The cyber landscape is constantly evolving; that’s why organisations across every sector need reliable, cutting-edge devices that can keep pace.

Durabook trusts Microsoft Windows to deliver an OS platform that meets the most stringent security and enterprise management requirements while providing those controls in a transparent way to the end user, enhancing and improving productivity.

POWERFUL MARKET LEADER IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Microsoft is committed to delivering innovation. Its comprehensive technology stack can be leveraged to create solutions that are relevant to today’s demanding and rapidly evolving industry needs, redefining business models to deliver real value. AI-powered insights enable faster decisions and actions that deliver reliable and predictable performance improvements.Durabook’s Windows-based tablets use cutting-edge CPUs, while the Windows platform was designed to evolve and exceed its previous generation in computing power, performance, functionality and versatility, from off-line age to today’s internet era. Windows OS has evolved so much that it can be found on mainframe data centers, cloud servers, industry-specific professional and corporate office workstations, personal and portable computers and edge computing devices. None of this could be achieved without the fundamental element - computing power.

COMPLIANCE EXPERTISE

Durabook knows that compliance is a continuous process, that’s why Microsoft’s solutions provide an end-to-end differentiated set of values to help customers:

• Intelligently protect and govern data anywhere it lives

• Identify and remediate critical insider risks;

• Quickly investigate and respond with relevant data

• Simplify and automate risk assessments.

Today, Microsoft is the only major cloud provider that provides customers with in-depth security, compliance (regulatory, audit, litigation, etc.), and privacy information, to assess the Microsoft Cloud with the Services Trust Portal (STP).

security specialists

Microsoft is committed to investing in privacy and control, compliance and transparency, and especially those features that matter the most to its customers, such as compliance certifications and best-in-class encryption.In today’s “zero-trust environment”, Microsoft enables businesses to protect data and keep it within their control by implementing industry-leading identity, security and compliance functionality to:

• Provide security and data privacy in the trusted Microsoft Cloud;

• Grant user access that allows only the levels of information required to do their jobs;

• Meet strict industry and governmental regulations for organizational and customer data privacy.

MULTI-TASKING CAPABILITIES

Windows OS is set apart from others by its multi-window and multi-tasking capability. Multi-tasking is most effective when multiple apps can be on the tablet screen at the same time, so Windows OS is designed to simultaneously perform multiple complex calculations in one computing cycle. Having sight of multiple windows at the same time allows more tasks to be performed at once, boosts efficiency. In addition, the introduction of high-definition hardware video output, such as Display port and HDMI port, allows Windows platform users to connect multiple external displays to mirror or expand their desktop workspace. Combining these features creates a powerful and versatile platform that greatly enhances user experiences and productivity across every working environment.

flexible, tailored solutions

Beyond Durabook’s own product range, Windows 10 Pro comes pre-installed on the world’s largest selection of business devices from leading manufacturers. These devices can meet the most exacting standards in performance, security, design and experience. For example, modern devices are cloud-ready and activate Windows 10 Pro features like longer battery life, fast WiFi, and better video conferencing for seamless functionality.

Windows-based tablets can run apps similar to those on PCs, making working and sharing files between the devices a seamless user experience. In addition, these tablets are renowned for their ‘Plug and Play’ capabilities. Whether in an office, manufacturing facility or in the field, the user can simply plug in expansion devices such as external monitors and detachable keyboards, to convert their device into a mini-PC system so they can perform their desired job function with ease.

More options are also presented to the enterprise regarding accessories, meaning greater cost flexibility. For example, users can customise R11 by installing different expansion modules suitable for unique field requirements. It features a host of integrated data-capture modules to retrieve and transmit information on the move. Optional features include RJ45, RFID reader, smart card reader, RFID reader and Magnet Strip Reader. This is just one example of how Durabook’s Windows-based devices can offer infinite possibilities in providing a total solution for every industry.

