Recently my company attended the Computex 2008 trade show in Taipei, Taiwan in early June.  It was my fifth straight Computex and we had three people attending for a week.  We have been doing extensive benchmark testing on various Tablet PC related devices in our labs.  Somehow, my colleague found Performance Test 6.1 benchmark testing software loaded on one of the latest and very popular ultra-portables – the Eee PC 901, with Windows XP and Intel 1.6GHz Atom processor (1GB RAM) on display in a booth at Computex.  So we decided to take the few minutes to run the test and record the results. (Never mind that two of us had to block and tackle the booth personnel from seeing what my colleague was doing.)

The overall score was 159. Not surprisingly, the Eee PC 901 model has a performance benchmark score nearly equivalent to the xTablet T8400 Tablet PC, a Pentium III M 933MHz (640MB RAM) Tablet PC my company used to sell two generations ago which has a score of 146.

What does this mean?

Ultra Portables with Intel Atom processors will be a success in many consumer markets for the masses.  They will also be seen by the business world as an attractively priced alternative to more expensive notebooks.  However, these models will not have the performance necessary to run many of today’s line of business applications critical to field workforces. The systems providers that sell to vertical markets – such as MobileDemand and many others – will have a job to do to convey the message that these new Ultra Portables will not provide the necessary horsepower for their needs – and in many cases the durability for them to survive even a few weeks or months.

A case in point on the horsepower:  My company has sold thousands of our rugged Tablet PCs to field beverage sales markets (beer sales).  Their selling software used to run effectively back in 2005 on the xTablet T8400 model with the performance benchmark score of 146.  We are hearing reports that the their latest selling software will no longer run effectively on this hardware model that had been deployed 3-4 years ago.  It simply runs too slowly to be of use. Lucky for us that the xTablet T8400 model is two generations old.  Our current xTablet T8700 has an Intel Core Duo architecture, a performance benchmark score of 296, and will run the selling software very well.  It’s time for these customers to upgrade to the latest hardware architecture and the software is pushing this.  It’s not because the hardware is failing, it’s because the software has grown in complexity and features that necessitate MORE system performance.

Secondly, you may have also heard that Microsoft is progressing to move their OEM device manufacturers to pre-loading ONLY Windows Vista on computer systems.  A major date on this is just a few days away – June 30th is the last date to receive computer systems with Windows XP without the need to meet certain criteria:  Customer must supply documented intent to buy 25 or more systems in a 12 month period (and have a custom Windows XP image ONLY), or the hardware device is classified as a NetBook / NetTop – which is usually a lower price point device with processor performance so poor it really can’t run Vista anyway.  Also note that the NetBooks and NetTop devices may only have Windows XP Home Edition – which means you WILL NOT get Windows XP Professional that includes domain connections among other things important to businesses.

Of course, businesses usually test any given system before they purchase – and it would be HIGHLY recommended they do so extensively before considering buying these attractively priced Ultra Portables.  Businesses looking to install NetTops and NetBooks will likely quickly find out they would be boxing themselves in if they go that route:

1. System performance is poor – may be unable to run today’s software – yet alone tomorrow’s.
2. Again, system performance is poor – will not run Microsoft’s latest OS – Windows Vista, which has made great strides with Service Pack 1 and is stable and gaining market share.
3. Current, low cost devices are flimsy at best.  (believe me, I’ve reviewed them and they will not hold up it the field for businesses at large)
4. They lack domain connectivity – frequently required for businesses.

Look for more details from MobileDemand in the next few posts.

We have fun over here at MobileDemand.  We released a new video this week that effectively demonstrates in a rather fun way, albeit cheesy, the durability of our xTablet rugged Tablet PC.  The video is entitled “Tablet PC as a Hammer!” and is posted on our web-site, YouTube (Tablet PC as a Hammer!), and Blip.TV (Tablet PC as a Hammer!).  We are delighted that other sites like Engadget, GottaBeMobile, and so on have posted about it.  This video is the first edition of our “Tablet PC Torture Chamber Video Series”, so look for more out of the ordinary videos in the next few weeks. 

