This is what I approached ChatGPT with: As someone who in the mid 1990s walked away from a successful corporate career as a CIO to become an editor and publisher of technology magazines, I look at today’s emerging AI scene, and it brings back some iffy memories. Like, in the mid-90s, right after the introduction of the first PDAs, […] →Read more
Well, just when we got used to seeing systems with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors, Intel has already come out with Core Ultra Series 3. Which is suppposed to offers higher processing performance, significantly stronger integrated graphics, improved AI/NPU capabilities, and better energy efficiency compared to Core Ultra Series 2, which of course is making it a more […] →Read more
The Intel Core Ultra 200 series (Series 2) encompasses processors optimized for AI, productivity, and gaming across laptops and desktops. It includes two primary architectures: Lunar Lake (for ultra-low-power mobile, branded as 200V) and Arrow Lake (for higher-performance mobile and desktop, branded as 200U/H/HX/S). Key differences revolve around target platforms, power efficiency, core configurations, AI capabilities (NPU TOPS), integrated […] →Read more
How long does a charge of the battery in your phone, tablet or laptop last? How long is it supposed to last? If the tech specs do include battery life, can you trust that number? How was it measured? Can you rely on it? How much does battery life matter? Or is it just something that should last long […] →Read more
Ads…. I get it. With TV, having to watch commercials was the cost of getting free content. Until streaming came and pretty much replaced cable TV and its double-whammy of commercials AND charging more and more for the service. When Netflix started streaming, you got a lot of content without commercials for a very modest monthly fee. Now, there […] →Read more
It’s been intensely fascinating to explore the “artificial intelligence” advances that have exploded onto the scene. It’s all covered to exhaustion in the media, including prognostications where it all will lead. As is, here are the two main thrusts. One is “chat bots.” It’s a really stupid term, because the tech is way, way more than that. Sure, you […] →Read more
It’s in the nature of tech sites such as RuggedPCReview.com to periodically review the operation and see if it’s perhaps time to expand sections, add new things, update or retire this and that, and so on. It’s then also time to review the tools and utilities used to manage the site, or perhaps switch to an entirely different system […] →Read more
In the wonderful world of technology, there are few things where progress is as mind-blowingly fast as in electronics. Today you can get an iPhone with 100,000 times the storage capacity of the hard disk in an early IBM PC. And the clockspeed of the CPU in that early PC was a thousand times slower than that in a […] →Read more
If I were on the board of a rugged device provider, here’s what I would ask them to consider. Folks, I would say, there are truly and literally billions of smartphones out there. Almost everyone uses them every day, including on the job. Many are inexpensive and easily replaced. Almost all are put in a protective sleeve or case. […] →Read more
Contemplations about a whole new future of mobile chips in rugged laptops and tablets. It isn’t easy to keep up with Intel’s prolific introduction of ever more processors, processor types and processor generations. Or to figure out what truly matters and what’s incremental and more marketing than compelling advancement. That’s unfortunate as Intel, from time to time, does introduce […] →Read more
About ruggedness testing and why the ingress protection rating of mobile computers is especially important What sets rugged handheld computers and tablets apart from standard consumer products is their ability to take the kind of punishment that comes with using a device on the job and in the field where conditions can be harsh. As a result, the specification […] →Read more
With the rapid succession of Intel Core processor generations it’s difficult to keep track of what’s available, what it can do for you, and what really matters when selecting the most suitable processor for your systems. It seems like only yesterday that Intel introduced the high-end Core processor brand, and now it’s a decade later and we’re already seeing […] →Read more
Every time I see a crew set up ladders around a building to examine a reef, assess damage, or determine how to maintain or expand a structure, I wonder why they don’t use drones instead. Drones eliminate the cost of transporting and setting up ladders and scaffolds, eliminate the danger of accidents, and get the job done so much […] →Read more
There has in the history of the world rarely been a greater disparity in function, sophistication and overall competence than that between today’s marvelously complex, powerful and competent computers and their crude, endlessly frustrating and absolutely useless and non-sensical on/off buttons. Sorry to start off that way, but it simply needed to be said. Computers are binary creations, living […] →Read more
Almost a quarter of a century ago I wrote the following Editor’s column in Pen Computing Magazine. It was a very different world back then. The first PDAs had been introduced, but no none quite knew what to make of them. Apple struggled with its Newton MessagePad. Palm introduced its Pilot. And Microsoft introduced its Windows CE. Editorial in […] →Read more
What is the difference between consumer smartphones and handheld computers that have specifically been designed to be rugged and capable of withstanding a variety of handling and environmental challenges? That is a question that’s been asked ever since the advent of modern smartphones, which is generally since the Apple iPhone was introduced in 2007. Opportunity or challenge? The question […] →Read more
In these pandemic times, it’s hard to get definite answers on almost anything, we learn something new every day and week, and a lot of what is happening doesn’t seem to make sense. In short, for almost a year now, we’re all just going along for the ride. That’s why a news communication from faytech this morning caught my […] →Read more
