Jan 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mary Rose Roberts

Catcher Inc. recently released the Catcher, a hand-held portable computer built for the enterprise and first responder markets.

The 5.8 pound device transmits voice, data and video communications using 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth and GPS for real-time, situational awareness, said Ira Tabankin, the company's chief technology officer. It meets Mil-Std 810°F for dust and shock-resistance and can withstand temperatures from -22°F to +131°F (-30°C to +55°C), as well as 98% humidity levels. In addition, the device features two digital cameras, biometric sensors, full-motion video and video conferencing, a digital-voice recorder, a 6.4-inch sunlight-readable display and a multi-band antenna.

A 500 dpi biometric fingerprint sensor housed in the Catcher lets police officers or border control agents take perpetrators' fingerprints and send the data wirelessly to a command post, Tabankin said. It also has a patent-pending watermarking system for digital photos, video and audio — all of which are tied to its GPS system. This feature turns video footage into evidence that is admissible in a court of law.

“When we take a video stream or a digital picture with the Catcher, we actually embed a [date and time] watermark into it using GPS, which answers the question of where and when the picture was taken,” Tabankin said.

One vendor deploying the technology is CryptoMetrics, a company focused on secure biometric identification products for the first responder and military markets, said Adam Erickson, the company's international products manager. Currently, the device is in active trials by U.S. military field personnel deployed in remote locations and humanitarian-aid organizations operating in third-world nations' refugee camps, where identification often is done with manual fingerprinting techniques using paper and ink, Erickson said.

“When you have a refugee situation, you need to appropriately capture the biometric information of whom the refuges are so, if at some point in time you need to do a family reunification or if you need to conduct a verification, you have the means to do it,” he said.

The device includes the unit, two battery packs, an adapter and all related software suites. It costs $6995.

Wireless client device vendors

Catcher ▪ Cisco Systems ▪ Dell ▪ Hewlett-Packard ▪ Garmin International ▪ Microsoft ▪ Motorola ▪ Palm ▪ Psion ▪ Research in Motion ▪ Samsung Electronics ▪ Sony ▪ Symbol Technologies ▪ TeleCommunications Systems ▪ Toshiba America ▪ For complete listings of mobile voice and data solutions vendors, visit the MRT 2007 Resource Guide at www.mrtmag.com.

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