Motorola Vehicle Terminals – Infographic
Meeting the physical demands of a warehouse environment, especially in the case of forklift use, can be a daunting task for most mobile computers and tablets. Many mobile devices may have a rugged outer case but dealing with vibration and misuse on a vehicle/forklift requires even more specific design changes few devices have.
Motorola offers a range of terminals designed for vehicle use and can handle every application from the warehouse to cold storage and even the outdoors. This infographic is a quick overview of the key Motorola vehicle terminals and their main features to get you started finding the right unit for your needs.
Zebra Acquires Motorola’s Enterprise Business for $3.45 Billion
Zebra and Motorola have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement in which Zebra will acquire Motorola’s Enterprise business for $3.45 billion in an all-cash transaction. The acquisition will be funded through a combination of cash on hand and new debt. The transaction, which was approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.
With 2013 pro-forma sales of approximately $2.5 billion (excluding sales of its iDEN products), Motorola’s Enterprise business is an industry leader in mobile computing and advanced data capture communications technologies and services. Through this transaction, Zebra will enter the segment where Motorola’s Enterprise business competes and strengthen its position in key industries including Retail, Transportation & Logistics, and Manufacturing and serve approximately 95 percent of the Fortune 500.
Motorola’s TC55 Mobile Computer Wins 2014 Red Dot Product Design Award
Motorola has been honored with the Red Dot Product Design Award 2014 for the TC55 touch computer. International experts evaluated 4,815 entries from 53 countries and selected the top designs that represent quality and innovative strength. The TC55 will be presented at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany, in a special exhibition from July 8 – Aug. 3, 2014.
Designed for the field service, merchandising, and direct store delivery (DSD) markets, the TC55 is a complete business solution, featuring a thin design without compromising the capabilities or durability expected from an enterprise mobile device. The TC55 merges the features of a traditional enterprise-class mobile computer with the form factor and functionality of a smartphone running the Jelly Bean version of the Android operating system (OS).
Marva Maid Dairy Expand their Reach with Mobile Route Accounting
Industry: Dairy
Application: Proof of Delivery
Marva Maid Dairy’s advances in route accounting and delivery confirmation help expand company’s reach.
Executive Summary
Marva Maid Dairy was looking for new mobile devices for their route sales representatives. The devices needed to be rugged to withstand the day to day delivery schedules, and integrate with their existing software platform to allow all systems to interact and communicate effectively. Needing a better way to manage their delivery schedules and confirm receipt of shipments by their customers, Marva Maid started looking for a partner who could assist them in mobility and route accounting. Barcodes Inc successfully developed a solution deploying a rugged mobile project that works effortlessly with the existing platform.
Dedicated Operating System for AIDC?
Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) and the technologies surrounding it have become commonplace on warehouse floors and in supply chains throughout the world. From convenience stores to major supermarkets or from global shipping centers to your local post office, chances are you’ve seen a handheld device that can instantly scan and share information through phone lines or through a wireless connection.
When thinking about the operating systems behind these devices, one might come to a conclusion that a single operating system would dominate the installed population. The reality is that there are three major variants that are in use in the AIDC space:
- Legacy Operating System — A platform that continues to be used in spite of its obsolescence and incompatibility with modern equivalents.
- Mobile Device Operating System — A mobile device OS generally built to support functions (keyboards, email, text messaging, etc.) and features commonly available on mobile consumer devices.
- Dedicated Handheld Operating System — A operating system specifically developed to support functions necessary for AIDC use (retail floor, warehouses, manufacturing, etc.).
Cardinal Tracking Chooses Janam for Mobile Computing
Janam, a leading provider of rugged mobile computers that scan barcodes and communicate wirelessly, and Cardinal Tracking, a mobile solution provider specializing in public safety and parking management systems, today announced that Janam’s rugged mobile computers are now available as a leading hardware component of MobileCite, Cardinal Tracking’s automated citation issuance system.
MobileCite is specifically designed for issuing moving violations. The solution, which uses 2D barcode scanning or a magnetic stripe reader to automatically import data from a driver’s license and vehicle registration, puts mobile technology to work to reduce stop time and increase officer safety. The system not only improves accuracy and efficiency of the issuance process but also enables officers to capture digital signatures, collect recipient profiling data and record images and audio of the traffic stop.
