Intermec´s CN50, a Rugged Mobile Device

It looks like a cell phone, and in fact features 3.75G HSUPA connectivity and even has an accelerometer to set the display to portrait or landscape depending on how you´re holding it. It´s also got BlueTooth and WiFi, a 3.1 megapixel auto-focusing color camera with flash — features that would put this gizmo in the class of the Sony-Ericcson Xperia, Apple´s iPhone, or most of HTC´s mobiles. But do any of these have a main processor and a second processor just for the 3.75G radio? And that´s just the beginning — add an integrated scanner capable of 1D and 2D barcodes and support for Enhanced Mobile Document Imaging that enables users to capture high quality full-page document images on the move. Throw in an integrated digital compass and GPS radio. It can survive a 5-foot drop, justifying Intermec´s claims of a rugged mobile device. In fact, if you look at the Intermec web page on the CN50, its title is ¨CN50 Mobile Computer | CN50 Computer¨ — not ¨CN50 cell phone¨, and it mentions ¨cell phone¨ third from last in the list of features.

Who´s the target market for such a beast? Certainly not the preppie or the yuppie, or even the senior executive. In fact, Jack Tay, Intermec Regional Marketing Manager for Asia, whipped out a Samsung during his presentation. That market would be hard-pressed to justify the US$2,500 price tag. No, the target users are field personnel, especially those who work in harsh environments. Utilities, for one, can outfit their meter readers with the CN50, for scanning the meters. For more on the CN50 and its applications, visit link above.  Intermec products are distributed in the Philippines by MSI-ECS (Phils), Inc. The CN50 will be available in the Philippines from the 31st of August.

I´d like to thank Anj Segovia, MarComm Assistant at MSI-ECS; Maurice A. Altar, AVP-Marketing and Communications, MSI-ECS; and Jack Tay for inviting me to the launch. I also happened to win a Buffalo external hard drive at the raffle, and am in the process of putting it through its paces. Short shrift: It works in all my three operating systems: Windows Vista Starter, Windows 7 Beta, and OpenSolaris.