May 2021

A few days ago Panasonic released the 7-inch TOUGHBOOK S1 Android tablet. Since smartphones are now pushing towards (and into) 7-inch displays, we wondered why Panasonic did such a small tablet, especially since they already have the also 7-inch TOUGHBOOK L1. The near duplication still isn't quite clear, but tablets, of course, aren't smartphones. And the new TOUGHBOOK S1 is much closer to a full-grown, full-function tablet than to a handheld. [See description, analysis and specs of the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK S1]

Panasonic introduces powerful new fully rugged TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet to enhance flexibility and reliability for mobile workers
Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, announced today the launch of the TOUGHBOOK® S1, an all-new, fully rugged 7-inch AndroidTM tablet that offers the functionality, performance, power and flexibility mobile workers need when capturing and accessing critical information in the field. The device is supported by productivity+, a comprehensive Android ecosystem that enables customers to develop, deploy and sustain the Android OS environment in the enterprise. [See Panasonic media release] -- Posted Tuesday, May 18, 2021

VDC presents Handheld Barcode Scanners Interim Findings
VDC Research announced interim findings of their upcoming report on the handheld barcode scanner market. According to VDC, the handheld scanner market is poised for a strong rebound in 2021 following several down years. Globally, the handheld barcode scanner market will gain over $60M this year across the retail, healthcare, transportation, and industrial / manufacturing sectors. Glove scanners are enjoying a resurgence as almost every vendor is making improvements to their hand-worn models. The upcoming report includes market forecasts, vendor analysis, and analyst commentary coupled with historical data to track market growth. [View the Exhibit Outline and learn how you can adapt your barcode scanner strategy.] -- Posted Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Increase efficiency with versatile Trimble GuidEx guidance system for virtually any machine type
Trimble introduced today the Trimble® GuidEx Machine Guidance System, an advanced machine navigation solution intended to quickly and efficiently guide machines along route corridors or to specific target areas, while providing local awareness using customer provided mapping or engineering data to create exclusion and inclusion zones. For ultimate flexibility and mobility, users can quickly install the Trimble GuidEx system on anything from utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) to heavy equipment, on- or off-road. [See Trimble media release] -- Posted Monday, May 10, 2021

French Ministry of the Interior chooses Motorola Solutions to modernize frontline policing with 30,000 body-worn cameras
Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI), today announced that the French Ministry of the Interior will deploy 30,000 of Motorola Solutions' VB400 body-worn cameras to its National Police and the Gendarmerie (military police) to modernize policing. The roll-out of body-worn cameras, valued at $17.5 million (15 million Euros), is one of the largest ever deployed and is expected to start in July 2021. The deployment will support the French government's goal to improve trust and safety in policing by having all law enforcement officers wearing body-worn cameras. [See Motorola Solutions media release -- Posted Monday, May 10, 2021

Zebra Technologies announces first-quarter results
Zebra Technologies announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021. GAAP net sales were US$1,347 million in the first quarter of 2021 compared to US$1,052 million in the first quarter of 2020. Net income for the first quarter of 2021 was US$228 million, compared to net income of $89 million for the first quarter of 2020. "I'm proud of our teams’ exceptional first quarter performance as we continue to realize a strong recovery from the pandemic. We achieved record quarterly sales and earnings which exceeded our expectations, despite industry supply chain challenges,” said Anders Gustafsson, Chief Executive Officer of Zebra Technologies. The company enters Q2 with a strong order backlog. [See Zebra Zebra First-Quarter 2021 Results] -- Posted Tuesday, May 4, 2021