Device Review: Motorola MC75 - rugged enterprise digital assistant
When it comes to getting serious about your mobile computing needs, Motorola’s MC75 EDA is a rugged piece of equipment you can’t ignore…
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Following up on the successful MC70 Series that was introduced in 2006, by Symbol Technologies, Motorola launched the MC75 Series of "Enterprise Digital Assistants", or EDAs, in June 2008. The handheld units are chunky at 152 x 84 x43mm and weighing in at 425 grams (this is no slimline status symbol!) but they combine PDA functionality with mobile phone, wireless communicator, GPS, scanner and imager in a single device designed to withstand significant environmental punishment. Sealing is up to IP54 standards, the devices can withstand five foot drops to concrete, and operate within a range of -10 to +50 degrees celcius. Motorola has stayed with the 624MHz Marvell PXA270 processor, which still provides good computing power and boosted storage to 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM. The MC75 runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional. The display is a 3.5-inch diagonal transflective TFT with a glass analogue scratch-resistant touch-screen. Resolution is up from 240 x 320 QVGA to full 480 x 640 VGA, a huge improvement. Battery power has also been boosted substantially, from 1,900 to 3,600 mAH, and an optional even more powerful smart battery, in an extended battery cap, is available. Expandability is via a user accessible SDIO slot. On-board connectivity includes USB 1.1, RS-232, speaker, microphone, headset jack. Ethernet is available via cradle. On the wireless voice and data communications side, the MC75 supports 3G HSDPA and CDMA-EVDO as well as tri-mode 802.11a/b/g WiFi. The MC75 is fully Voice-over-IP ready. It also comes with Bluetooth Class II. For data capture, the MC75 offers either a 1D linear or a 2D imager. The Linear 1D scanner uses the SE800HP engine whereas the 2D imager is based on the SE 4400 engine that has a 640 x 480 optical resolution. A 2 megapixel camera with flash can take images as well as decode 1D and 2D bar codes. For operation, the MC75 offers multiple QWERTY and numeric keypad options. Like its Symbol-branded predecessors, the now Motorola-branded MC75 can be ordered with a wealth of peripherals, including trigger handle, vehicle and single slot cradles, belt clips, magnetic stripe reader attachment, numerous cables, and also multiple unit cradles and charger. Motorola designed the MC75 to provide mobile workers with everything they need to increase productivity and efficiency indoors and outdoors, from field workers reading meters and repairing equipment to drivers delivering packages, hospital workers checking lab results and medication orders, and more. According to Motorola, its predecessor, the MC70, sold almost half a million units. Like most recent vertical market handhelds, the MC75 comes with integrated GPS. This allows organisations with field-based employees, such as courier companies, to track and manage dynamic, real-time tasking, as well as verify specific locations of activities, and to provide mobile workers with pinpoint navigation support, to improve location-based productivity. For more information Motorola 9/4/22_ex_h |
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