Motorola launches smaller and rugged wireless devices
Motorola Inc. has announced this week its smallest and lightest versions in MC55 series of ruggedized enterprise digital assistants. The company has offered two models comprising multiple configurations in order to help users bring down their upfront costs. One of the models, the MC5590, is designed specially for users like health-care workers, who need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The MC5590 lacks any kind of GPS capability. The device starts with a price of $1,695. The device will be available worldwide starting early next week.
One of the other models, the MC5574, in addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, also boasts of wireless WAN capability and GPS capability. The price for this device starts at $2,395. According to Motorola, this device is best suited for people like maintenance personnel and delivery workers in the field. The device is going to be available throughout the world. According to the company, it will become available in North America in the second quarter of this year.
As the reviews, the MC5574 weighs a mere 11 ounces and is very small in size. It is rugged enough to survive drops, falls, and exposure to liquids. This device belongs to the family of Motorola handhelds that also include the MC70 and the MC75. Motorola has also decided to end the production of the MC50 device. This device was the one that was used primarily in health-care settings for the past four years. If users get the option of two models that consist of different configurations of features, it allows them to choose only the capabilities they want. Sheldon Safir, Motorola’s director of mobile computing for the enterprise mobility division, was quoted as saying, “This is important to customers, especially these days, since they want to pay the lowest price for only what they need.”
These two models feature 3.5 inch color touch-screens. Both the devices support Windows Mobile 6.1 and are powered by the Marvell XScale PXA 270 520MHz processor. The devices boast of a total of 128MB of SDRAM and 256MB of Flash memory. To round up the package, the devices brag of a microSD slot that allows for up to 8GB of storage and a 2-megapixel camera.
