Tools - March 2009

By Susan Nunziata
Security Conscious
The Fujistu ST6012 slate tablet PC features embedded biometric pre-boot authentication for added data protection. Designed for on-your-feet computing, the device has a 12.1-inch anti-glare display. Two WiFi connectivity options are available, from Intel or Atheros. Price: $2,000. www.fujitsu.com/us/


Why Have Just One?
The Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds offers a dual screen design aimed at mobile workers in oil/gas exploration, computer-aided manufacturing and design, and other content-rich verticals. The W700ds has a 17-inch primary screen and a 10.6-inch second screen. The secondary display slides out from the PC cover behind the primary screen. Its viewing angle can be adjusted by up to 30 degrees. Price: $3,663. www.lenovo.com


Going The Distance
The latest addition to Honeywell's line of Dolphin mobile computers offers three long-range laser scanning options that can read barcodes from distances of five feet up to 30 feet away. Aimed at warehouse and distribution environments, the rugged Dolphin 7850 features a water, dust and shock-resistant casing.
It runs on Windows Mobile 5.0 and offers integrated 802.11a/b/g WiFi communication. Price: $2,195. www.honeywell.com/aidc


Ultra Mobile
The 2.6-pound HP Mini 2140 Notebook PC features a 10.1-inch scratch resistant Illumi-Lite LED display and a QWERTY keyboard that comes in at 92% of full-sized. It runs on an Intel Atom processor and features integrated WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Price: $500. www.hp.com


But Does It Kill Bad Guys?
Superhero crimefighters will be lining up for this item.
Due out first in Europe later this year is the LG GD910 3G Touch Watch Phone.  It features a full touchscreen interface, 7.2 Mbps 3G HDSPA compatibility for high-speed data transmission and video phone calls and GSM Quadband Network capabilities. It has a curved, tempered glass case, metal casing, and is 13.9 mm thick. Oh, and it also tells time. Price: Unavailable. www.lge.com


802.11n Efficiency
Cisco launched the Aironet 1140 Series 802.11n Draft 2 WLAN access point and accompanying M-Drive Technology feature set. Together, the products aim to simplify wireless adoption and enhance 802.11n performance. The AP is designed to integrate high quality voice, video and rich media across
wireless networks. Price: Starts at $1,300. www.cisco.com


WiMAX Laptop
Toshiba is marketing the Portege R600-ST520W ultraportable laptop with integrated Intel WiMAX / WiFi Link 5350 AGN, which offers both 802.11a/g/n and WiMAX connectivity. The 2.4 lb. laptop is 0.77 inches thin and features an indoor/outdoor transreflective 12.1-inch diagonal widescreen display. It's part of the company's new line of business laptops. Price: $2,150. www.toshibadirect.com


Palm Progress
Sprint will offer the Palm Pre, the first phone based on Palm's new webOS mobile platform, in first-half 2009. Palm's webOS platform is designed to keep users constantly connected to the Web. A key feature is Palm Synergy, which brings togther the user's various messaging applications, calendars, and contacts into one logical view. The Pre has a 3.1-inch touchscreen plus a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It offers high-speed connectivity via EVDO Rev A or UMTS HSDPA, as well as WiFi 802.11b/g. Email options include Outlook EAS for access to Microsoft Exchange, plus personal email support (POP, IMAP). 
Price: Unavailable. www.sprint.com/palmpre


The Big Picture
Due out later this year, the Samsung MBP 200 Pico Projector uses the DLP pico chip from Texas Instruments to project images of up to 50 inches in size from a mobile device. It can connect to mobile phones, MP3 players and laptops and independently supports standard Microsoft Office and PDF formats for display. Price: Unavailable. www.samsung.com


PCI Friendly
Aruba Networks offers Payment Card Industry compliance reporting in its new AirWave Wireless Management Suite 6.2. It evaluates individual managed devices against PCI requirements to validate that safeguards are working as intended. Price: Starts at $6,000 for a network of 25 access points.
www.arubanetworks.com