Motorola Solutions announces new public-safety LTE device, will showcase at IACP

Motorola Solutions today announced the LEX L10, a mission-critical LTE handheld device that operates on 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum licensed to FirstNet and features the company’s new Public Safety Experience (PSX) user interface, which also was announced today.

“Our customers are telling us that data is just as mission-critical as voice, but they need to have that data delivered in the right way, to the right person, at the right time,” Ali Kapada, Motorola Solution’ director of global product marketing, said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “We designed our LEX L10 to really answer this call.”

A recent Motorola Solutions survey revealed that more than 80% of first responders currently use a smartphone or other smart device to perform their missions, Kapada said. Unlike commercial smart devices, the LEX L10 is designed for such use, both from the perspective of durability and optimized software, he said.

“This device is designed to be used in everyday mission-critical environments,” Kapada said. “It has a hardware and software platform that has been optimized from top to bottom, whether it be audio performance, the security platform, the durability, the ruggedness, as well as connectivity to other tools like the APX radio.”

The LEX L10 is designed for one-handed operation with a no-slip grip, a textured push-to-talk (PTT) button, a 4.7-inch touch screen, and is ruggedized to withstand 4-foot drops to concrete and 1-meter water immersion according to a Motorola Solutions press release.

Kapada said the LEX 10’s high-profile battery is hot swappable, and the device can be securely paired with a Motorola Solutions’ APX P25 radio via mission-critical Bluetooth, which is particularly useful when the device is used in covert mode during undercover missions. The LEX 10 also supports seamless roaming across Verizon’s 3G and 4G networks, when a public-safety LTE network is not available, he said.

“It also has a triple-microphone noise and echo cancellation, and a dedicated push-to-talk button for voice collaboration, so our first responders will never have to worry about missing a call or whether the communication is going to come out clear,” Kapada said.

Security for the LEX L10 includes the ability to meet FIPS 140-2 encryption standards, as well to incorporate the security-enhanced Android operating system, Kapada said.

In addition, the LEX L10 will include Motorola Solutions’ Public Safety Experience (PSX) interface, which is designed to provide users with quick access to the most relevant applications, Kapada said.

“It’s not software—like on your iPhone or Android device—where you have to launch an application,” he said. “All of this will adapt on your home screen to present the relevant data from most-used applications, such as search engines or e-mail. The activity screen also reveals information during an event, such as a traffic stop or any other emergency, automatically will come to a focus event on the device.

“The PSX user interface will present the data on the device in a concise way, so the first responders can multi-task while maintaining situational awareness on their mission.”

The PSX interface also will support quick access to critical applications such as the WAVE interoperability platform, Premier One handheld, Real-Time Video Intelligence, and the Intelligent Data Portal, Kapada said.

Motorola Solutions will demonstrate the LEX L10 and the PSX at the International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) show next week in Orlando. Both the LEX L10 and the PSX are scheduled to ship during the early part of 2015.