The Ruggedized Computing Blog

Police do a lot more than make arrests. And like other municipal departments, police operations have had to become much more business-like in recent years, finding ways to balance performance expectations with increasingly constrained budgets. They’re finding that it’s more effective to focus on proactive approaches and prevention. And they’re using rugged tablet PCs to make that happen.

In many ways utilities represent the front line of the battle between increasingly complex business performance demands and the need to control costs to remain profitable. It’s a volatile environment and your people and facilities are spread over a wide area. Your operation is the definition of “mobile,” the kind of workplace where a rugged tablet PC can really shine.

MobileDemand will be exhibiting at the upcoming FOSE tradeshow on May 14-16 in Washington D.C. Taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, FOSE is the premier event for government technology professionals interested in innovative, effective tools and solutions allowing you and your agency or organization to advance your mission. From IT managers and buyers to CIOs and other technology management professionals, FOSE has the right products, people and solutions for you in one very accessible location.

One of the toughest lessons in business life is the fact that items which seem “cheaper” up front often turn out to be more costly down the road. Every equipment purchase has two components – the initial cost, and the cost to operate it – which is why budget-conscious executives now focus on total cost of ownership, or TCO. If you’re comparing a rugged tablet PC against lighter-duty devices, it’s crucial to let TCO be your guide.

Despite industry-wide improvements in process management, those involved in logistics and supply chain operations continue to face a plethora of challenges. Companies that have already adopted mobile technology – typically a ruggedized tablet PC – understand the critical role these tools play in linking new processes with the people who need them.

Better visibility into your inventory and logistics systems can bring outstanding efficiencies and tangible savings – that “dynamic duo” of reduced costs and increased revenue that ensure a strong bottom line. But to grow and thrive, your business also needs loyal customers. In today’s volatile marketplace, that requires speed, accuracy and adaptability.

From Mobile Enterprise: A Duke University research team is trekking up Mount Everest, in a quest to get a handle on acute mountain sickness (AMS). Also known as altitude sickness, the illness can affect individuals at all levels of health and fitness. Using two MobileDemand xTablet T7200 rugged tablet PCs to assist in monitoring blood oxygen levels, a team of three researchers and a dozen subjects are taking part in the study.

What’s all the buzz about in-transit visibility? ITV, as it’s commonly known, is something you’ve long wished for – the ability to track your entire logistics stream, to know exactly where your inventory, vehicles and personnel are at any time, at any point along the supply chain.

Achieving the perfect order may be a tall order, but food and beverage operations consciously working toward that goal are realizing considerable benefits. Exactly what constitutes “perfect order” may vary from company to company, but whatever your standards, meeting them depends on real-time tracking and responsiveness. That requires complete mobility, the kind provided by a tablet PC.

As part of MobileDemand's effort to consistently create new content for the industry in which rugged tablet PCs are utilized, an eBook has been created for the transportation and logistics industry. This eBook focuses on the benefits of ruggedized tablets and how they can help improve operational efficiency and productivity.