Mobile PC Pilot Extends The Long Arm Of The Law

In a pilot program with CDCE, a mobile integrator in Yorba Linda, Calif., motor-

cycle officers are using the Panasonic Mobile Data Wireless Display (MDWD) and Toughbook CF-07 Mini PC to process traffic violations. When officers stop a vehicle they can take the ruggedized 1.5-pound MDWD to the driver's window while leaving the mini PC in the vehicle.

The two units are part of Panasonic's ruggedized line of mobile computers, which have become popular over the past couple of years in the public safety, service and transportation industries.

The display communicates with the base system via a proprietary broadband wireless system that works up to 300 feet away from the vehicle. The base system communicates with the city's back-end computer using a wide-area wireless network.

All that wireless technology lets officers query the city computer for driver status and enter ticket information using the remote MDWD.

The system gives motorcycle-mounted officers access to the same information database as officers in patrol cars, said Rance Poehler, president of Panasonic Computer Solutions, based here.

"Not only does this give the motorcycle officer the information he needs to do his job more efficiently, it enters his report into the police department database in realtime, making the information on that suspect available to other officers who might encounter him later in the same day," Poehler said.

CDCE Vice President Brian Solomon said the CF-07 Mini PC uses the full version of Windows, which provides a richer platform for CDCE developers.

"It's wonderful because it's the size of a handheld but runs a Windows 32-bit platform so we can do more with the customer applications," he said.

The CF-07 Mini PC is a Pentium III-based device that weighs 2 pounds and measures 7.87 x 3.61 x 2.05 inches. With a 300MHz processor, 64 Mbytes of RAM and a 5-Gbyte hard drive, it has a street price of $2,299.

The MDWD, which is designed to be used with the CF-07 but also can be paired with other wirelessly enabled Toughbooks, is an 8.4-inch SVGA touch screen that measures 8.74 x 6.38 inches. The device carries a street price of $1,499.