from forklift operations and provide maximum durability in subzero temperatures. It features a high-resolution touchscreen that enables data input with gloved hands and is easy to read even in the most poorly lit environments. Brian Viscount, vice president of product marketing for Symbol's mobile computing division said, "The VC5090 vehicle/fixed-mount mobile computer extends Symbol's comprehensive offering of rugged mobile computers to forklifts and other materials management vehicles, helping organisations improve decision-making, streamline warehouse operations and positively influence the bottom line. The computer runs on Microsoft's Windows CE, but it is more than just a toughened up PDA, the VC5090 is a platform in itself, supporting features such as Voice-over-IP (VoIP) with a push-to-talk handset. www.symbol.com.au http://www.symbol.com/VC5090/ Related news items Tiny Rugged UMPC WIth Vista -10/10/2007 Nokia Buys Map Company For US$8 Billion -02/10/2007 Broadcom Enthusisam for 802.11n Wavers -06/09/2007 ASUS A686/696 GPS PDA -23/08/2007 Telstra Offers $3 Million To Get Seniors Hooked on SMS -15/08/2007 Newer news items Acer Could Topple Toshiba -20/08/2006 AMD's $5.6 Million Deal To Take ATI -22/07/2006 Will 2006 Be a Billion Handset Year? -21/07/2006 Cheap Pentium M Deals Good For Buyers -18/07/2006 Bun Fight Over AdWords Campaigns -17/07/2006 Older news items Mobile Phone Craze Boosts Silicon Sales -04/07/2006 Intel Sells Off XScale -27/06/2006 iPod Worker Exploiter Second Largest IT Company In World -26/06/2006 Qualcomm Denies Causing Nokia/Sanyo Decision -25/06/2006 Qualcomm Kills Nokia, Sanyo CDMA Deal -22/06/2006 Tag This Now: