COMPUTER TYPES (Form Factors) - Handheld Computers

Rugged Handheld Computers

As the name implies, handhelds are meant to be carried in one hand. Some people think of PDA's (Personal Data Assistants) as handheld computers, but in the rugged, mobile and field-use world, handhelds are slightly larger than a PDA. They have a 1/4 display screen...about 25% the size of a full screen computer. They do not have a full alpha keyboard but normally do have a number keypad. Again, in the rugged world, these computers are built tough, are sealed against the elements, protected from vibration and drops, and have daylight-viewable screens.

Another key differentiator of a handheld computer is the lack of a hard disk drive. They use on-board memory or Flash drive memory (solid-state). Also, these small handheld devices do not run full-blown Windows operating systems such as XP Pro or Vista, but rather use a scaled down operating system such as Pocket PC or Windows Mobile.

Group Mobile Comment: Since most application software was developed for full-blown operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, often the organizations that buy handheld rugged computers will develop their own custom applications. But Group Mobile has begun to see more standard, off-the-shelf applications of late for handheld computers, as Microsoft in particular has been encouraging developers to write for Windows Mobile.

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