Do you want to coordinate your work in real time? Do you want access to business systems, voicemail, customer information, important data, and email no matter where you are in the field, or warehouse? Are you tired of your crew spending too much of the day tethered to a desk rather than freely moving around the property, supervising employees, or helping guests? We want to help you with these frustrating pain points by directing attention onto ruggedized handheld computers by showcasing our choice of 2016’s best rugged handhelds on the market today.
Why buy a rugged handheld computer and not a consumer-grade device? We feel the most important factor is overall cost — who doesn’t like to save money! Getting total cost of ownership (TCO) as low as possible requires organizations to deploy devices that will lead to maximum reliability and productivity in their work environment. Consumer-grade devices often don’t last a year when deployed to support mobile operations resulting in extremely high failure rates not to mention large repair, maintenance, and replacement costs. At the other end, ruggedized mobile computers routinely last four years or more even in challenging industrial environments. For example, a study by VDC compared the life cycles of rugged and non-rugged mobile computers used for enterprise operations and found 38.5 percent of commercial grade devices had been replaced within two years of being deployed, compared to 7.8 percent of rugged mobile computers, and after year three, 82.6 percent of the original non-rugged devices had been replaced, compared to just 18.2 percent of ruggedized devices. Rugged devices provide a TCO advantage because they have longer replacement cycles, and result in less breakdowns, repair expenses, and lost productivity while in service.
According to VDC research, mobile workers lose an average of 75 minutes each time their mobile devices fail. This leads to lost revenue in field sales and service operations, production delays, and potentially missed shipments in plants and distribution centers, shelf replenishment, and customer service problems in retail, and potential overtime in all environments to make up for the lost work time. Field service, public safety, retail, production and distribution, enterprise, and manufacturing are all work environments that will reap many benefits by implementing rugged handhelds into the hands of their crew.
You might be wondering where to start when selecting a rugged handheld for your organization. That’s exactly why we have created this list of the best fully rugged handheld computers of 2016!
The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 rugged handheld is an enterprise-class handheld tablet with voice and data connectivity — designed for mission-critical mobile workers. The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 rugged handheld computer is built on the Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld operating system. With a broad range of configuration options available in their class, industry-leading reliability and enterprise-grade feature sets, the Toughpad FZ-E1 is the ideal tool for a host of usage scenarios, including delivery and routing, inspections, inventory management, field service and sales, public safety evidence collection, and facility management. With a 14-hour hot-swappable battery, FIPS 140-2 Level 1 security, and sunlight-readable HD touchscreen that work even with gloves, the rugged Toughpad FZ-E1 will make any mobile worker more efficient and more productive. Available with dual SIM slots and certified on leading mobile carrier networks, plus 4G LTE mobile broadband for voice and data connectivity. Standard on the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 is Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, near field communications (NFC), GPS, and Bluetooth 4.0.
Learn more about the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1…
The Trimble Juno T41 handheld computer is a rugged, all-in-one device that reduces total cost of ownership compared to durable or consumer-grade smartphones. The Juno T41 will make workers more efficient than requiring workers to repeatedly handle at least two: a rugged handheld computer and a cellular phone. The Trimble Juno T41 rugged handheld computer offers combined feature options to provide customers the handheld that meets their specific needs in the field: Enhanced GPS, 1D/2D barcode imaging, SmartPhone capability or not, choice of Windows or Android operating systems, and Ultra-High Frequency RFID capabilities. Learn more about the Trimble Juno T41…
The Juniper Archer 2 rugged handheld is built with a large IllumiView high-visibility display, perfect for work in direct sunlight. The Archer 2 has exceptional connectivity capabilities, including enhanced GNSS performance, improved photo and video capture, built-in 1D/2D barcode scanner, along with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cell modem, serial, and USB connectivity features — also available with CDMA for use on the Verizon network. The speedy Juniper Archer 2 rugged handheld computer has a 1.0GHz processor, and custom Overtime Technology resulting in a battery power of twenty plus hours! This tough Archer 2 handheld runs smoothly in everything from freezing cold to sweltering heat. Carrying an IP68 rating and tested to MIL-STD-810G for water, humidity, sand and dust, vibration, altitude, shock, and temperature — the Archer 2 will take you where you need to go.
Learn more about the Juniper Archer 2…
Unitech PA700
The Unitech PA700 Android handheld computer features a large 4.7″screen as well as a high-resolution, making for a vibrant display and easy enterprise integration. Users can download consumer-grade applications in the Play store or use Square to process payments. The PA700 Android handheld survives multiple 4-foot falls to concrete undamaged, even when landing directly on the screen. The Unitech PA700 rugged handheld is highly customizable to meet the needs of a large variety of data collection tasks. With an integrated 1D CCD barcode scanner, the PA700 can be used to manage inventory, check prices, and even monitor productivity or customer service levels. The PA700 is surprisingly powerful and advanced for an industrial handheld computer, it is based on 1.5GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 processor, with 1GB of RAM, and 512MB of Flash for the unit’s Android (Jelly Bean) 4.1.1 OS platform and applications. Storage can be augmented by up to 32GB via a microSDHC Card slot. Learn more about the Unitech PA700…
“Mobile Computing TCO Models: Secure a Strategic Competitive Advantage During the Recession,” VDC Research Group, May 2009.
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