How Rugged is Rugged?

People often ask me why they should consider rugged devices. To be honest, they aren’t for everyone and every job. They do have some significant benefits over regular consumer devices. Of course, the size alone can be the biggest disadvantage. Someday I’ll write an article and list out all the pro’s and con’s. For now, watch this YouTube video showing off what the guys at Intermec like to do with spare devices in their free time.

There’s another video here showing the newer and more popular CN3 model – I’m not sure what’s better, the bucket of water or the power sander. Don’t try any of these tests with your run of the mill HTC, Samsung, or Palm device!

Mr Lube Goes High Tech – Sort of

The other day I stopped by my local Mr Lube to have a quick oil change on my car. Now, the store I stopped at is only a couple years old, and for the record, they did a great job all around. Being the geek that I am, I couldn’t help but notice that the attendant was using a Pocket PC based device to scan my cars VIN. To be exact, they were using an Intermec CN2B. For those of you who might not know, Intermec is a manufacturer of ruggedized mobile computers. Their devices are typically running Windows Mobile or even Windows CE. This particular device is a small unit with a built in bar code scanner, QVGA screen, 64MB RAM, 64MB ROM, a 400MHz xScale processor, and WiFi. All in all, a pretty good device for a small shop like Mr Lube.

I talked a little with the attendant about this device and how they used it in their workplace (I always like to see how others are using technology to improve efficiency). As it turns out, these devices are pretty new and the whole system is a recent addition. Overall he seemed pleased with the process and software, but he did seem to have some issues getting the device to scan the barcode correctly, but nothing special. It wasn’t until later that day when I looked up the full specs on this device and noticed something really interesting. The CN2B runs Windows Mobile 2003. That’s right, it’s running an OS that’s 4 versions old – 5 if you count the MSFP (Messaging and Security Feature Pack) that was released a couple years ago. So Mr Lube is rolling out a new system to all their stores that’s running on a mobile operating system from 5 years ago!

Now, I don’t know the reasons why they selected this device, or the reasons they decided to use such an old operating system for their project. I guess they must have their reason. What I really don’t understand is why a manufacturer is selling a device running such an old version of Windows Mobile? The only advantage I can think of for doing this is a small cost savings on the licensing fees from Microsoft. But when a customer is paying upwards of $2,000 for a ruggedized handheld, I would expect the manufacturer could spring a little extra cash for the latest version of Windows Mobile. Perhaps even 1 version out of date. But 5 years/4 versions?! It won’t be long and they’re going to start having problems managing and developing for those devices because all the tools have evolved beyond that old mobile OS. If you’re planning a deployment, it’s always good to spend a little more now for a current device/OS that will last for a number of years and allow you to maximize your ROI. Starting out with something that’s already old and outdated isn’t really the best approach. At least not in my opinion.