Operating System Strategy for Mobile Computers
After more than a decade of stability using mobile computer operating systems based on successive versions of Microsoft Windows Mobile and its predecessors, the current situation is far more dynamic. Major players in the consumer smartphone market are migrating users to rich interfaces focused on screen interaction rather than keypads. Powerful multi-core processor architectures enable highly responsive applications. The tight integration of sensors, wireless connectivity, and application services frameworks are driving a new paradigm, allowing developers to easily integrate key functionality into their apps via standard system APIs. A large ecosystem has emerged to provide apps, resources, and tools to facilitate development.
But what does this mean for the enterprise? How does a changing user base drive new application interfaces? Which ecosystem should IT embrace for mobile devices? These are questions with no singular answer, yet multiple alternatives are offered for consideration. This paper will outline several options and provide guidance as to which ones may best fit the needs of each individual enterprise.
Janam XG Series Selected by Kelli’s Gift Shop Suppliers for Warehouse Management
Janam has announced that Kelli’s Gift Shop Suppliers, a leading wholesale distributor of gift products, has selected Janam’s XG Series as the mobile handheld for the company’s warehouse management system (WMS).
Tech-Acumen, Inc., a software solution provider, designed and developed a custom Real-Time Warehouse Management System for Kelli’s Gift Shop Suppliers. The solution, which integrates with CounterPoint SQL Point of Sale software, features real-time bin quantities and a management console with real-time warehouse performance metrics. Paired with the Janam XG Series mobile devices, material handlers in Kelli’s massive warehouse can no easily perform all warehouse operations, including receiving, put-away, order-picking and replenishment are fully supported with real-time data.
The Saslong Classic Gardena-Gröden World Cup Ski Organizational Committee Chooses Datalogic for Access Control
Overview
The ski slopes of Val Gardena are among the longest in the world, using a state-of-the-art safety system with advanced technology. Thanks to this modern system, Val Gardena’s slopes are considered some of the fastest, most spectacular ski runs in the World Cup, making them a favorite of ski aficionados.
Every year during the winter season, the Val Gardena region of Italy hosts the Saslong Classic Garden-Gröden ski competition. Thousands of fans from all over the world gather in this region of Italy to cheer on the athletes that participate.
The Challenge
The Saslong Classic Gardena-Gröden Organizational Committee gave fans the opportunity to order tickets online and print them out at home this year for the first time, thanks to changes made to fiscal laws permitting internet ticket sales. However, an electronic access control system certified by CNR (the National Center of Research) or other recognized Institute and approved by the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency) had to be implemented. Since a ticket can be used for access to one or more areas of the event, it was fundamental that the access control system included a method for validating the ticket at each entrance. Juniper Extensible Solution, a system integrator from Cavalese, Trento, was awarded the job of creating an access control system that could fulfill all the conditions required by law and be innovative from a technological point of view, keeping in consideration the magnitude of the event and the environment in which it would take place.
Deutsche Post Deploys 55,000 Honeywell Dolphin 99EX Mobile Computers
Germany’s leading provider of post and parcel services Deutsche Post DHL is equipping its employees with 55,000 Honeywell Dolphin 99EX mobile computers. The devices will enable approximately 60,000 employees to track and trace millions of DHL parcels delivered each day across Germany, including more than seven million parcels during the peak holiday season.
More than 2,500 users from Deutsche Post DHL’s parcels division tested 11 different devices before choosing the Dolphin 99EX for offering the best combination of ergonomics, robustness, capacity, performance and ease of use. The device’s long battery life and ability to quickly photograph items to prove condition at the point of delivery were further factors.
Honeywell’s Remote MasterMind device management software will help to keep Deutsche Post’s drivers fully operational. The software makes an IT administrator’s job easier with the ability to manage all of the company’s mobile devices from a central system. Ensuring that each device has updated software and is properly configured reduces errors and prevents device downtime that can slow the driver. Initially the software is being used to manage all 55,000 devices across all of the company’s mail division depots. The company plans to further streamline the maintenance and upgrading of devices by adding software distribution and device support via Remote MasterMind in the future.
