Aug 8, 2011 07:24 GMT  ·  By

Glacier Computer, a company specialized in developing rugged industrial computing solutions, has just announced the introduction of a new series of tablets that run the Windows XP or 7 operating systems are specially designed for use in harsh environments.

Three different designs are available, with screens measuring between 7 and 10-inch in diagonal, and these are powered by either Intel Atom N450 or Atom Z530P processors.

No matter the CPU or model chosen, the tablets feature 2GB of system memory, a Gobi 3000 3G module, barcode imaging, camera, RFID as well as sunlight readable and resistive touchscreens.

Storage is provided either by an 32GB solid state drive or an 120GB hard drive, while the rest of the configurations list can include Bluetooth connectivity, a fingerprint scanner, hot-swappable battery packs and a Smart Card reader.

All the Glacier tablets can be fitted with at least one USB port (some have such a port available as standard) and come complete with a docking connector.

Since the tablets were built to work in some of the harshest environments known to man, they feature all sort of industry certifications, withstand operating temperatures of -20C° to +50°C, while the toughest models can even survive drops to concrete from 182cm (6ft).

"A full line-up of rugged tablets was designed to meet all the different requirements needed by today's mobile workforce. Portable tablets are being used in almost every vertical industry today and no one tablet is going to come close to meeting all those demands", said Ron D'Ambrosio, CEO, Glacier Computer.

"Businesses want rugged tablets that are durable, but still affordable, and with the new line-up of Glacier tablets we offer value, features, and ruggedization in our newly-expanded standard configurations," concluded the company's rep.

Glacier Computer has listed all of its new tablets on the company's website, but no details regarding pricing or availability were made public at this time.