Juniper Systems announced a ruggedized Windows device it's positioning as a cross between a handheld and a tablet PC. The "Mesa Rugged Notepad" includes a 5.7-inch, VGA-resolution screen, an 806MHz Marvell PXA320 processor, 4GB of flash storage, plus camera, GPS, and 3G cellular options, the company says.

Juniper claims its new Mesa offers the advantages of both a ruggedized handheld computer and a tablet PC, while avoiding the disadvantages of either platform.

Like the company's handhelds (such as the TK6000), the device is said to meet IP67 standards for water and dust resistance, and also to withstand multiple four-foot drops onto concrete. In fact, it's touted as "rugged enough to use as a wheel chock if the truck starts to roll."

Again like a handheld, the Mesa offers extended battery life -- up to 16 hours via two warm-swappable 2550mAh batteries, the company says. Operating temperature, meanwhile, is said to be -4 to 122 deg. F (-20 to 50 deg. C).

However, the system's enlarged dimensions of 7.9 x 5.3 x 2 inches allow it to include a 5.7-inch screen. This provides a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and is likely responsive to touch, though Juniper neglected to mention that detail.

Juniper says it has overlaid the Mesa's Windows Mobile 6.5.3 operating system with a customizable home screen of its own devising. Features include user-defined shortcuts and 11 screen gadgets for controlling wireless connections, GPS, texting, email, calendar, and power functions, according to the company.

Juniper Systems' Mesa
(Click to enlarge)

As the image above shows, the Mesa includes 14 control buttons, six of which said to be user-assignable, plus a five-way controller. Other external hardware features, some of which are pictured below, consist of USB host and client ports, a nine-pin serial port, a microphone/headphone jack, and an SD slot.

Ports on the Mesa

Internally, the Mesa has an 806MHz Marvell PXA320 processor, 256MB of RAM, and 4GB of flash storage. Standard networking capabilities include 802.11b/g wireless networking as well as Bluetooth 2.0, Juniper says.

According to Juniper, the Mesa is also offered in two slightly larger (8.6 x 5.3 x 2 inches) "Geo" models. One of these adds a GPS receiver and a 3.2-megapixel camera with geotagging, while another adds both of these plus a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE data modem, the company says. 

Further information

Product page Data sheet [PDF link]

According to Juniper, the Mesa will be available during the fourth quarter of 2010. Pricing was not announced.

A typically detailed analysis of the device may be found on the Rugged PC Review website, here.

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