thermal printer, the company says.

(Click here for a larger view of the Oasis Opad)

Oasis says its Opad design is potentially useful for many applications, but the device appears to be aimed most particularly at creating "handheld cash register" solutions. The company says its customizable, modular device may be configured with an integral 2.5-inch thermal printer, barcode reader, and an RFID reader. Other options include a 1.5 megapixel camera, a GPS receiver, a 3G cellular modem, and 802.11b/g wireless networking.

The main board of Oasis's Opad (Click image to enlarge)

The Opad is built around an Atmel AT91SAM9263 SoC (system-on-chip), which has an ARM926EJ-S core. The AT91SAM9263 offers features including 96K of on-chip SRAM, 10/100 Ethernet, USB host and device ports, camera interface, LCD controller, and a 2D graphics co-processor, according to Atmel. For more details, including a block diagram of the SoC, see our earlier coverage, here.

While the photos of the Opad released by the company look like renderings, Oasis says handheld products are already being manufactured using the design, and "have been successfully deployed in the field in large numbers." The device runs Windows CE 6.0, with 64MB of RAM and "up to" 1GB of flash storage. No expansion slot for adding memory is cited, but the device does offer both USB host and device ports, visible protruding from the bottom of the main board in the picture at right.

Oasis says the Opad has a 2.8-inch display with 320 x 240 resolution, but doesn't state whether the device includes touchscreen capabilities. Meanwhile, the device's 40-key QWERTY keyboard is customizable to a customer's specifications, as is the logo that will appear on the Opad's case, according to the company.

The Opad is fitted with a 1700mAh rechargeable battery that will run the device for seven hours, Oasis claims. In addition to a power connector, the handheld's case sports two LEDs, one tracking power status and the other indicating wireless connectivity.

Features and specifications listed by Oasis Technologies for the Opad include the following:

• Processor -- Atmel AT91SAM9263, clocked here at 200MHz
  
• Memory -- 64MB of RAM and up to 1GB of flash storage
  
• Display -- 2.8-inch screen with 320 x 240 resolution
  
• Keyboard -- 40-key QWERTY layout
  
• Camera -- 1.5 megapixel
  
• Wireless:
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g (optional)
    
  • GPS (optional; chipset not specified)
    
  • RFID reader (optional)
    
  • 3G cellular modem (optional; frequencies not specified)
• Other I/O:
  • USB host port
    
  • USB device port
    
  • Barcode reader (optional)
• Expansion -- n/s
  
• Battery -- 1700mAh, providing seven hours of operation
  
• Operating temperature -- 0 to 50 deg. C
  
• Dimensions -- 4.72 x 2.16 x 0.59 inches (120 x 55 x 15mm)
  
• Weight -- 6.34 ounces (180g)
  
• Operating system support -- Windows CE 6.0 and Linux

Availability

Oasis Technology did not cite pricing for the Opad, but the device appears to be available now with either Windows CE 6.0 or Linux. More information may be found on the company's website, here.

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