Ecom Instruments has teamed with Intermec to develop an intrinsically safe, ruggedized handheld mobile computer for use in hazardous environments such as oil refineries, drilling platforms and petrochemical plants. The curiously named ‘i.roc Ci70–Ex’ runs applications originally developed for Intermec’s 70 series devices running Microsoft Windows embedded 6.5.3.
Ecom claims conformance with ‘all key global certifications, from NEC to ATEX and IECEx—making it a truly global platform.’
The device has backing from BP whose technology consultant Mike Haley observed, ‘At BP, we focus on a few technologies with immediate impact that will also benefit long-term business needs. The integration of current and emerging radio communications for large industrial sites could yield great efficiencies for business operations.’
Wireless networking capabilities include 3G CDMA or UMTS, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. A long-range bar code reader and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) capability are included and a range of peripherals and accessories are available.
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