I was on my way to Bangsar to look for DIY shop and i came across this shop, Sanifix ( Tel 03 - 2284 2322 ) using 2 units of portable 4" Toshiba thermal printer with portable data collector (Windows OS) with 2D scan engine. Quite impressive for small setup.

After commotion last week as angry Malaysian traders against the use of RFID to export Bird's nest to China... wonder what will be the result? Bird’s nest prices had also dropped from RM4,000 per kg to just under RM2,000 in a year. Malaysian Federation of Bird’s Nest Traders Association secretary Carole Loh warned that the industry was “on the brink of collapse” unless it received help soon

Nokia Windows 7 Phone

Looks like coming 2011, Nokia will have their own Windows 7 phone.

Windows Phone 7

Take a look at the new Windows Phone 7...

Rfid for AT870 PDA

Thin, rugged design from its the needs of the mobile worker 256K Color, Transflective TFT, LCD backlight give the color definitionand clarify the screen from ATID. It can read tags between 1~4m (UHF is depended on tag) & output power max 0.6W

Intermec CN50 PDA

Just back from Intermec Seminar held at Sunway Resort Hotel, and CN50 PDA is a great review...specs like built in 3.75G support, 2D imager, digital compass and also accelerometer functions. And the best part, it supports eMDI - or enhanced mobile document imaging (captures pictures in high quality documents). It runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 with dual processors 528MHz and 3.5inch TFT display. Extended Battery can pack upto 3,900mAh.

Unitech RFID PDA reader

Play around with the new RH767 Rfid reader from Unitech. Not bad consider the weight is lighter compare to Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro. Gives pretty good read but it could be better in terms of distance.

Jetstar using Symbol PPT8800

Jetstar presently operates to 15 destinations throughout Australia and now flies over 880 weekly
services. Weight and balance play an important role in the flight of all aircraft. Aeroplanes can't depart if
they exceed maximum weight limits, and it's important that they are balanced evenly between nose and tail. The maximum weight and balance limits of an aeroplane are set by its manufacturer and they are enforced through regulatory requirements set by the Civil Aviation
Safety Authority. When departing a port, every aeroplane must leave behind a printed statement of its weight and balance, along with the cargo and passenger manifest, which must be kept on file at the port for a minimum of three months. They have over 19 units of Symbol PPT8800 PDA (for each plane) which lets the pilot enter weight and balance figures and instantaneously

report is printed out with portable printer to kept for filing.
" The PPT 8800 has been a fantastic success and embraced by all of our staff. It plays a major
role in helping Jetstar continue to work smartly and provide a low cost, pleasing experience to
travellers." said Captain McBain.

FR68 and FR6000 from Motorola

Motorola today revealed two new rugged Windows Mobile handsets for the Asian market. The FR68 and the FR6000 aims at Asian market. Pricing from RM4858 onwards, they are 3.5G compatible, incorporate an internal GPS receiver, Bluetooth, IrDA, Wi-Fi, a Marvell XScale PXA312 624MHz processor, a 320×240 QVGA screen and an OCR capable camera at 3.2 mega-pixels.

Motorola MC55

Designed for mobile workers inside and outside an organization’s four walls and leveraging Motorola’s mobile computing platform architecture, the new MC55 EDA combines the power of a cell phone, two-way radio, bar code scanner, digital camera, and mobile computer into a compact and lightweight design. The new MC55 EDA enables mobile workers to improve productivity, customer response times and customer service levels by bringing business-critical voice, data and applications to the point of business activity. With WLAN and LAN options to choose from, Motorola will never disappoint you.

PDA for Transnational Bus

Just back from my CNY holidays and to think that the bus terminal at Duta this year is packed! It was messy sight, people all around, aircon in building not working, anxious and long waits announcements via loudspeakers, etc . Should consider the use of the pda for tracking passengers. At least, the boardings would be faster...

Another New PDA Product (made by M'sian)

Manufactured by local company ATC, for sale to China market. Running on Windows Mobile with a Marvell Processor 624MHz , with GSM/GPRS/WiFi -Price na.

