Posts

Magic MRK8I used to work in healthcare, and like many people involved in that field, I became quite cynical about its practice.  For one thing, modern medicine may be hi-tech, but people can treat it as if it was magic. Patients sometimes demand prescriptions from a doctor for medicines that they can get over the counter. The prescription is unnecessary, but it is “magic,” because it is from a doctor.  Doctors have been known to take x-rays, not for diagnostic purposes, but because the “magic” image impresses patients and helps ensure compliance.

What about so-called “medical-grade” computers? Do doctors really need one? What exactly is a “medical-grade” computer, and is it good for anything else besides healthcare?  Are they magic or hi-tech?

  Read more

hot laptopThe hot days of summer are associated with swimming, BBQs, and other good times.  However, it is no fun when your laptop overheats.  Here are a couple of things to do when your computer becomes too hot to handle: Read more

This article is a second in a series.  To read “Part I:  It’s an iPad world, not Windows PC at work, tablets at home8’s” and the article in full, click here.

 

The PC is not dead; it’s just not at home

With 300 million sales this year, it may be a bit premature to mourn the passing of PCs.  What the decline in PC sales really signifies, some argue, is the death of the home desktop. Take a look at these Business Insider illustrations:

 

Read more

dt6_frontThe new ROCKY DT6 rugged tablet is a powerful new mobile solution, designed to match the needs of military and enterprise applications, the DT6 is:

  • Rugged – Its magnesium casing means it won’t break when you need it the most.
  • Light and portable – Perfect for field work.
  • Built for massive manual data input – The built-in keyboard lets you file reports no matter where you are.
  • Atom powered – This special processor allows you to run full Windows/Linux OS. Read more

For the first time, AMREL is selling deeply discounted Demo computers & Eval units online!  UP TO 70% OFF on select fully rugged laptops, tablets, and handhelds. See the great deals at shop.amrel.com!

What are the forces driving the technology of rugged computers? Where are rugged computers being used, and what are their future applications? How will the popularity of business tablets affect them?  We addressed these questions and others to Dr. Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, author of the Rugged PC Review as well as its blog. As one of the few independent voices in the world of rugged computing, he has a unique perspective. Here are his self-described “stream-of-consciousness” answers.  Read article here.

Videos of computers being smashed have a certain visceral appeal. Even though computers make our life easier, all of us have experienced an impulse to chuck one through a window.

While not quite as violent as a window toss, this video  demonstrates a test that seems eerily familiar to a drop test of MIL-STD 810.

Read more

April 22 is Earth Day, a time in which we reflect on how our actions affect the environment.  These effects can be quite surprising, even dangerous.  For example, it probably never occurred to you that recycling computers could potentially hamper National Security.

To explain this bizarre chain of causality, let’s explain a few basics.  First, your computer is full of lead and lots of other nasty stuff. That’s why you are not supposed to just dump them the trash; decaying computers can pour a variety of toxins into landfills.  Secondly, your computer is full of gold and other valuable materials.  Computer disposal and recycling is a big business. You may have seen announcements, such as this one in the ARMY Times, offering cash or at least shipping costs for discarded electronics.  Computer and other electronics recycling have become standard features of church and other nonprofit fund drives. Read more

Typing

Are keyboards dead?  In view of their ubiquity, and proven usefulness, this may seem to be an absurd question, but some people are considering this possibility. The success of the keyboard-less iPad in penetrating the business market was one of 2011’s big surprises. Also, in an interview in the IEEE Spectrum, journalist Sally Wiener-Grotta noted the impressive number of stylus interfaces on display at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES). She even cites studies that claim that when we use handwriting input, “… we absorb information better and we express information better…” Read more

futureRecently, some clients asked AMREL to build an Operator Control Unit (OCU) for their Unmanned Ground Vehicle.  No surprise there; we dominate that particular application.  What was noteworthy was the specific form factor that they requested.  They wanted it to be a wearable computer, worn on the wrist.

We ran a simple experiment with the clients.  We strapped a small computer to their wrist and had them run some typical UGV commands.  Soon, they discovered that their arms grew tired supporting the computer.  The clients agreed to have their OCU installed in the traditional, if less exotic, form factor of a handheld.

Notice that the wrist-mounted form factor wasn’t discarded for technological reasons. AMREL has become quite adept at developing small, powerful, ATOM-based computer platforms, which would be perfect for wearable solutions. Rather, this innovative approach was discarded, because the wrist form factor proved impractical for this particular use. Read more