Corporate mergers are risky things. Cultures may clash. There may be bad blood. Perhaps there is too much overlap in existing product lines. Or the anticipated synergy simply may not materialize. For all of these reasons we watched Norand's merger into Intermec last year with some concern. It turns out that our fears were unfounded. Some changes were made, of course. Norand's wireless business, for example, is now part of Intermec, and Norand is now known as the Norand Mobile Systems Division of Intermec Technologies, Inc., itself part of Unova. Other than that, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa based business process automation company is humming right along, cranking out new products at record pace.

One of them is the new Norand 600 Series of industrial mobile computers. The 600s are small, lightweight devices that look more like palm-size PCs than like the typical vertical market industrial computers. That's because they are palm-size personal computers, or, in the strictest sense of the word, at least one them is, the 602. That's because the 602 runs Windows CE 2.12, the same variant as consumer devices such as the HP Jornada 420 or the Compaq Aero 2100.

Norand, like other providers of industrial mobile computers, is in the process of migrating its product line from proprietary or older operating platforms to newer and industry standard ones, which pretty much means Windows these days. Problem is that Windows 95, let alone Windows 98 or 2000, are large and resource intensive, and overkill for many mobile handhelds. There is always Windows 3.1, of course, but few customers would see moving to Windows 3.1 as a step forward.

Norand's strategists conferred with their customers and concluded to embark on a three-pronged approach. Low end systems run ROM-based versions of MS-DOS, such as 5.0 or 6.22. The mid-range gets Windows CE in a variety of implementations. Mobile power users, finally, get the full range of Windows 95 or 98's capabilities. Amazing though it may sound, Norand 600 Series customers have the choice of DOS, Windows CE, and Windows 95 in one and the same physical package. This is made possible by building the 600 Series around AMD's SC 400 "Elan" chip, a 486-class processor that can run each of these operating systems. Obviously you need a lot more resources and power to run Windows 95 than to the smaller Windows CE or good old MS-DOS. As a result, although the three members of the 600 family use the same processor it runs at different speeds, and each member is equipped with an amount of ROM and RAM capable of handling the job.

The DOS-based 601 runs at 33MHz, has 8MB of RAM and 4MB of internal Compact Flash. The Windows CE-based 602 runs at 66MHz, has 16MB of RAM, 10MB of Compact Flash, and an external CF Card slot. The Windows 95-based 603 runs at 99 MHz, has 32MB of RAM, 40MB of internal Compact Flash, and an external CF slot. Other than that, the three models are pretty much the same, except that the 602 and 603 can be equipped with an optional laser scanner. RAM is not expandable.

As far as size and design goes, the 600 Series computers look like palm-size PCs-same general form factor, same general operation-but they are a bit larger and infinitely tougher than consumer market PPCs. While a typical PPC like the HP Jornada 420 measures something like 3.2 x 5.3 by less than an inch, the 600 Series devices have a 3.6 x 6.1 footprint, are 1.2 inches thick, and weigh two to three ounces more. They still fit into a breast pocket, though, and they are significantly handier than Norand's older 6100 or 6300 Series without giving up any power. The 6100 and 6300 Series, being larger and more expensive, offer more functionality and expandability with their multiple PC card slots and add-on modules.

The 600s, on the other hand, doesn't have any communications or interface capabilities other than those provided through a docking system (or the external CF Card slot in the 602 and 603), and as mentioned above, only the 602 and 603 even offer a CF Card slot or an integrated laser. None have an IR port or audio capabilities. On the other hand, the 600 Series has an integrated keypad for quick data entry, palm-size PC-style side buttons for action and cursor control, and an impressive lineup of industrial strength peripherals.

No vertical market mobile computer is complete without a vehicle or desktop docking station to provide charging, synchronizing, and general connection to the enterprise network. As far as docks go, Norand offers a single unit desk/vehicle dock that provides Ethernet LAN and serial connectivity, and a four-unit depot dock with LAN and RS-485 interfaces. Since many 600 Series devices will be used in applications that require hard copy receipts, there are no less than four printers to choose from. In addition to an image page printer and impact and thermal receipt printers which connect via coiled cord, there is a portable workboard receipt printer with its own docking slot for a 600 device.

In terms of ruggedness, the 600s are designed to take a beating. Their tough plastic case and lack of movable part combine to make them survive repeated four foot drops onto concrete. There are no doors or latches to break off and, while not waterproof, the 600s can be used in the rain. Predicted Mean Time Between Failure is an impressive 10,000 hours. The most vulnerable part is the 240 x 320 pixel EL-backlit LCD display as there is no lid to protect it. The screen, incidentally, is a indoor/outdoor viewable monochrome. Like most of its kind, it doesn't offer much contrast.

Like most handheld PCs these days, the 600 Series uses a Li-Ion battery pack which is rated for 500 complete recharge cycles and should last eight to ten hours on a charge. List prices are US$1,295 for the 601, US$1,695 for the 602, and US$2,395 for the 603. The scanner option adds $545.

The sample Norand sent us was an early production Windows CE 602 model. It felt rock solid and looked like it could easily survive the daily punishment in its intended markets (direct store delivery, field service, transportation, etc.) for years. We weren't able to run our usual performance benchmarks to see how the 66MHz Elan SC-400 stacks up against RISC-based designs. In executing the demo applications on the device, the 602 was acceptably fast, though not a speed demon. I should also mention that though the 602 uses the same Windows CE 2.12 as consumer palm-size PCs, it doesn't use the same interface. The familiar Start button is nowhere to be seen, and neither are the Windows pulldown menus. Instead, most 602s will run dedicated, custom designed software with their own specialized interfaces.

During a recent visit in Cedar Rapids, Norand executives seemed very pleased with the cooperation and help they received from Microsoft during the development process of the 600 Series. That's good as the company, like several of its competitors, is pretty much betting its future on Windows CE. For the most part, this seems a safe bet, what with Windows CE being a Microsoft product and uniquely suited for small mobile systems. In the same respect, converting existing software applications from Windows to Windows CE has turned out to be a more time-consuming challenge than anticipated. And Microsoft still hasn't been able to make a convincing case for Windows CE. Despite this, Norand's choice of Windows CE in the 600 Series was a no-brainer. If things go as planned, a 602-dominated 600 Series will make the company a leader in industrial CE computing.

If not, the 602 gives Norand's customers a chance to get to know Windows CE while still having the fallback position of running MS-DOS or Windows 95 on their 600 Series devices.