Trimble's "new" handhelds appear to be revamps of the company's original Nomad, announced in July 2007 and updated as the 800 series with cameras and barcode scannersin November of the same year. The Nomad has always featured a VGA-resolution display, a Marvell PXA320 processor running at a snappy 806MHz, and a GPS receiver based on the SiRF starIII chipset; "X" versions added integrated quad-band GSM GRPS/EDGE cellular modems in January 2009.


Trimble's Nomad 900 (left) and 900G (right)

Now dubbed the Nomad 900 series, the handhelds haven't changed much, in fact featuring exactly the 6.92 x 3.92 x 1.96-inch case, screen, and numeric keypad as before. That's no bad thing, since environmental specifications continue to include the following:

• the ability to be immersed in 3.3 feet of water for 30 minutes
• the ability to resist sand or dust for at least eight hours of operation
• the ability to survive 26 drops from four feet high onto plywood-over-concrete floors

The key change in the new Nomad 900 versions appears to be that the available camera packs five megapixels, and some models include up to 8MB of flash storage. The GPS receiver also benefits from an enhanced antenna design, says Trimble.

There is a multitude of models, best explained via the vendor-supplied charts reproduced below. Basically, six different Nomad 900 models all come with 128MB of RAM, flash storage ranging from 512MB to 2GB, Bluetooth, and memory expansion slots; most models add GPS and Wi-Fi, while some also include a 1D laser scanner, the camera, and/or GSM/GPRS/EDGE cellular.

Models for Trimble's Nomad 900 (left) and 900G (right)
(Click either to enlarge)

Five different Nomad 900G models, meanwhile, get a yellow case instead of silver, 6GB of flash storage apiece, pus GPS and Wi-Fi in every instance. A low-end 900GL doesn't include the laser scanner or camera, but a high-end 900GXE includes all the bells and whistles including GSM/GPRS/EDGE.

According to Trimble, the Nomad 900 and 900G include field-swappable, 5200mAh batteries that last up to 15 hours. The 900G's GPS receiver enhancements and expanded storage allow it to postprocess GPS data with an accuracy of one to three meters, as well as supporting a wide range of mapping software.

Features and specifications listed by Trimble for the Nomad 900 series include the following:

• Processor -- Marvell PXA320 clocked at 806MHz
  
• Display -- 640 x 480 touchscreen display (size unspecified)
  
• Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, or 6GB of flash storage
  
• Camera -- five megapixel
• Wireless:
  • WAN -- Quad-band GSM GPRS/EDGE cellular modem (most models)
    
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g (most models)
    
  • PAN -- Bluetooth
  • GPS receivers (all 900G models and some 900 models)
• Other I/O:
  • 1D laser scanner (many models)
  • 1 x USB host
    
  • 1 x USB client
    
  • 1 x RS232
    
  • Headphone jack
• Expansion -- SD slot or SD/CompactFlash slot
• Battery type/life -- 5200mAh lithium-ion battery; provides up to 15 hours of "active use"
  
• Dimensions -- 6.92 x 3.92 in x 1.96 inches (176 cm x 100 x 50mm)
  
• Weight -- 21 ounces (596g) including battery

Further information

More information on Trimble's Nomad 900 and Nomad 900G may be found on Trimble's website, here and here.

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