Computers don’t have a single horsepower rating, so how do you best determine their real world performance? Unlike vehicles whose specifications include a horsepower rating, computers don’t have a single number that indicates how powerful they are. True, horsepower (what an antiquated term that is) isn’t really all that relevant, because that number alone doesn’t tell the whole […] →Read more
The Department of Defense significantly expands drop test definitions and procedures in the new MIL-STD-810H Test Method Standard You wouldn’t know it from looking at almost all of the published ruggedness testing results, but the good old DOD MIL-STD-810G was replaced by the MIL-STD-810H in January 2019. And if you thought the old MIL-STD-810G was massive in size, the […] →Read more
Recently I ran the usual set of integrated camera test pictures for our RuggedPCReview.com product testing lab with four devices all at once. That meant taking two pictures each of the 20 or so test settings around our offices in East Tennessee. The settings represent some tasks that users of rugged handhelds and tablets might do on the job. […] →Read more
In this article I’ll present some of my thoughts on Android, where it’s been, and where it’s going. I’ll discuss both my personal experiences with Android as well as my observations as Editor-in-Chief of RuggedPCReview.com. Although my primary phone has been an iPhone ever since Steve Jobs introduced the first one, and although my primary tablet is an iPad, […] →Read more
Drones have made tremendous progress and will likely become part of many jobs. In this article I will provide a brief overview of drone technology, and the application and impact it may have on field operations. Because, believe it or not, drones may well become part of your job. Not too terribly long ago I came across an article […] →Read more
If you take a handheld computer or a tablet or a laptop outdoors and on the job, it’s really important whether you can still see what’s on the screen clearly enough to actually use the computer. Whether you can or not depends on a lot of things, like how bright it is outside, whether there are reflections, the size […] →Read more
We do product testing adventure trips two or three times a year. That means packing a lot of equipment, including chargers, memory cards of various sizes and standards, all sorts of cables and adapters, suitable software, batteries and their chargers, and whatever it takes to keep the whole thing running. At the center of it all, on every trip, […] →Read more
Ruggedized mobile computing gear costs more than standard consumer technology, but in the long run it often costs less. That’s because rugged computers don’t break down as often, they last longer, and there isn’t as much downtime. What that means is that despite the higher initial purchase price, the total cost of ownership of rugged equipment is often lower. […] →Read more
Few outside of the rugged computing and perhaps a couple other sectors know what an “IP” rating means, or the specific significance of “IP67.” Those inside those markets, however, cherish the designation for what it is — a degree of protection that brings peace of mind. Really? Well, yes. If an electronic device is “IP67-sealed,” that means neither dust […] →Read more
by David MacNeill I am the target market for HomePod. It’s an all-Apple house, subscribed to Apple Music and iCloud Drive — we’re all in. You can AirPlay other music services and devices to HomePod, but it’s really designed for fanboys like me. Can I order corn flakes from Amazon with it? No. Would I ever want to do […] →Read more
Just a very brief entry. So this morning it is 18 degrees Fahrenheit, our water test facility beautifully frozen over, the light conditions just right. It’s the day we’ve been waiting for for winter product photography. Get everything set up, put the test unit in place. It’s absolutely freezing, my fingers barely work. So we put the test unit […] →Read more
Apple has been selling well over 200 million iPhones annually for the past several years. This affects the rugged handheld market both directly and indirectly. On the positive side, the iPhone brought universal acceptance of smartphones. That accelerated acceptance of handheld computing platforms in numerous industries and opened new applications and markets to makers of rugged handhelds. On the […] →Read more
On July 31st, 2017, Zebra Technologies Corporation published the results of their 2017 Manufacturing Vision Study on emerging trends that are shaping the future of industrial manufacturing. The broad result of the global study suggests that manufacturers are adopting IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and Industry 4.0 concepts to get better insights and information about their manufacturing process and, […] →Read more
GammaTech Computer Corporation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, July 2017. That’s amazing longevity in an industry where big names come and go. And it marks GammaTech as one of the pioneers in an industry and technology that truly changed the world. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since the Apple II rang in the […] →Read more
It’s been three weeks since I finally gave in and bought a Series 2 Apple Watch. While the Apple Watch isn’t a rugged device and thus not something we’d normally report on, it is a wearable device and wearable computing power is playing an increasingly prominent role. That’s because unlike even handhelds, a wrist-mount is always there, always handy […] →Read more
So I finally got an Apple Watch. Series 2, the one that’s waterproof and has onboard GPS. I chose the larger one with the 42mm screen. When you need reading glasses every millimeter counts. That meant a $400 investment for a bottom-of-the-line watch with the aluminum case (as compared to the much more expensive stainless steel and ceramic ones). […] →Read more