You know, we could use a hammer, but instead we used our xTablet Tablet PC. We created this video to prove a point. Our xTablet is rugged and durable enough to take the beating of hammering in dozens of nails, without a glitch! We attached an accelerometer with a real-time graph running on the screen to show the actual impact forces the Tablet PC is enduring. As you watch the video, notice the lines on the graph that are created when the tablet is bumped and swung up and down.

Again as you watch the video, notice the graph as the Tablet PC impacts the nails. It takes a beating and endures up to 10 gravity (g) forces in shock as it hits the nail. Check out the minor denting where the tablet strikes the nail and the graph is still running. It sustains only minor case damage and still running like a champ!

See the video directly here and enjoy!

Who are you?

I’m hoping you are interested in mobile computing and how it is used in businesses. Specifically you are interested in Tablet PC and UMPC platforms, and handheld computers deployed into mobile workforces.  You’re interested in the trends and technologies being implemented into today’s devices, including software, communications and peripherals that make up a total system. You want to see concise news posts presented in an innovative and creative way. In short, the answer to the “Who are you?” question is the target audience of this blog.

Who am I?

My name is Matt Miller, founder and President of MobileDemand, a rugged Tablet PC provider out of the nation’s bread basket. These days it seems to be a rather soggy breadbasket! I was born and raised in Iowa, attaining my education, most of my training, and values from the heartland. Plain spoken yet aggressive, I am a technologist and marketer. I’ve worked in sales and marketing / product marketing roles in the mobile computing industry for 15 years. The experience includes working for two startups (including founding MobileDemand) and a mobile computer company named Norand (now Intermec) who was and still is an innovator in wireless handheld devices and bar-coding for vertical markets. Intermec still maintains an engineering office based right here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

My first “tablet” computer I product managed was built by Norand back in 1995 – called the PEN*KEY 6632, which was a Windows 3.1 pen computer and replaced by the 6642 that supported Windows 95. After managing several more mobile computers and rugged Tablet PCs through 2008, I am a self proclaimed expert in Tablet PCs and rugged mobile computers with 13 years of involvement.  I guess you would be the final judge on that self assessment.

I have guest blogged for other Tablet PC related sites and have relationships with many of these editors. These sites are generally commenting mostly on commercial Tablet PCs or UMPCs, so lend my expertise in this blog relating to rugged Tablet PCs and UMPCs deployed by businesses.

Why should you read and watch this blog?

You would read this blog to gain insight into the mobile computing realm, where mobile computing technology is brought to the masses of blue-collar mobile workforce. I will concentrate on the Tablet PC and UMPC form factors as they offer a compelling approach to automating mobile workforces, allowing businesses large and small to gain efficiencies and ultimately save money, provide better customer service, and help you to beat your competition. Your workforce should have the right tools in their hands with real time information supporting them at the point of customer interaction, at the point of decision making. I believe the right tools are rugged Tablet PCs or UMPCs.

This blog will be a combination of videos about Tablet PC, standard text blog entries and “ink” entries. As a Tablet PC evangelist, I will write many of the blogs on a Tablet PC and place that “ink” along with the text and video of the blog entry.

Why am I doing this blog?

I will not hide the fact that I want to sell MobileDemand xTablet rugged Tablet PCs. I want to lend my tidbits of insight and gain trust, faith and loyalty from you, the reader, who ultimately could end up being my customer. If you hear our messages and you are a decision maker on deploying mobile computer systems, I believe you will consider the input. If you are not a decision maker, perhaps you have influence to others. The viral nature of the blog will help the goal of increasing the implementation of Tablet PCs and UMPCs into business applications. If it makes the overall Tablet PC and UMPC pie bigger – terrific. If MobileDemand sells more rugged Tablet PCs – even better.

So this is the start of the MobileDemand blog. Enjoy and look for content that is compelling and will help you make decisions to deploy rugged Tablet PCs and rugged UMPCs in your mobile workforce.