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        Pistol-packin' handheld targets retailers

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Jan 21, 2009 | Comments: 1


        Honeywell has introduced a handheld computer that runs Windows Mobile 6.0 on a 624MHz Marvell PXA270 processor. The Dolphin 9950 includes an integrated pistol grip, GPS, GSM wide area networking, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, a digital camera, and barcode scanning capabilities, according to the company.



        (Click here for a larger view of Honeywell's Dolphin 9950)


        Honeywell's Dolphin 9900
        (Click image to enlarge)
        The Dolphin 9950 was announced at last week's National Retail Federation (NRF) Show in New York. Touted as new, the device is in fact extremely similar to the Dolphin 9900 (right) Honeywell introduced last year, with no technical changes that we've been able to discern. However, unlike the 9900, the 9950 ships with the integrated pistol grip pictured above.

        Whether packing the pistol grip or not, the Dolphin 9950 is said to withstand multiple five-foot drops onto concrete, and can also endure more than 2000 three-foot tumbles. Additionally, the device meets IP64 standards for dust and moisture resistance, says Honeywell.

        New to the Dolphin 9900, and duly carried over to the 9950, were its GPS capabilities, provided by an unspecified chipset. Honeywell touts the devices as providing a useful variety of "location-based functionality," such as turn-by-turn navigation, route optimization, and the ability to document deliveries or service calls with time and location stamps.

        The Dolphin 9950 also includes GSM quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) telephony, with an accessible SIM card interface. Other wireless interfaces include Bluetooth and 802.11b/g local area networking.

        Like a bevy of earlier Dolphin handhelds, the 9950 includes Honeywell's proprietary Adaptus Imaging Technology 5.0, which allows the unit to read 1D barcodes, 2D symbologies, OCR codes, and a variety of postal codes. The device also includes digital camera functionality, with unspecified resolution. The camera is apparently optimized for focal lengths from about three to 12 inches, relevant to capturing signatures or making a pictorial record of damage to a parcel.

        The Dolphin 9950 is powered by Marvell's PXA270 processor, clocked at 624MHz. It has 256MB of RAM, 1GB of flash storage, and an SDIO-compatible SD slot for memory expansion.

        The Windows Mobile 6.0 user interface is displayed on a 3.5-inch touchscreen display with 320 x 240 resolution. In addition to a variety of function keys and scanning buttons, the Dolphin offers a choice of two keyboards: either a 56-key layout separating letters and numbers (as shown in the photo at the top of the story), or a 43-key "alpha-shifted" layout.

        A 2500mAH battery pack is said to power the Dolphin 9950 for more than ten hours, and is also hot-swappable. Options inherited from earlier Dolphin 9xxx models include a four-slot battery charger, and diverse charging/communications devices that add RS232, USB, or Ethernet interfaces.

        Features and specifications provided by Honeywell for the Dolphin 9950 include:
        • Processor -- Marvell PXA270, clocked at 624MHz
        • Memory -- 256MB RAM, 1 GB flash
        • Storage -- SD slot
        • Display -- 3.5-inch QVGA (240 x 320) TFT touchscreen display
        • Keyboards:
          • 43-key shifted alphanumeric keyboard, or
          • 56-key full alphanumeric keyboard
        • Wireless interfaces:
          • GPS
          • WAN -- Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz), GSM release 99, EDGE multi-slot class 12, PRS multi-slot class 12
          • PAN -- Bluetooth
          • WLAN -- 802.11b/g, with WPA2, EAP, CCXv4 (certification pending), WEP, LEAP, TKIP, MD5, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, WPA-PSK, and PEAP security
        • Other I/O:
          • Barcode scanner:
            • 5300SR area imager with high-vis laser aimer
            • 5100 scanner with green aimer
            • 1D symbologies -- Codabar, Code 3 of 9, Code 11, Code 32, Pharmaceutical (PARAF), Code 93, Code 128, EAN with Add-On, EAN with Extended Coupon Code, EAN-8, EAN-13, GS1-128, GS1 Databar, Interleaved 2 or 5, ISBT 128, Matrix 2 of 5, MSI, Plessey, PosiCode, Straight 2 of 5 IATA, Straight 2 of 5 Industrial, Telepen, Trioptic code, UPC, UPC-A, and UPC-E
            • 2D symbologies -- Aztec, Codablock, Code 16, Composite, Data Matrix, GSI Databar, MaxiCode, OCR, PDF417, and QR code
            • Composite codes -- Aztec Mesa, Codablock F, EANUCC, GS1 Databar-14
            • OCR -- OCR-A, OCR-B
            • Postal codes -- Postnet, Australian Post, British Post, Canadian Post, China Post, Japanese Post, KIX (Netherlands) Post, Korea Post, Planet Code
          • I/O connector supports USB and Ethernet via cradles
          • IrDA
          • Internal speaker, microphone, headset jack
        • Battery type -- 2500mAh lithium-ion, with ten-hour life
        • Physical specs:
          • Operating temperature -- -10 to 50 deg. C (14 to 122 deg. F)
          • Relative humidity -- 95% humidity (non-condensing)
          • Shock -- survives multiple 5-foot (1.2m) drops to concrete and more than 2000 three-foot tumbles
          • ESD -- Air: +/- 12K VDC, Direct: +/- 8K VDC
          • Environmental -- IP64 rating for blown dust and water intrusion
          • Dimensions -- 9.6 x 3.4 x 2.1 inches, not including standard pistol grip
          • Weight -- 21.4 oz. (606g)
        • Software:
          • Operating system -- Windows Mobile 6.0
          • Development environment -- Honeywell SDK for C/C++, C#, and Visual Basic developers
          • Supported software -- PowerNet Terminal Emulation (TNVT, 3270, 5250); SOTI MobiControl remote device management tool; ITScriptNet
        Pricing was not disclosed, but the Dolphin 9950 appears to be available now. More information may be found on Honeywell's website, here.


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