For more information: www.durabook.com/en/durabook-and-microsoft-windows-the-ultimate-partnership/

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more about Durabook @ www.durabook.com/
• Read more about Durabook on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/all-about-durabook
• Learn more about Durabook and Microsoft Windows @ www.durabook.com/durabook-and-microsoft/
• Follow Durabook on Twitter @ twitter.com/Durabook
• Follow Durabook on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/company/durabook/

Durabook is delighted to announce a new distribution agreement with APC Technology Group.

The distribution partnership complements APC’s existing line up of ruggedised and Mil-STD computing solutions, which include displays, laptops, tablets, networking solutions and embedded boards. In addition to front-end systems, APC also supply Mil-STD components with design-in support - ranging from power conversion solutions, semiconductors and optoelectronics to RF and Microwave components and precision test equipment.

APC and DURABOOK offers customers access to the latest systems and technologies to provide a seamless and reliable service.

For more extensively customised products, APC’s team of defence-grade computing specialists can assist customers with creating bespoke solutions. From boards, displays to chassis, DURABOOK and APC can build to your requirements quickly and economically.

Fred Kao, CEO for DURABOOK commented: “DURABOOK is delighted to announce this new partnership with APC Technology Group. Our rugged laptops are designed to deliver an unrivalled performance in the most challenging environments, and we are confident that APC is the perfect partner to promote this offering. In addition, this collaboration will enable us to fulfil growing demand and opens up new market opportunities.”

Mark Broadhead, APC’s Sales Director said of the agreement:

"This partnership provides our UK military customer base with an outstanding opportunity to source high-performance computer systems. Also suitable for other blue light applications, such as the emergency response services, it ensures people on the frontline can carry out their roles protecting the public with the right tools to do so in what is increasingly becoming a connected, mobile world.

For more information or to register as a partner visit: www.partners.durabook.com/register.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more about Durabook @ www.durabook.com/
• Read more about Durabook on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/all-about-durabook
• Learn more about APC Technology Group @ apcplc.com
• Follow Durabook on Twitter @ twitter.com/Durabook
• Follow Durabook on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/company/durabook/

Durabook, Twinhead International Corp. and IPC2U GmbH have agreed a distribution partnership in which the entire mobile rugged portfolio is now available directly to both IPC2U customers as well as to the resellers of IPC2U.

This means that IPC2U’s partners and customers across various industries, from logistics, forestry and energy, right up to the public sector and the military, will receive the most up-to-date and highly customized solutions for their individual requirements.

the agreement will help durabook and ipc2u further expand their market presence

For IPC2U, the signing of this agreement is yet another important step towards expanding its already diverse client services in the field of industrial computers. The service portfolio of IPC2U is highly varied, ranging from consulting to distribution and ultimately sales of dedicated embedded computer systems, panel PCs and networking equipment, to joint planning of complex projects.

“With Durabook`s rugged notebooks and tablets from Twinhead, we have included an innovative addition to our product portfolio, which perfectly reflects the requirements in the mobile rugged sector. Durabook’s many years of expertise and know-how offers us tailor-made solutions that we can now make available directly to our customers,” says Jens M. Güßregen, Director of Sales and Development at IPC2U.

Kevin Wang, Business Development Manager at Twinhead, also emphasizes the importance of the connection: “By cooperating with IPC2U, we are gaining an extremely important resource in the IT channel and can now make our successful, rugged solutions available to an even larger group of customers. IPC2U offers all the prerequisites to further expand our market presence.”

For more information or to register as a partner visit: www.partners.durabook.com/register.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more about Durabook @ www.durabook.com/
• Read more about Durabook on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/all-about-durabook
• Learn more about IPC2U @ https://ipc2u.com/
• Follow Durabook on Twitter @ twitter.com/Durabook
• Follow Durabook on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/company/durabook/

Durabook, the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, will partner with Logic Instrument - Distributor for France - at Milipol, taking place from 19th to 22nd October in Paris

The technology specialist will be showcasing its full range of rugged mobile devices, built specifically for the defence sector, on Stand 5L105, Hall 5A.

