COMPUTER TYPES (Form Factors) - Tablet PC’s

Non-Rugged, Commercial Plastic Tablet PC’s

A Tablet PC is different from a laptop in two primary ways. One, they do not have a built-in keyboard…they always have a touch-screen display for input and moving the cursor. And secondly, they do not have a built-in media drive such as a floppy, CD or DVD drive. Tablet PCs are designed to be lightweight and carried in one hand. They are thus easier to use and handle than a laptop which normally requires a surface to set the computer down while in use.

Even though Tablets do not have keyboards (the exception is a “convertible tablet”), and do not have a media drive, these items are offered as external devices usually connected through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port.

These days, the touch screen in a tablet is a passive, finger-touch activated touch screen or an active, digitizer, stylus-only activated touch screen. The active touch screen tablets allow for saving handwritten notes on a document, signature capture and even handwriting recognition (converting handwritten words and numbers to digital data, i.e. bits and bytes). Some Tablet PC’s offer a “dual-mode” display which includes both types of touchscreen and allows the user to toggle between each type.

Group Mobile Comment: Non-Rugged, Commercial Plastic Tablet PC’s are designed for the office worker/corridor warrior who goes from cube-to cube, office-to-office, meeting room-to-meeting room and takes notes. They are able to take the place of a pen and notepad. Group Mobile does not offer commercial, plastic Tablet PCs.

Rugged Tablet PC’s

A rugged Tablet PC has a magnesium case, a shock-mounted hard disk drive and is sealed against the outside elements. There are also other shock-absorbing and vibration-mitigating design features inside the tablet which allow the computer to withstand drops on to hard surfaces and mobile use over bumpy roads or even off-road driving. The sealing allows the computer to be used outdoors and/or in any dusty, dirty, wet, extremely hot or extremely cold environment. Daylight-Viewable display screens either come standard or are available as an upgrade option.

Rugged Tablet PC’s are designed for those who work in the factory, warehouse or in the field and are often used for data collection activities. They can also take the place of the manual completion of forms. The primary value is that the data is collected or the forms completed once, and the information does not have to be entered or re-keyed into an office computer. This saves time and eliminates transcription errors. Signature capture is another popular usage, particularly for service or delivery workers who need to capture the customers’ or package recipients’ signature.

Group Mobile Comment: Some of the rugged Tablet PC’s on the market are known as “convertibles”. These portable computers can convert from a Tablet PC to a laptop PC by using a swivel mechanism. The conversion to a laptop means that the user has access to a full built-in keyboard.

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Vehicle Rugged Tablet PC’s

Vehicle rugged Tablet PC’s are built to handle the types of vibrations that computers experience when mounted in a vehicle. The hard drive is shock-mounted and there are other ruggedization features that enable the computer to work flawlessly even when driving over dirt or extremely bumpy roads. Vehicle rugged Tablet PC’s may or not be sealed against the outdoor elements, as this is generally not a requirement for vehicle-mounted computers. Also, all vehicle rugged Tablet PC’s have specially designed vehicle docks and can run off the vehicle’s battery or from the cigarette lighter. Many users will also acquire an external keyboard and a keyboard mounting tray when utilizing a Tablet PC in their vehicle.

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