Motorola introduces rugged notebook, mobile workstation
Motorola today announced rugged notebook and mobile workstation computers that are designed to serve government, public-safety and enterprise users that need to access information wirelessly in a secure manner.
Announced in conjunction with the opening of FOSE 2007 in Washington, D.C., the ML910 notebook and the MW810 mobile workstation both include four internal radios that enable connections via 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth, GPS and wide-area radio networks, said Rod Guy, Motorola Networks and Enterprise director of mobile computing operations.
“We focused on improvements in performance, usability and optimizing for wireless while continuing to deliver the fully rugged capabilities that are demanded by our customers in their mobile environments,” Guy said in an interview with MRT.
Both systems also offer Intel Core Duo processor options, backlit keyboards and an optional 4.9 GHz card for public-safety users. The ML910 notebook features a 13.3-inch widescreen display that enables 30% more information to be viewed than previous models, Guy said. Security features include a fingerprint reader, a trusted platform module and an optional integrated smart-card reader to enable multifactor authentication.
The MW810 mobile workstation enables flexible deployment, because the CPU, keyboard and display are separate, Guy said. Designed to be mounted in vehicles, the workstation can perform in temperatures ranging from –30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) to 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) and can function as a mobile router. The workstation package includes a sunlight-readable LCD with touch screen, programmable buttons and support for EV/DO Rev A connectivity.
Meanwhile, both units provide durability that meet Motorola’s “12M” tests, which exceed military standards, Guy said.
“When we’re running the unit on a vibration table, it’s not enough to just have it sitting idle; we make sure the hard drive is spinning. When we drop the unit, we drop it on concrete—not just plywood on concrete, which is what’s required by the specs. We do things that we know will take us closer to the real environment that our users will put these devices through.”
Currently, the ML910 and MW810 are being displayed at FOSE 2007 and are being trialed by beta customers, Guy said. The rugged computers are scheduled to be shipped during the second half of this year, he said.