Durabook’s range of rugged mobile devices supports defence operations from the front line to assist a range of mission critical tasks

“Military and defence organisations around the world are embracing automation and digital transformation strategies to drive efficiencies, and improvements in operations, decision-making, safety and security - and rugged technology is core to this,” said Twinhead CEO Fred Kao. “As technology evolves, Durabook ensures that organisations can keep pace and adopt cutting-edge innovations by building in as much flexibility and options for expansion as possible into every single device - far beyond that of any other rugged products on the market today.”

“Milipol is one of the leading events for homeland security and safety, so we are proud to have the opportunity to showcase our product range to key stakeholders across the decision-making chain and deliver the brand and its capabilities to new global audiences.”

Durabook’s range of rugged mobile devices supports defence operations from the front line, in-vehicle and in the control centre to assist a range of mission critical tasks. The devices pack in more processing power to handle data-intensive tasks, like geographic mapping, have round-the-clock battery power, and support military standard security and encryption requirements.

For more information, visit www.durabook.com.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more about Durabook @ www.durabook.com/
• Read more about Durabook on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/all-about-durabook
• Learn more about Logic Instrument @ https://logic-instrument.com/en/
• Follow Durabook on Twitter @ twitter.com/Durabook
• Follow Durabook on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/company/durabook/

Durabook, the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, announced today the introduction of its dramatically upgraded Z14I fully-rugged laptop.

The device is 1.6x faster than its predecessor thanks to the inclusions of the 11th Gen. Intel® Core™ processor. This exceptional performance, combined with other new features, makes the Durabook Z14I the world’s toughest fully-rugged laptop.

What the Manufacturers Say:

Faster Computing Power

Equipped with the Tiger Lake mobile processor – 11th Gen. Intel Core i5-1135G7 (2.4GHz -4.2GHz)/i7-1165G7 (2.8GHz -4.7GHz) – the Z14I is up to 1.2x faster than the 10th generation version and 1.6x faster than the 8th gen (used in the previous model), a significant CPU upgrade. In addition, the device supports the Intel vPro platform, bringing together business-class performance, hardware-enhanced security features, modern remote manageability, and PC-fleet stability.

Storage

Equipped with the latest NVMe PCIe SSD technology, the Z14I provides up to 1TB of storage and R/W speeds of up to 2500MB/s, 4x faster than SATA III SSD. It also can accommodate two more internal SSD SATA III drives to maximise onboard storage, providing one each: NVMe PCIe SSD, SATA III SSD, and media bay SATA III SSD. In addition, if more storage is needed, the Z14I can be turned into a rugged portable server by adding a RAID storage extension chassis with up to four additional SATA III SSDs for RAID 0/1/5/10 configurations.

Tremendous I/O Interface Options

When it comes to interface options, the advanced Z14I offers:

• Thunderbolt™ 4 technology; 40Gb/s of bandwidth; one port that supports multiple protocols (USB 4, DisplayPort, PCIe); supports up to 2x 4K displays; backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C; maximum flexibility for docking station;
• HDMI and VGA video ports as standard configuration
• Equipped with 2x RJ-45 LAN and 2x RS-232 ports

Maximum Connectivity

Featuring advanced wireless technology and improved connection robustness with its Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 and Bluetooth® V5.2, the Z14I is ideal for applications that require an instant response. Wi-Fi 6 AX201 provides a maximum speed of up to 2.4Gbps, 1.39x faster than AC 9260, while its Bluetooth® V5.2 bandwidth is 8x greater than v4.2 and can connect multiple devices at once.

Exceptional Graphics’ Performance

The new Z14I comes with Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics, 150 MHz higher than UHD 620, resulting in 2.75x faster 3D effective speed – more than enough for daily usages. For professionals running massive graphic computing, the Z14I also can be built with optional expansion standalone NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1050.

