Symbol Unveils Ruggedized Enterprise Handheld

Symbol Technologies on Thursday took the wraps off a new enterprise-focused handheld that combines bar-code scanning, PDA functionality and voice support for cellular and WLAN networks.

Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the MC70 is a new genre of PDA that Symbol has designed to target a different type of customer than it has addressed in the past, said Mark Chellis, senior director of marketing for the Holtsville, N.Y.-based, company’s mobile computing division.

Weighing 12 ounces, the MC70 runs Windows Mobile 5.0 phone edition and features one-dimensional laser-scanning functionality for scan-intensive applications. What's new about the MC70, in comparison to its MC50 predecessor, is that it can be used as a voice device on cellular and 802.11a/b/g networks, and it supports Bluetooth, Chellis said.

"The device works well with VoIP, which makes it a good investment because no matter what type of network you use, you have a wireless device that you can deploy globally," he said.

The MC70's tri-band support for LAN, WAN and PAN will make it an easy sell for mobile solution providers, said Jeff Lem, president of qData, a Toronto-based Symbol partner. "It has a lot of upside potential for us because customers have been looking for a converged device with a rugged design and the functionality of a cell phone," he said. "It also gets solution providers into the voice market and opens the door to new products and services that we could be selling."

The MC70's rugged casing can withstand a four-foot drop to concrete and is moisture-resistant, making it appropriate for the health-care industry, which requires devices that can be cleaned with rubbing alcohol, according to Chellis. While the MC50 was designed for in-building use, the MC70 works indoors and outdoors, he added.

Chellis expects the MC70 to be used for applications such as workforce automation in the automotive, postal and government sectors. Symbol has already signed a large governmental postal delivery service that plans to purchase "tens of thousands" of the devices, he said.

The MC70 is slated to ship at the beginning of February and be available through Symbol's reseller partners. A model with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi costs $2,195 and a model with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular network capability runs $2,845.