So the long awaited Microsoft Surface Pro 5 has finally been unveiled as the “new Surface Pro.” In its media release, Microsoft calls it “the next generation of the iconic product line and the most versatile laptop on the planet. The new Surface Pro delivers the most performance and battery life in a laptop that is this thin, light […] →Read more
A few days ago I used one of the readily available website analysis tools to check RuggedPCReview.com. The resulting report gave me a stern “site not mobile-optimized” lecture. “Mobile-optimized,” of course, refers to the fact that sites on the one-size-fits-all world wide web are being viewed on a very wide range of devices with a very wide range of […] →Read more
At RuggedPCReview.com, we often analyze and report on mobile computing devices with integrated WWAN (mobile broadband) capability and a SIM card slot. SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards are smart cards that contain a subscribers phone number and certain data. Initially just used for the early GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) networks, SIM cards are now also used by […] →Read more
Interesting situation with mobile operating systems in the industrial and enterprise space. For many years, Windows Mobile (later named Windows Embedded Handheld) was the OS of choice, but then Microsoft stranded it. The industry hung in there with the abandoned mini OS for a number of years, but then slowly began looking at Android as a replacement. But now, […] →Read more
RuggedPCReview readers who view our site on a modern tablet, smartphone or high resolution monitor have probably noticed that many images on RuggedPCReview.com are noticeably crisper and sharper than those on the vast majority of websites. Why is that? It’s because earlier in 2016 we started serving images in both standard and high resolution. That way, if your browser […] →Read more
Back in 2003 we approached the then-titans of the rugged notebook industry with this challenge: “Send us whatever you consider your best all-purpose rugged notebook computer for a roundup!” Who did we send that challenge to? You’d think Panasonic, Getac and Dell or GammaTech. Panasonic, yes, but back then the other two we chose for the shootout were Itronix […] →Read more
In August, Intel officially introduced the first few of its 7th generation Core processors, codenamed “Kaby Lake.” That comes at a time where the news about PCs generally isn’t very good, where Microsoft has a very hard time convincing users to switch to Windows 10, and where it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for vertical market hardware manufacturers to keep […] →Read more
At the January 1997 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I walked into the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center on the lookout for something — anything — new and exciting in tablets or pen computers. Sure, Microsoft had announced Windows CE at the Fall Comdex in response to Apple’s Newton Message Pad and the emerging “Palm […] →Read more
At RuggedPCReview, we take things apart. We open up handhelds, tablets, panels, notebooks and industrial PCs. We dissect them methodically, documenting our progress, jotting down observations and commentary. What we find inside a product becomes part of our detailed reviews, including pictures of the insides and of interesting details. We do this because ruggedness isn’t something that’s just skin-deep. […] →Read more
According to numerous reports online, Microsoft will apparently stop offering the Surface 3 tablet by the end of 2016 and it’s not certain if there’ll ever be a Surface 4. Microsoft, of course, has had a checkered past with its forays into hardware, and many of the company’s hardware partners likely have mixed feelings about the Surface tablets that […] →Read more
According to numerous reports online, Microsoft will apparently stop offering the Surface 3 tablet by the end of 2016 and it’s not certain if there’ll ever be a Surface 4. Microsoft, of course, has had a checkered past with its forays into hardware, and many of the company’s hardware partners likely have mixed feelings about the Surface tablets that […] →Read more
Back in the day when we published Pen Computing Magazine and Digital Camera Magazine and some other titles in print, we always prided ourselves to be in total control of our own destiny. We did virtually everything inhouse — writing editing, photography, layout, prepress, web, marketing and advertising — and most of us had mastered several of those disciplines. […] →Read more
Back in the day when we published Pen Computing Magazine and Digital Camera Magazine and some other titles in print, we always prided ourselves to be in total control of our own destiny. We did virtually everything inhouse — writing editing, photography, layout, prepress, web, marketing and advertising — and most of us had mastered several of those disciplines. […] →Read more
They used to say, and likely still do, that a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s certainly true, but it can also be quite misleading as pictures often tell a story rather than the story. There can be quite a difference between these two. The media is very adept at using carefully chosen pictures that tell a story […] →Read more
The consumer market is really, really tough. Sure, massive fortunes can be made off it thanks to the sheer size of it, and thus the potential of millions of units sold. But few products ever make it into that sales stratosphere, and the competition is brutal. Make one mistake, be it in technology, manufacturing, marketing or just about anywhere […] →Read more
I’ve now had the iPad Pro for a good couple of months and the Apple Pencil for a month and a half. How do I use them? Have they changed my life? As far as the iPad Pro goes, it has totally replaced my iPad Air 2. I don’t think I’ve used the Air 2 once since I got […] →Read more
A few weeks after the Apple iPad Pro began shipping, the Apple Pencil is now available also. This is big news because it was Apple who finally made the tablet form factor a success, and they did it without a pen. Which is remarkable, as tablet computers initially were conceived specifically as a modern equivalent of a standard notepad […] →Read more