No disrepect meant to American Industrial Systems, but a quick scan of our regularly updated guide to PDAs and other handhelds confirmed our suspicion that we've seen this device before. Both physically and technically, it strongly resembles no less than four previously introduced PDAs, listed below in alphabetical order by vendor:

• Advantech PWS-8033M
• Glacier Computer Ridgeline Q100
• Industrial Computing Guardian Model 37
• Newport Digital N37B, also known as the P37M

While its actual manufacturer might remain in question, the RPDA37 impresses with its chunky looks as well as its capabilities. Constructed with alloy top corners and shock-proof corner bumpers for protection against drops, the device is waterproof up to one meter and withstands drops from up to five feet, according to American Industrial Systems. 

Newport Digital's N37B
(visually identical to American IndustrialSystems' new RPDA37)

According to American Industrial Systems, the RPDA37 measures 5.7 x 3.8 x 1.7 inches, and features oversize buttons and labels, for operation by gloved fingers. It also includes three locking doors on its left and right sides, designed to protect its ports when they're not in use.

The device happens to provide a much greater than average number of wired interfaces, including two USB 1.1 host connectors, a USB 1.1 client connector, an RS232 port, an RS232/422/485 port, and a 10/100 Ethernet jack. In addition, the RPDA37 has an internal microphone, external microphone input, stereo headphone jack, monaural speaker, and bottom-mounted docking connector, American Industrial Systems says.

Wireless interfaces are said to include 802.11b/g wireless networking and Bluetooth 1.2, while GPS and a 3.5G cellular modem are optional. The RPDA37 also includes both microSD and CompactFlash slots for memory expansion, the company adds.

American Industrial Systems says the RPDA37 uses a Marvell PXA270 processor clocked at 624MHz, and equipped with 256MB of memory and from 256MB to 1GB of flash storage. The device's sunlight-readable, 3.7-inch touchscreen display, meanwhile, is offered in both VGA (640 x 480) or QVGA (320 x 240) resolution, says the company.

Features and specifications listed by American Industrial Systems for the RPDA37 include the following:

• Processor -- Marvell PXA270 clocked at 624MHz
  
• Memory -- 256MB of RAM and from 256MB to 1GB of flash
  
• Display -- 3.7-inch touchscreen display, VGA or QVGA (320 x 240)
  
• Keys -- Power button, navigation key, four function keys
  
• Wireless:
  • WAN -- GSM/GPRS/WCDMA/HSDPA cellular modem (optional)
    
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g
    
  • PAN -- Bluetooth 1.2
    
  • GPS (optional)
• Other I/O:
  • 2 x USB 1.1 host
    
  • 1 x USB 1.1 client
    
  • 10/100 Ethernet
    
  • 1 x RS232
    
  • 1 x RS232/422/485 (optional)
    
  • Audio mic in and headphone out
    
  • DC input jack
• Expansion:
  • CompactFlash slot
  • microSD slot
    
  • Docking connector
• Battery type -- 1880mAh battery
  
• Operating temperature -- -20 to 60 deg. C (-4 to 140 deg. F)
  
• Dimensions -- 6.1 x 3.8 x 1.7 inches
  
• Weight -- n/s

Availability

American Industrial Systems says the RPDA37 is available now, for prices starting at approximately $1,900. The operating system may be either Windows Mobile 6.1 or Windows CE 5.0, the company adds.

More information on the RPDA37 may be found on the American Industrial Systems website, here.

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