Windows Mobile Vs Iphone (Part 2)

Read Edward J. R. of MsMobiles “12 reasons to buy Windows Mobile phone instead of iPhone 3G” and decide for yourself:

1) 3rd party applications in iPhone 3G cannot run in background: only one application can run at any given time in iPhone 3G so no background running of applications possible! In Windows Mobile phone several (many) applications can run at the same time so it is possible for example to simultaneously run in Windows Mobile: a) downloading a 50 MB MP3 file with a podcast, b) IM chatting with somebody including native Skype client for windows Mobile or native Live Messenger from Microsoft, c) edit Office documents, d) browse Internet, e) make a phone call, etc.

2) iPhone 3G has resolution of only 480×320 what is 2 times less than VGA (640×480) and W-VGA (wide VGA = 800×480) used in several Windows Mobile phones, what practically means: you can read more text on the display at once and everything is sharper

3) camera in iPhone 3G is inferior to camera in many Windows Mobile phones: it has only 2 megapixels compared to 3 to 5 megapixels in Windows Mobile phones and it does not have auto-focus - also present in many Windows Mobile phones

4) one cannot record videos with built-in camera of iPhone 3G, what is possible up to resolution of 640×480 pixels and 30 FPS (frames per second) in Windows Mobile phones

5) iPhone 3G supports HSDPA of maximal speed only 3.6 MB/second, while some Windows Mobile phones (including HTC Touch Diamond) suppport HSDPA of speed 7.2 MB/second

6) iPhone 3G does not have exchangeable battery that all Windows Mobile phones have, but only built-in battery so if you run out of battery you cannot replace it to prolong battery life - as it is possible with Windows Mobile phones
7) Original (i.e. from Microsoft) Office Mobile is built-in in each Windows Mobile phone and allows not only for viewing but also for editing of Office documents, so there is no need ot buy 3rd party software for it

8) There is much more 3rd party applications (programs) for Windows Mobile: over 20,000 compared to 500 for iPhone 3G

9) To make applications for Windows Mobile one needs either PC computer or Mac but to make applications for iPhone 3G one needs to buy a Mac computer - if you don’t have Mac computer then you cannot develop applications for iPhone 3G

10) Most Windows Mobile phones come without SIM lock so they can be used at any operator in given country and with SIM cards from abroad (important when traveling and you want to use local prepaid SIM card to avoid International roaming fees) while iPhone 3G has SIM lock and can work with only this operator at which it has been purchased

11) iPhone 3G has capacitive touch-screen meaning that it must be used with fingers and that it cannot be used with stylus or fingernails (what women like)

12) iPhone 3G has no physical keyboard or keypad, so users have no choice but to use virtual keyboards on the display while Windows Mobile offers phones in various form-factors, including such that have both touch-screen and a physical QWERTY keyboard

Microsoft Tech.Ed 2008 is upon us.

Microsoft Tech.Ed 2008 is happening in Malaysia again, this time around catch what is happening in the software development world! Set your date: August 11-14 ,2008 at KLCCC

What cool mobile application!

The customer using Windows mobile application wants to do the following:

Proof of delivery - route delivery
Route assignments
Customer's payment status
Customer's details
Work Order Dispatch
Inventory Tracking
Identifies nearest source of additional inventory (mobile or warehouse)
New product orders
Fleet tracking (odometer readings, driver logs, hours of service)
Critical message (alerts) - requires driver to read before continuing
Planagrams - Mobile application tells the driver how much product to deliver to each customer and on what date
Preventative maintenance planning and service tickets

What product did they choose to deploy the application that is complex and huge, yet the processing speed is still very good? Why the Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro G2 , of course. It comes with the following goodies like...

· Processor PXA270 520MHz
· Memory : 128MB RAM, 128MB Flash Memory
· Display 3.6” Full VGA, 640 x 480 Touchscreen display
· Sunlight readable (outdoor use)
· Expansion : SD/MMC slot, CF slot, 100 pin support for PCMCIA, GSM/GPRS EDGE and other third party module
· Bluetooth, Option : WiFi 802.11b/g
· Option : 1D/2D imagers, laser scanners
· Option : RFID readers for LF, HF and UHF
· IP65 rating— rain and dust resistant
· Withstand 5 feet drop to concrete
· 3000mAh High capacity battery pack

Now that's cool!

Slow economic is an Opportunity!!!

