The Ranger 3 has a 4.2-inch display with full VGA (640 x 480 pixel) resolution and a resistive touchscreen, says Trimble. The wasp-waisted device is further said to include a 58-key QWERTY keyboard, a numeric keypad, directional buttons, and four programmable buttons.

Trimble says the Ranger 3 is intended for "surveying, construction, field service, forestry, mapping, public safety, utilities, and other outdoor or service-related applications." For that reason, the device includes a GPS receiver (using the popular SiRF starIII chipset), an accelerometer, and compass, and is touted as a good platform for location-aware software.

An optional five megapixel autofocus camera, with dual-LED flash, uses the GPS receiver to geotag photos, according to Trimble. Meanwhile, the handheld is also offered with a 1D laser barcode scanner, a LED flashlight function, and a 3G GSM cellular modem, the company adds.

The Ranger 3 is said to meet or exceed a bevy of military standards for temperature extremes, drops, vibration, humidity, and altitude. It withstands multiple four-foot drops, may be immersed in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes, and has an operating range from -22 to 140 deg. F, according to Trimble.

Trimble says the Ranger 3 has a 2500mAh battery pack, though we didn't see a claim about how long this will last. Fitted with USB 2.0 host and client ports, the handheld also has a 9-pin RS232 port and a 3.5mm headphone/mic in jack, the company adds.

Bill Martin, general manager of Trimble's mobile computing solutions division, stated, "The Ranger 3 is the most highly integrated, full featured and reliable generation of Ranger we have built. Not only is it the ultimate device for mobile worker productivity, our SDK makes it easy for software developers to quickly take a solution to market."

Features and specifications listed by Trimble for the Ranger 3 include:

• Processor -- Texas Instruments Sitara AM3715 clocked at 800MHz
• Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage
• Display -- 4.2-inch touchscreen with VGA resolution
• Keyboard -- 56-key QWERTY, numeric keypad, directional keys, function keys
• Camera -- 5 megapixel with autofocus and LED flash (optional)
• Expansion -- SD slot
• Networking:
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g
  • WWAN -- tri-band (850/1900/2100MHz) HSDPA/UMTS ; quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE (optional)
  • PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
• Other wireless features:
  • GPS receiver
  • 1D laser barcode scanner (optional)
  • digital compass
• Wired I/O:
  • 1 x RS232 (9-pin)
  • 2 x USB 2.0 (host and client)
  • audio -- 3.5mm jack for stereo headset and microphone
• Battery -- 2500mAh
• Operating range -- -22 to 140 deg. F
• Dimensions -- 10.5 x 5.2 x 1.9 inches
• Weight -- 2.3 pounds

Pricing for the Ranger 3 was not mentioned, but the device will be available during February, according to Trimble. Further information may be found on the Ranger 3 product page.

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