A Rugged PDA For The Active LifeIn the 1970s the Marine Corps decided to use computers in warfare. Software programs were written and put into place. They were tried in the laboratory and worked. When field tests were instituted they failed miserably. Floppy drives would not hold up under the stress, cases cracked and key boards filled with sand did not operate. Screens could not be seen in daylight operating conditions and made too much light at night. The need was there, the technology had not caught up with the need. At about the same time the Air Force and the Navy were starting to experiment with personal computers on aircraft and ships. Most commercial models could not hold up to the vibrations and climate variations found there. Crews of nuclear submarines found that cameras and computers both froze up when operated at the north pole. Improvements needed to be made. Necessity was indeed the mother of invention. As computers became more sophisticated and PDAs came to the forefront it became obvious there was a need for a handheld PDA rugged enough to withstand the torture of battlefield conditions. Today handheld PDA rugged screens will withstand the shock of being dropped from over three feet onto concrete or steel decks. The are made to be "splash" resistant but are tested to withstand up to four inches of rain an hour so almost waterproof. Keyboards and touch pads can be cleaned in a deep sink by letting the water run over them. Handheld PDA rugged cases are made from a full magnesium alloy and then coated with a resin to improve their shock resistance. Openings are sealed with o rings to keep dust and water out. Mil-specs require them to be temperature, shock and vibration free and that they be able to operate in an explosive atmosphere. Where the early Marine Corps experiments used bulky PCs with 5 1/4 floppy drives, todays handheld Pda rugged devices have their own built in memory and have additional expansion slots for CompactFlash and Secure Digital. The operator can carry additional cards for more memory or preprogrammed cards for additional software applications. The units are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs (fifteen hour) that can be hot swapped if the need arises. Communication is instantaneous with build in bluetooth technology or optional 802.11g wireless communication technology. Other options include integrated GPS, attachable keyboard, bar code scanner or a color digital camera. |