DAP Microflex CE5000 Series

Specifications:

OS - Win CE

Memory – processing (16 to 64MB)

Memory – User-accessible Type I and II PC card slots

Battery - Lithium Ion Battery pack charge lasts 16 to 20 hours

Alpha keyboard with separate number pad

Transflective backlit touch screen

Weight 1.96 Kilograms)

This is a vertical design similar to the old Husky FS DOS design.

One odd characteristic is that it doesn’t come with a built-in 9 pin serial port so data transfer is done via an RJA network cable, custom serial cable or a docking station.  This means you may have difficulty integrating the unit with common laser measurement devices unless a cable is made by the factory.  The other odd characteristic we noticed is the 5000 comes with a security system which  makes navigating the files with the explorer interface awkward although the security can be turned off.  The battery is rated to last for up to two days between charges.  The display size can be either portrait or landscape mode (the model number dictates the orientation).  The landscape mode offers easier viewing of larger, more complex data sets.

• Extremely rugged and waterproof (although we haven’t tested the waterproofness ourselves yet).

• 1/4 VGA (vertical or landscape,  mono with backlight).

            5240 = 240x320 landscape, 5320 = 320x240 portrait

• Plastic exterior for easy grip and warmer hands.

• Long battery life between charges.

• Speaker and Microphone.

• Integrated bar code scanner and radio communication options.

Comes with:

• CE Pad (notebook)

• Voice (wav) recorder

    click for larger image

Click icon to download spec sheet 
 for 5000 series

Timbatec Pocket CE

OS - MS Pocket PC 2002

CPU - Intel X-Scale 400 Mhz

Memory processing 128MB for storage and processing

Memory – data storage: 1 PCMCIA user accessible slot, 1 Compact Flash user accessible slot

Battery - Rechargeable Lithium Ion, 10 hours (4 Ampere hours)

Touch Screen and limited keyboard – arrows with ESC, TAB, ENTER with separate number pad

Transflective color touch screen

Weight 1.32 lbs (600 grams)

The Scoop

This cool and interesting design has garnered a prestigious European design award.  It is more expensive than most other handheld models.

The keyboard includes numbers and ESC, TAB, and arrows and can be rotated into four different positions.  Since most data entry involves numbers, the number pad makes for fast data entry.  If alpha characters are required then the user presses the "ABC" key on the keyboard - toggling a soft keyboard (quite clever).

Vertical or Horizontal use!

The OS allows the display to be positioned in four positions so that you can either use it as a ¼ VGA vertical (portrait mode) or horizontal (landscape mode). Note, the unit can be rotated to address right versus left-handed use. If your custom software addresses this issue you can take advantage of it and have the advantages of both the smaller and larger handhelds with full keyboards. For example, with log scaling and timber cruising the data entry can be designed to take advantage of a wider screen (landscape) giving the user a much clearer visual of the dataset than with the traditional narrow screen view. And if the developer creates on-screen quick data entry codes for alpha entry the result will be a fast data entry device that is compact and light in size.  At D.R. systems we utilize the nifty 4 "shift buttons" conveniently located where your finger rests on the side of the unit.  We use these rubber buttons to insert special codes or for shifting - which speeds up data entry.  D.R. systems specializes in this type of development design.

Maximum flexibility in integration of memory and instrumentation

Another plus with this unit is the user accessible PCMCIA and Compact Flash slots, both of which are waterproof. The Timbatec company has wireless radio communication, serial port, laser scanner and RF tag readers that fit into these slots, still maintaining the waterproof integrity of the device.

The battery is specified for 10 hours of use, but we think it may actually run for a longer time period. However, the battery packs are easy to replace - they snap in and out without interfering with the waterproof seal. A separate docking station or charging unit may be a wise investment with this unit. Another possible factor to consider relating to maintenance expense is that at this point in time all hardware support and repair is done in Europe.

• Extremely rugged and waterproof.

• Keyboard rotates for right or left hand use and allows screen to be viewed either portrait or landscape mode.

• 1/4 VGA (horizontal and vertical orientation modes) vivid, TFT color touch screen.

• serial ports, IrDA, wireless LAN (WiFi), Bluetooth, USB with docking station – for fast data transfer.

• 1 PCMCIA user accessible slot, 1 Compact Flash user accessible slot.

• microphone, speaker.

• soft keyboard and handwriting recognition.

• Accessories include waterproof solutions for Scanner, RFID TAG reader, I Code ISO TAG reader, 125 Khz HI-TAG reader.

Comes with:

• Pocket Word

• Pocket Excel

• Pocket Outlook

• Calendar

• Contacts

• Tasks

• Notes

• Calculator

• Windows Media Player

click for larger image

Click icon to download spec sheet

(PDF, 108KB)

Limited keyboard - number and arrows with separate number pad

Touch screen transflective mono VGA (640 X 480) touch screen

Large display (full VGA) with clever, innovative keyboard.  The unit is very waterproof and a long-life battery option is available for extended operation.

Keyboard

The keyboard has large dome style keys (this key style results in the most durable of all keyboards).  There is not a full compliment of keys, just the basic keys required for most data entry – number pad, ESC, TAB, Arrows, ENTER. If alpha entry is needed then a regular QWERTY software keyboard can be accessed on the screen by touching the "ABC soft key" on the display.  The bottom row of the display has several soft keys for accessing handheld controls, like contrast.  You can use either your finger or a stylus.

Full-size VGA Display!

This display is a full VGA; not a half VGA as in the DAP. The result is you can have your data entry software display on ½ the screen and the soft keyboard can take up the display on the other unused part. And, the soft QWERTY keyboard can be toggled on and off quickly. The result is data entry can be fast via the regular keys and with good software using special pop up quick keys for codes on the display.

Excellent flexibility for memory and instrument integration

The unit also has 2 waterproof full-size user-accessible PCMCIA slots.

The downside may be the heavier weight, partly due to the larger battery option (2 battery sizes are available). However, the larger battery also offers very long run time between charges. For log scaling where portability is not a big issue this unit is an excellent solution.

• Extremely rugged and waterproof.

• Limited Keyboard (large keys) with numbers, arrows, ESC, and TAB, but full QWERTY available via screen.

• Full VGA (640 X 480) vivid, TFT backlit mono touch screen.

• NiMH Battery pack charge lasts 25 hours (3.8 Ampere hours).

• serial port, IrDA.

• USB and LAN with docking station – for fast data transfer.

• 2 PCMCIA user accessible slots.

• speaker.

click for larger images

Click icon to download spec sheet

HP IPAQ

The HP (Compaq) IPAQ is one of the most popular handhelds in the world.  There are many models all having different options.  We have designed software for several of the IPAQ models and are impressed with them.

One issue with IPAQs though is there is no decent option for attaching a serial cable to an exterior electronic measuring device.

Options

• Integrated camera (with bluetooth)

• Integrated GPS

• Wi-Fi

• Blue Tooth

To get more info on these models we suggest doing a web search or looking at the Hewlett-Packard web site.

A waterproof case is available for wet environments.

IPAQ in waterproof case

      click for larger images

Open Case