Although Wireless Links' Acknowledger CE was designed with the trucking, field service, and courier industries in mind, this fully integrated handheld mobile data terminal is likely to fulfill a broad range of industrial and service sector needs.

The Acknowledger combines the technologies of Web tablets, Internet terminals, and handheld computers, integrating them into one utilitarian device. This mobile unit's wireless data communication platform supports connectivity with CDPD, GSM, IDEN, CDMA cellular networks, and unspecified satellite networks.

The Acknowledger provides several options for entering information and data, including a conventional keyboard and touchscreen with signature capture capability. Voice data can be entered with an omnidirectional microphone, and the Acknowledger comes with the option of a 650nm laser diode bar code reader and card swipe.

The unit, measuring 6.75 x 3.75 x 1.9 inches, utilizes a 3.15 x 2.36-inch Graphic LCD Monochrome FSTN Transflective display. This touchsceen functions at a 1024 x1024 resolution.

The device's docking station, which can be mounted onto a vehicle dashboard and powered by a cigarette lighter outlet, has two RS-232 inputs that allow other types of card swipes to be attached, as well as connections to printers, GPS systems, and external satellite radios.

Weighing in at just a pound, the Acknowleder runs on an AMD ELAN400-33 processor and uses the Microsoft Windows CE operating system. It comes with 16 MB of DRAM memory, and its 8 MB of flash memory can be expanded to 144 MB.

Pricing and Availability

The product is currently available from dealers, resellers, or from the manufacturer for a base price of $1500 and up to $2500, depending on optional features chosen.

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