More Rugged Than Ever

MIL-STD 810H certified (drop, shock, vibration, rain, dust, altitude, freeze/thaw, high/low temperature, temperature shock, humidity, explosive atmosphere, solar radiation, salt fog, fungus resistance), the Z14I withstands harsh environmental challenges. It also boasts six-foot drop resistance and IP65 certification to stand up to any extreme conditions. In addition, Ultra-long battery life of 16 hours with five minutes of bridge time ensures data loss and downtime are non-issues.

AVAILABILITY

The upgraded Durabook Z14I fully rugged laptop starts at £2,988.

For more information visit Durabook @  https://www.durabook.com/en/products/z14i-laptop/.

Durabook, the global rugged mobile solutions manufacturer, today announces a distribution agreement with Akhter Computers, provider of customised computer solutions.

The partnership will see Akhter selling Durabook-based solutions primarily into defence, government, public security and blue light organisations across the UK. As a prime partner for MoD organisations, Akhter is well placed to deliver innovative, customised solutions depending on need and environment.

the partnership will expand durabook's reach into defence, public safety and blue light sectors

Durabook continues to grow its customer base in the government and public security sectors around the world, including police and air forces, healthcare and military. The partnership with Akhter aims to extend this success in the UK, as defence and public security organisations look to innovate, and adopt the latest technologies even while budgets are squeezed. In return, Durabook offers greater margins, unmatched customisation and support for its distribution and reseller partners.

Alan Laffoley, CEO & Technical Director at Akhter comments; “Akhter has served the Ministry of Defence clients since 1985 and so understands the pressures of sourcing to the best-value and price-performance stipulations of government procurement guidelines. Durabook’s extensive customisation options and capabilities enables us to create more compelling solutions tailored to the varied needs of defence organisations and deliver them in a timely way.”

For more information on Durabook rugged tablets and laptops, please contact Akhter on durabook@akhter.co.uk or visit https://www.akhter.co.uk/durabook/.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Digital Transformation @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformation
• Find out more about Durabook @ www.durabook.com/
• Read more about Durabook on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/all-about-durabook
• Learn more about Akhter @ www.akhter.co.uk
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/Durabook

Latest deal with taiwanese firm will give re-sellers significant advantage in rugged market, Varlink says. 

Rugged devices are a hugely important tools available to field service organisations to empower their engineers with mobile tools that are designed to survive the rigours of remote working environments. However, for the uninitiated, there can be a bewildering amount of terms used by rugged manufacturers (and increasingly their consumer-focused cousin) so let’s take a quick refresher of some of the key language used in the world of rugged...

Fit-for-purpose

With no shortage of devices to choose from, deciding what’s best for your service operation is no easy task. Fit-for-purpose should be the starting point for any deployment, say the experts.

Indeed, the first question any company should ask when looking for new devices for their engineers or technicians is “what tasks will the device be used for?”

Mobile devices in field service are mission-critical – they are not just “nice-to-have”, they are the lynchpin of your operations essential to the efficient running of the operation. Ease-of-use of can have a big effect on productivity and user-acceptance – would an integrated barcode scanner, for example, be better than a more fiddly-to-use camera?

"The mobile device is more than your service technician’s new pen and paper; it carries the job schedule, customer details and equipment data..."

Remember, once you’ve made the shift away from paper, there’s no going back – the mobile device is more than your service technician’s new pen and paper; it carries the job schedule, customer details and equipment data.

Your customers will become used to the higher service levels.

So, above all, the devices you equip your field workers with need to be reliable.

Can it survive the technician dropping it? Are the processor and memory up to running several apps at once if that’s required? Is the screen readable in strong light? Will the touchscreen work if it gets wet? Can it last a whole shift without recharging the battery?

Is it Fit-for-purpose?

