Industrial workers can stop worrying about getting dirt in laptop keyboards or losing their computing equipment in freak wind, rain, or dust storms. The Sidearm from Melard Technologies has been designed to combat all of those issues. Stuck in a storm with 40 mph driving wind and rain, but still have to record those last bits of data? No problem! The Sidearm can easily handle anything the environment, or the user, throws at it. And don't worry about losing it--the bright y'orange casing is easier to spot than those black laptops.

What makes the Sidearm so rugged? A high impact PC/ABS blend housing and integrated Santoprene bumpers contribute to the ruggedness of the design. Even though it's rugged, it's still pretty light. Weighing in at 2.4 lbs., the 8.6" x 7.2" x 1.5" device is easier to carry than a laptop. Moreover, it's specifically designed to go outside, so the display is highly functional and adaptable. The Sidearm display has 640x240 resolution and comes in the sunlight readable monochrome, color transflective or indoor color transmission variety. But enough about the outside, let's take a look at the inside.

Now, the Sidearm won't completely take the place of a laptop, but it's not designed to. It has been designed to be able to accommodate all of the needs of industrial workers when they're in non-computer-friendly environments. Even so, it is a handheld computer, so it can do a nice amout of computing.

The Sidearm comes with an Intel StrongARM 206 MHz processor, producing highly respectable performance on a small device, and it's efficient. On one charge of the Lithium Ion battery, the Sidearm will run for 12 hours. A typical workday, right?

It comes installed with Windows CE v2.12 and is set to run Windows CE-combatible industrial programs. System ROM includes 16MB of memory, expandable to 32MB, and 16MB of RAM. As far as other interfaces are concerned, the Sidearm also has one Compact Flash and one Type II/Type III PC Card slot. A standard DB9 serial port connector, a USB host connector, a super VGA port, microphone and speaker ports, a 75-key keyboard, including a 10 number keypad and 10 programmable keys, and a touch screen interface round out the basic input/output options.

As for communications, there are a host of methods to choose from. The Sidearm has fast IrDA, transmitting up at an average of 4Mbps. For landline connectivity, the Sidearm includes a 56K modem and RJ-11 port. It even supports speakerphone and caller ID functions. As for the wireless and cellular modems, the equipment depends on location and service availability. Melard will either equip users will a Mobitex (Cingular), DataTAC (Motient), Cellular/CDPD, or wireless LAN modem; or they can choose more than one.

Pricing and Availability

The Melard Sidearm is currently available to industrial markets for about $2,100 per unit.

(For access to more than 4,500 other hands-on product reviews on all variety of wired and wireless appliance and consumer devices, go to the iAppliance Web Portal Page. )