Wednesday, February 25, 2004
TDS Recon Rugged Pocket PC Review
Posted by Jonathon Watkins in "HARDWARE" @ 03:00 AM
PDA Buyer's Guide have a solid, long lasting and feature packed review of the TDS Recon rugged Pocket PC, very much like the device itself. 8)
"The TDS Recon isn't your average Pocket PC. It can withstand drops, bangs, dust and rain. The 17 ounce Recon is a rugged Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003 that's targeted at government, vertical market and military users who need a handheld computer that can survive the elements and take a beating." :bangin:
"While some vertical market PDAs lag behind in tech specs and horsepower, the Recon runs the latest Pocket PC operating system and has a 400 MHz XScale processor with 64 megs of RAM and 128 megs of non-volatile flash RAM. Pretty powerful stuff, in a very rugged design." Then there's the (not so) small matter of it's two Compact Flash slots, 3800 mAh NiMH replaceable battery pack and weight of 490 grams (17 oz). Nice, very nice & not very nice at all!
"We've provided the durability and environmental specs below, and I can tell you that I dropped the Recon 3 feet onto a hard floor several times and it was undamaged. TDS says it can withstand immersion up to 1 meter, and I in fact put the unit under running water while turned on and it didn't skip a beat.". I think we need to update our review techniques at PPCT in light of this! :wink:
The TDS Recon also reverses the usual RAM\ROM ratio for good measure as well. "What good is a durable device if your data disappears when the battery runs out or is removed for periods of time? The Recon comes with 64 megs of SDRAM (same as most high end Pocket PCs) with ~ 58 megs available. More importantly, it has 128 megs of non-volatile flash RAM (think of the iPAQ File Store concept) that survives extended power loss and hard resets. If the Recon is left in a truck for 3 weeks, all data and applications stored in the flash RAM area will still be there when you finally charge and power up the unit."
Oh yes, finally there's the small matter of the prices, which start at $1,499 for the 200 MHz version. 8O :shocked!: Presumably the weight of the device won't bother the people that buy it, as they are used to their wallets being that heavy all the time. :lol:
"The TDS Recon isn't your average Pocket PC. It can withstand drops, bangs, dust and rain. The 17 ounce Recon is a rugged Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003 that's targeted at government, vertical market and military users who need a handheld computer that can survive the elements and take a beating." :bangin:
"While some vertical market PDAs lag behind in tech specs and horsepower, the Recon runs the latest Pocket PC operating system and has a 400 MHz XScale processor with 64 megs of RAM and 128 megs of non-volatile flash RAM. Pretty powerful stuff, in a very rugged design." Then there's the (not so) small matter of it's two Compact Flash slots, 3800 mAh NiMH replaceable battery pack and weight of 490 grams (17 oz). Nice, very nice & not very nice at all!
"We've provided the durability and environmental specs below, and I can tell you that I dropped the Recon 3 feet onto a hard floor several times and it was undamaged. TDS says it can withstand immersion up to 1 meter, and I in fact put the unit under running water while turned on and it didn't skip a beat.". I think we need to update our review techniques at PPCT in light of this! :wink:
The TDS Recon also reverses the usual RAM\ROM ratio for good measure as well. "What good is a durable device if your data disappears when the battery runs out or is removed for periods of time? The Recon comes with 64 megs of SDRAM (same as most high end Pocket PCs) with ~ 58 megs available. More importantly, it has 128 megs of non-volatile flash RAM (think of the iPAQ File Store concept) that survives extended power loss and hard resets. If the Recon is left in a truck for 3 weeks, all data and applications stored in the flash RAM area will still be there when you finally charge and power up the unit."
Oh yes, finally there's the small matter of the prices, which start at $1,499 for the 200 MHz version. 8O :shocked!: Presumably the weight of the device won't bother the people that buy it, as they are used to their wallets being that heavy all the time. :lol:
