14 DAY TRIAL // Like many others that showed off their tablets after the iPad launch, American Industrial Systems has just released a slate of its own, an Intel Atom-powered semi-rugged outdoor tablet PC. Designed for on-the-field, real life usage, the slate is packaged in a compact, lightweight, semi-rugged chassis with P54 rated water/dustproof resistance. The device is also multiple 3-foot drop rated and has enhanced shock and vibration resistance.
The actual specifications of the AIS tablet include the Intel Atom Z530 at 1.6GHz, 1.8" HDD PATA or a Compact Flash card (32 GB) for storage, up to 1GB of DDR2 memory and a touch-capable 10.4-inch XGA Transmissive TFT LCD, with the option of replacing it with a sunlight readable LCM. The device has 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth V2.0+ EDR, Internal GPRS/HSDPA, two USB 2.0 ports and an SD card slot. It also boasts Realtek ALC262 audio, measures 276 x 213 x 18 mm and weighs approximately 2.5lb. It is already CE and FCC certified.
AIS designed this product as a solution for running applications, web surfing and document reading in outdoor conditions such as rain or dust, as well as in-vehicle. As such, the touchscreen display features the enhanced transflective LED technology, which confers an excellent sunlight readability and enhanced image clarity. In addition, the tablet is completely sealed (including the I/O connections), having an IP54 dust/waterproof rating, and features rubber bumpers for shock and vibration resistance. A glass-film-glass screen may be selected for an increased durability.
To further optimize its device for outdoor use, AIS is offering a complete line of optional accessories, such as GPS, 3G, credit card reader, second battery, barcode scanner and magnetic swipe readers (MSR). These accessories can allow the slate to act as a mobile POS station for mobile field sales automation, event parking, amusement parks and outdoor exhibits, among others. The second battery is custom engineered and hot swappable, for the possibility of a 27/7 continuous tablet operation without downtime.
The device will have a combined Primary and Secondary battery life of up to six hours. It will run either the Windows XP Professional Embedded or the Windows XP Embedded operating system and the complete product information may be found on the official product page. The press release does not mention the product's price.