MIL-STD810G

Almost every rugged device you see will proudly boast the magical code MIL-STD 810G somewhere in the specs but what exactly does it mean and why is it just so important?

Well as you may well have guessed MIL-STD is actually short for Military Standard. In fact, it is an American military standard that although has it’s origins with the US Air Force is now upheld in a tri-service agreement between the US Army, US Navy and US Air force. However, the standard is widely adopted amongst commercial products that need to be able to hold up to rigorous environmental tests.

The G if you were wondering, relates to the current revision of the certification document and we have been at G since 2008.

General Program Guidelines

The first part of the MIL-STD-810G is a set of general guidelines that describes management, engineering, and technical roles in the environmental design and test the tailoring process. It focuses on the process of tailoring design and test criteria to the specific environmental conditions an equipment item is likely to encounter during its service life.

Laboratory test methods

The second element of MIL-STD-810G is focussed on the environmental laboratory test methods to be applied using the test tailoring guidelines described outlined in the general program guidelines.

With the exception of Test Method 528 (Mechanical Vibrations of Shipboard Equipment), these methods are not mandatory, but rather the appropriate method is selected and tailored to generate the most relevant test data possible.

The tests themselves are varied across a range of different environmental stresses which include:

• Temperature ranges
• Shock
• Vibration
• Humidity

Tested to. Vs. Engineered to

One problem with MIL-STD 810G testing is that it can be very expensive and it’s important to remember that MIL-STD-810 is not a specification per se but a standard. A specification provides for absolute criteria which must be satisfied to “meet the spec”. MIL-STD-810 as a standard provides methods for testing material for use in various environments but provides no absolute environmental limits.

Therefore, some OEMs will skip the whole second part of MIL STD 810G (the actual testing part) yet still claim their devices are engineered to meet MIL-STD 810G standards.

Whilst such devices may well be more than capable of surviving the rigours of your field engineers toughest day, the simple fact is that they haven’t been actually tested to do so.

That said most of the dedicated rugged players within the space such as Janam, Getac, Panasonic and Xplore et al will all have their own internal testing facilities and will also often engage with a third party to validate their findings.

IP Ratings

IP environmental ratings along with MIL standards (MIL-STD) are perhaps the most widely recognised yet also perhaps the least fully understood of the standard definitions of what makes a mobile computer or tablet rugged.

What the IP figures mean

IP ratings are defined by International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards and tell you how well devices are sealed against dirt and moisture ingress and the level of protection components have against whatever is thrown at them.

IP ratings have two numbers: the first indicates the degree of protection against dust, dirt and foreign bodies entering the device while the second is about how resistant the device is to the ingress of fluid from drops, sprays and submersion. Ingress protection ratings can be affected by the number of ports on a device and whether they are sealed or open, by keyboard design and a number of other factors.

"If like me, you’ve ever spilt tea or coffee on a computer keyboard, you’ll know that water ingress can be the kiss of death to electronic components.."

For field service, the numbers to look out for on a rugged mobile device are “5” and “6” for dust protection and 4,5,6, or 7 for water or fluid ingress. (In comparison, consumer devices typically have a rating of IP42 or lower although high-end consumer mobile devices are frequently now seen to have IP67 ratings)

Both are important when assessing devices: if like me, you’ve ever spilt tea or coffee on a computer keyboard, you’ll know that water ingress can be the kiss of death to electronic components. Less dramatic but in the long term just as damaging are ingress of dust and dirt particles. They can cause keys to stick and generally penetrate causing damage to components.

While “6” is dust-proof, a “5” rating doesn’t mean the device will prove unreliable, just that it isn’t completely sealed against dust ingress. It’s worth noting, too, that complete sealing against water and dust ingress may increase internal temperatures which in turn might impact on processor performance.

There are more numbers for fluid or water ingress: a “4” rating signals protection from splashes, “5” against water from a nozzle, “6” will cope with more powerful water jets or sprays, while “7” means you can submerge the device in water and it will still survive.

