Some PDA news of a device running Windows CE. 5.0 "NEC Infrontia has announced a new PDA called the “Pocket@i EX” that is equipped for industrial use. In addition to being able to withstand a 5 foot drop to solid concrete, it is dust/waterproof, and can allegedly be used even while wearing gloves. Things get more industrial when you learn about how it will be available in four different models: one for scanning barcodes, one for scanning QR codes, one for RFID tags, and one with no scanner at all. Sure, it leaves a bit to be desired on the technical end with a screen resolution of only 240 x 320, but given the applications of the device, that’s probably not a huge deal. Runs Windows CE 5.0."
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

We have talked about the Pepperpad before and it looks like that Walt Mossberg is not too happy with it according to Engadget. "Good ol’ Walt had a look at the Pepper Pad, the Linux-based tablet device that wants to be a simple, convenient tool for surfing the web and playing digital media around the house. Mossberg’s not so hot on it, though — he reports it’s not as easy or intuitive to use as claimed, and that many of the built-in applications seem limited and rough around the edges."
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

For those interested in what a Palmtop PC is like, Mike Cane has given me the heads up that the OQO has been reviewed over at The Register today. "There's no denying that the OQO Model 01 is one of the coolest devices that I've ever got my paws on. It is an amazingly compact yet fully featured PC, in a very similar vein to the Sony Vaio U series. However, there are some obvious advantages that the Model 01 has over the U70P. Top of that list has to be size: the Sony was pretty close to pocket size, but the Model 01 really is. I've been carrying the Model 01 around with me for the past couple of weeks and it fits snugly into my back pocket."
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

The Engadget reports, "They could have made it happen in the PEG-VZ90 (let alone the U series, no doubt), but rumor has it—now don’t get too worked up, this is totally unsubstantiated—that Sony’s planning a U series update that may well combine the early (like the now discontinued U101, right) with the late (U50, U70, etc.) of the line on something of a keyboard equipped palmtop with a swivel screen—in other words, something to really take on the OQO."
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

"Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Company, today introduced the MC1000, a new value-priced enterprise mobility tool designed to improve operational efficiency in the retail, manufacturing, warehouse and logistics industries. The new MC1000 expands Symbol's rugged mobile computer product portfolio with a cost-effective, feature-rich handheld device that enables organizations to automate processes and efficiently capture data. "The new MC1000 handheld computer provides an enterprise mobility tool to address our supply chain and customer demand chain needs," said Kevin Huang, IT operations manger, ICI Paints. "With a highly ergonomic and lightweight design, the MC1000 provides an affordable solution to reduce employee training requirements and increase productivity and profitability.""The device runs Windows CE .NET 4.2. More on this over at Pocket PC Thoughts.
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

This over at Engadget this morning. Microsoft has released Windows Automotive 5.0, a new version of the Windows CE-based OS for embedded car computers. According to the company, the latest rev includes new tools for developers, such as a new UI toolkit, as well as support for Bluetooth, WiFi UPnP, USB, XML, SOAP and other common standards.
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

Not Handheld related but I still thought it was interesting. Engadget picks up on this. "We’ve got a feeling they spent more time developing this one than they did thinking of reasons it should be developed (uh, yeah, you know what we mean), but Sharp’s announced a new dual-displal technology (which Babelfish translated to “veil view”—we kinda like it) capable of showing completely different screens at different viewing angles. Apparently with mass production already started, Sharp wants to get these things in notebooks asap—but we can’t help but wonder if their reasoning is a little flawed."
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

Looks like those rumors of a delayed launch for the Clio NXT were right, after all. The long-awaited successor to the cult Windows CE-based laptop/tablet was due out in April, but manufacturer Data Evolution now says the NXT won’t be available until the fall, due to engineering delays. More on this over at Engadget.
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

Last fall, Sharp introduced the Zaurus SL-C3000, which was one of the very first handhelds to have a built-in hard drive. Now, the company has announced a slightly updated version of this model. Like its predecessor, the Zaurus SL-C3100 will include a 1-inch hard drive that can hold 4 GB of data. Both models use a clamshell design with a 3.7-inch, 640-by-480-pixel (VGA) screen on one side and a keyboard on the other. In addition, their screens can rotate and then be closed down over the keyboard. More over at Brighthand.
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

A Taiwanese company called PDC have announced an in-car computer called the SmartRider, which runs on Windows CE.NET 4.2. It uses a AMD Geode GX1 (300Mhz) processor, has 128MB RMA / 128 ROM, a 7" Touch Panel TFT screen, GSM Tri-band, a DVD Rom drive and a SD/MMC Reader. More on this over at Pocket PC Thoughts
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

Stephen Trew dropped me a line to point me towards this Linux Clamshell PDA called The Unication Magpie. "Anyway, while we’re on the topic of Linux-powered clamshell PDAs, is this that “VOIP PDA” that Unication was showing off at Computex last week? Not 100% sure, but the Magpie does look about the same and it does come with built-in VoIP software. Besides running on Linux, the Magpie also has a 200MHz processor, built-in 802.11b WiFi, a mini QWERTY keyboard, an FM radio transmitter (which is a little unusual for a PDA, but whatevs), stereo speakers, and an SD memory card slot." More details on the Engadget site.
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

Dale Coffing managed to get his hands on a pre-production unit of the HTC Universal, one of the first Pocket PC devices that will run Microsoft's recently announced Windows Mobile 5 software. More at Mobileread
- Sammy (Manchester, UK)

I just wanted to offer a reminder to all that you should never forget the power of old technology.  As a full-time student and Pastor I’ve been using a mobilepro 780 with a couple of cf cards for the past almost 4 years and I don’t think you can beat the sheer portability or reliability of these machines.  In all that time I’ve only had ONE crash that required a hard reset, as opposed to my destop which I have to reformat and reinstall windows every 6-8 months usually.  Notes in class and sermon writing on textmaker are pleasurable and easy.  PocketBible gives me the resources I need, and games abound for relaxing.  Can’t beat the screen size for reading ebooks either.  Kudos to NEC on making one great tough product.  Did I mention they are cheap on ebay nowadays too? J  Check them out, it’s worth the time.  Unless you are hoping to do serious web browsing, the mobilepro 780 is still one of the best devices IMHO that you can buy, especially for the money.- Geoff deJong

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