The Model 37 measures 5.7 x 3.8 x 1.7 inches, and is built to take five-foot drops onto concrete, according to Industrial Computing. Sealed against water and dust, and capable of resisting electromagnetic interference, it is said to meet MIL-STD-801F, MIL-STD-461E [PDF document], and MIL-STD-464A [PDF document] standards.


The Guardian has a rugged case with oversized buttons
In addition to bumpers on each corner, the case features oversize buttons and labels, for operation by gloved fingers or in case visibility is poor. In addition to a standard five-way controller and four function keys, the device also has a "terminate" key which, according to Industrial Computing, instantly wipes all data from any installed CompactFlash card.

The Guardian has a 3.7-inch touchscreen display that is available in either VGA or QVGA (320 x 240) resolutions. It uses a 624MHz Marvell PXA270 processor with 256MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage. As suggested above, storage can be expanded via a CompactFlash slot.

Wireless capabilities are ample, beginning with 802.11b/g wireless networking and Bluetooth 1.2. Additionally included are GPS, using the SiRF starIII chipset, and a cellular modem that provides for GSM/GPRS data networking, though not voice calling.

The Guardian also provides a much greater than average number of wired interfaces, including two USB 1.1 host connectors on its left side, a USB 1.1 client connector, two RS232 ports, and a 10/100 Ethernet jack. It has an internal microphone and monaural speaker, plus an external microphone input and stereo headphone jack.

The device includes a 1350mAh lithium-ion battery which is claimed to provide up to eight hours of continuous operation. Other features and specifications listed by Industrial Computing for the Guardian Model 37 include:

• Processor -- Marvell PXA270 clocked at 624MHz
  
• Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 256MB of flash
  
• Display -- 3.7-inch touchscreen display, VGA or QVGA
  
• Wireless:
  • WAN -- GSM/GPRS cellular modem
    
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g
    
  • PAN -- Bluetooth 1.2
    
  • GPS
• Other I/O:
  • 2 x USB 1.1 host
    
  • 2 x USB 1.1 client
    
  • 10/100 Ethernet
    
  • 2 x RS232
    
  • audio mic in and headphone out
• Operating temperature -- -20 to 60 deg. C
  
• Dimensions -- 5.7 x 3.8 x 1.7
  
• Weight -- n/a

Industrial Computing did not release pricing or availability information, but the Guardian is apparently on sale now.

---

Related stories:

• Rugged PDA has WiFi, 2GB of storage
  
• Windows CE 6.0 PDA shrugs off six-foot drops
  
• Windows phone meets NSA top secret standards
  
• Rugged PDA offers WAN option
  
• Barcode scanner offers VoIP option
  
• Rugged barcode scanner runs Windows CE 5.0
  
• PDA reads barcode, resists drops
  
• Security-conscious handheld deletes radio options
  
• GPS-equipped Windows Mobile handhelds resist dunkings
  
• Rugged data collection handheld runs all day