Again, which is best for your operations depends on the working environment – for many field-service environments, a “5” rating and even possibly a ”4 “will be perfectly adequate.

Touchscreens:

In a world of smartphones and tablets touch-screens have become a universally understood means of interacting with a device.

Whether it is inputting data or simply navigating through an operating system, I would put a hefty wager on the fact that anyone reading this article is both familiar and comfortable with using a touch-screen device, such is the prevalence of the technology today.

Touch-screens are an important, even critical part of the user experience of almost all modern tablets and smartphones. Yet at the same time, the screen is of course the potential Achilles heel and an obvious weak spot in a rugged device. The balance therefore between delivering a screen that is sufficiently capable of withstanding drops and knocks, whilst maintaining high usability, is absolutely critical for a rugged device.

So let's look at some of the various options you may find in differing rugged devices when it comes to the screen and explore exactly what these options actually mean.

Almost certainly the biggest debate when it comes to screen choices in rugged devices is whether capacitive or resistive screens are better suited for the task. But what is the difference between the two?

The older of the two technologies is resistive which relies on pressure to register input. This pressure can be applied by your finger, a stylus or any other object – think of the handheld computers that many delivery companies use, often covered in ink because when the original stylus is lost, the delivery driver often just uses a regular pen to collect a signature instead.

Resistive touch screens consist of two flexible layers with an air gap in between and in order for the touch-screen to register input, you must press on the top layer using a small amount of pressure to make contact with the bottom layer. The touch-screen will then register the precise location of the touch.

Rather than relying on pressure, capacitive touch-screens instead sense conductivity to register input—usually from the skin on your fingertip but also from dedicated styluses.

"The biggest debate when it comes to screen choices in rugged devices is whether capacitive or resistive screens are better suited for the task. But what is the difference between the two?"

Because you don’t need to apply pressure, capacitive touch-screens are more responsive than resistive touch-screens. However, because they work by sensing conductivity, capacitive touch-screens can only be used with objects that have conductive properties, which includes your fingertip (which is ideal), and special styluses designed with a conductive tip.

Initially one of the big advantages of capacitive touch screens was that they enabled multi-finger gestures – perhaps the most obvious example is pinching or stretching a document to zoom in or out. However, resistive touch screens have also supported multi-finger input for about three or four years now also.

The big advantage resistive screens have over their capacitive counterparts is the fact that the operator can still use the devices whilst wearing gloves – as the input is dependent on pressure rather than the electrical current being completed through a conductive material such as a finger.

An additional benefit is that light touch, such as rain landing on the screen, won’t register so the devices are far better to suited to being used in the wet.

Both of these factors are of course particularly useful in a number of field service environments.

However, another key factor for rugged devices is of course reliability and durability and in this respect, capacitive touch screens have the advantage – especially in heavy use applications.

Resistive screens can have a tendency to eventually begin to wear down in frequently used areas. Such areas may be prone to becoming faded and may ultimately even become unresponsive. Also in terms of reliability, if a capacitive touch-screen does happen to become pierced or cracked it is still likely to function – think how many times you have seen someone using a smartphone with a cracked screen?

However, a break anywhere on a resistive touch-screen will often mean that it no longer works.

In terms of field service, this is a potentially huge advantage for capacitive screens as it allows for a field service technician to continue to utilise their device until they can get the screen repaired.

Ultimately, there are many different rugged devices available these days ranging from rugged smart-phone style handhelds through to fully rugged detachable laptops. As we mentioned at the beginning of this feature ensuring the devices you select are fit for purpose is crucial.

In order to do this, we advise getting a real understanding of how your field service engineers and technicians are doing their job - what environments to they work in and what is there workflow. Get them in to give you some input or get out there on some ride-alongs. Because, if you have an understanding of this you will find a device that fits your needs.

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