Planning a Rugged Mobile Device Development

While Return on Investment (ROI) is a major consideration when choosing a rugged Android tablet to be used in the field, calculating that ROI must take into account the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the device. An off the shelf tablet may seem to have an attractive price point, but shortcomings such as functionality, ingress protection (IP) rating, ruggedness, usability, and lack of long term availability can significantly skew the ROI and TCO calculation for an off-the shelf vs. a custom tablet design. Considerations like TCO and ROI often involve nonobvious considerations.

Rugged must be designed for use in industry-specific environments by providing users with the right tools, access and user experience from the device to the application. That means starting with a detailed and well explored understanding of user needs, tablet use cases, and the environment of deployment.

Development Process Considerations

Computing power, OS, interoperability, connectivity and application compatibility must be determined through the lens of who, where, when and, how the device will be used. For example, companies must consider the changes in OS that are happening such as the rise of Android and the decline of Microsoft OS in mobile devices other than laptops. This was the focus of a recent Information Age articlediscussing Microsoft’s announcement of stopping support for Windows 10 Mobile this year (2018).

This has led to Android becoming the top contender for an operating system compatible with the rugged environment. But there are many other questions that a business must ask to develop a sound rugged device development roadmap.

• How where and when do you plan to use the rugged devices?
• Which business operations must they support?
• What features and applications must it support?
• What unique interfaces and equipment are required to meet the application?
• How much control is required over the configuration and updates of the operating system and application software?
• What are the connectivity and wireless access needs?
• What are the security concerns and requirements?
• What are the timetables for needed use and how does that intersect with the development timeline?
• Must the software environment be modified to meet application and regulatory requirements?
• What industry, safety, and government regulations and certifications are required, and how do these requirements impact the design and implementation of the device?

View Original Source:- https://www.inhand.com/planning-rugged-mobile-device-development/

The Importance of Rugged Tablets in the Manufacturing Supply Chain

Today, every manufacturing sector deals with an extremely broad supply chain that is often global and often deals with a lack of reliable, real-time data access in the field. This inherent lack of end-to-end integration can be partially bridged by technologies such as cloud-based software access, RFID, IoT and others. Having the ability to access the data from these technologies in real-time in the field requires a portable connected device such as a rugged tablet to deliver that reliable end-to-end integration under the most difficult conditions.

The challenges don’t end there as supply chain mobile device longevity is a pressing concern in the majority of manufacturing sectors where use routinely happens under punishing conditions. Deploying a mobile device for industrial use requires significant development, test, and often certification testing. Once complete, the resulting device must be capable of being built and deployed over the long term to avoid expensive redesign and retest. Oil & gas, mining, and the broader energy industry are just three major examples where managing assets in the field requires a device capable of delivering real-time access in harsh environments to make production and operations efficient and cost effective.

From drill sites to fleet transportation and all points in between, managing assets for oil and gas, mining and the broader energy production industries requires around-the-clock access to real-time information resources, and an industrial Android tablet must be able to perform under harsh conditions like extreme heat and cold as well as punishing physical environments.

View Original Source:- https://www.inhand.com/importance-rugged-tablets-manufacturing-supply-chain/