Slow economic periods are a time for reflection for many companies. With the recent fuel hike of RM2.70 in Malaysia has cause us to rethink how to do business. Understanding how to react to an economic downturn is one of the hardest tasks for a manager. The focus must be on accomplishing more with less and reducing inefficiencies. How can you provide more services per person, lower administrative costs and reduce expenses while at the same time providing quality work and good customer services? Put on your "thinking caps" and start the process of self-evaluation - to explore where inefficiencies may be lurking in your own unique business environment.

The use of mobile technology, in the context of field service automation, is most often driven by the following 12 business motivations:

1. Efficiencies in communicating information between the office and the remote service technician or jobsite
2. Efficiencies in planning and scheduling work based upon location, parts and expertise needed
3. Reducing fuel costs
4. Reducing travel time
5. Reducing time consuming and error prone data entry activities in the office
6. Increasing productivity – more average service calls per service technician in a day
7. Increasing service contract sales
8. Increasing equipment upgrade sales
9. Increasing collections with mobile invoicing, mobile printing of invoices and onsite collections
10. Improving inventory control and management - visibility to parts needed, the location of inventory and parts used on each job or service ticket
11. Reduced risks by reminding service technicians of safety hazards and safety procedures on the job
12. Improving management visibility into work done in the field to ensure quality services

HP iPAQ 600 Business Navigator

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX6e5FJdB8E

What do you want to incorporate in your phone?

Mobile phone has evolved tremendously. Now you have camera phones, music phones, gaming phones, smartphones and multimedia phones. And there are phones of varying designs, colours, shapes and sizes. What do you look for in a mobile phone?
DO you remember your first mobile phone? Mine was just a simple phone capable of making and receiving calls and messages during a time when you could only send a message to a person who is only on the same network. Since then, the mobile phone has evolved tremendously. And there are phones of varying designs, colours, shapes and sizes. So many choices! Having plenty of choices is a good thing. But what do you look for in a mobile phone? Do you want a nice-looking phone or a feature-packed phone?Some look at design while others look at features and their bank account balance, credit card or easy payment plan options. Some want a music player in their phone while others want a camera.Eventually, we all will come up with a phone that we’re willing to buy, but it’s hard to find that ultimate ideal phone, one that offers that perfect blend of form, functionality and pricing. It’s always one or the other. A phone with all the features may not be in that slim, cool and sleek feature; a phone that looks cool and sleek may not have all the features. Or if there is that perfect blend of form and function, the phone may not be within your price range!But this doesn’t mean that there are many people who aren’t satisfied with their mobile phone. Still, it’s important to know what you’re looking for in a mobile phone, how you’ll be using it, and what price you’re willing to pay for it. It may not be the perfect phone, but if it has most of the criteria that you’ve set, your purchase should be a satisfactory one.Personally, there are three basic criteria that I look for in a mobile phone – features, price and design. I have a list of things that I know I want to do on a mobile phone, so picking a phone based on this list makes it easier. I know that I want a phone that’s an extension of my computer but not a desktop replacement.Fortunately, it has come to that point in time when a mobile phone can become an extension of my online life. For example, e-mailing and chatting are available and Web browsing is possible, if not perfect. I would like a phone that’s easy to carry around.As for price, eventually I’d have save up enough money to be able to buy it. And that’s usually when a newer phone with better features and a higher price tag becomes available. Of course, that would then be the phone that I now want!

Smartphone marketshare

The statistics were interesting, but I had also asked people to share the reasons they bought a smartphone in the first place, and whether they liked their current model. Most people did in fact like their current phone. The Windows Mobile users probably grumbled the most about their devices, but still, more than half of them were happy with their experience.
Most people bought their smartphones because they wanted to access e-mail, Web browsing, and telephone calls on a single device, as might be expected. I had thought going in to this survey that most respondents would mostly be using their phones for business, but an overwhelming number of people said they used their devices both for business and pleasure.
The BlackBerry users might have obtained their phone to check their corporate e-mail, but that doesn't mean they don't check sports scores in between meetings, or plot directions to the campground on the weekend. This will be the next big source of growth for smartphones, devices that can balance multimedia consumer desires with business needs. People aren't going to want to carry multiple devices for fun and work: that's why they got a smartphone in the first place. Iphone -here i come, baby!