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GCN Home > 06/23/08 issue

A tablet (PC) that's easy to swallow

GCN Lab Review: The Motion Computing F5’s semi-rugged design, good performance and security features suit it for the field

By Michelle S. Haase, Special to GCN

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When I first laid eyes on Motion Computing’s new semi-rugged F5 Mobile Tablet PC, I had what I call a paper-clip moment. These moments happen when I come across an innovation so clever I can’t imagine returning to life without it, yet so simple and obvious I can’t believe someone hadn’t thought of it before. In this case, the innovation was the tablet’s integrated carrying handle.

To be fair to other tablet vendors, the handle is integral to the F5’s niche functionality as a mobile radio frequency identification reader and bar code scanner. To scan a bar code, for example, you hold the tablet by the handle and push a button on the top with your thumb while aiming the lens at a bar code.

Without this functionality, the handle would take up valuable real estate and add weight without adding features such as a larger display that are more important to typical tablet users.

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But even when not using the RFID reader or bar code scanner, a tablet intended for field workers benefits from a sturdy handle as a secure way for users to tote it around, quickly grab it off a table or easily remove it from its docking station. There are not many pure slate tablets that have not been displaced from the market by convertible laptop PCs. But the design of the F5 proves that slates might still have some life left.

The RFID reader and optional bar code scanner combine with a 2.0 megapixel camera and fingerprint reader to make this an extremely versatile tablet that can, for example, scan tagged equipment to determine the model information, take a photo of a damaged part or read a worker’s RFID badge for authentication. The F5 lends itself especially well to forms, such as building-inspection forms and field service and maintenance reports.

I filled out a sample field service report that included taking a photo of an object to simulate photographing a damaged part. One push of the camera button activates the camera and initializes the photo software, which takes a few seconds, and a second push takes the picture.

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