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Motorola has just unveiled the MC55 as its newest, smallest, and lightest Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA) with a 3.5" QVGA touch screen. It's available in two flavours. The first is the MC5590 (pictured above), which packs a 520 MHz PXA270 processor, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, a 1D laser scanner, a 2D imager engine, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and Windows Mobile 6.1 Classic. The second of the two, the MC5574 (pictured after the break), is much the same story, except that it loses 802.11a Wi-Fi, but gains an A-GPS chipset, quad-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, and as you'd expect, the Professional version of Windows Mobile 6.1.

Jump the break for the press release and a specification sheet.

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"The VC6096 all-in-one in-cab solution is designed to help transportation and logistics providers achieve cost-effective compliance, maximize driver productivity, improve safety and vehicle utilization, reduce costs and improve customer service. Built to handle the rigors of the road, the device provides drivers with the comprehensive simultaneous wireless voice and data capabilities needed to maximize operational efficiency - including wireless WAN (WWAN), wireless LAN (WLAN), Bluetooth, GPS and telematics support. An open-platform solution, the VC6096 gives you the power of choice, allowing you to select and control the applications and peripherals that best meet your business needs."

Not your father's Moto Q, the enterprise-focued VC6096 is designed to be fixed in a vehicle and provide both information to the driver, as well as to the company, such as mileage, location, driver performance and hours and times of vehicle operation. The Windows Mobile 6.1 device offers an integrated GPS can provide directions and also give updates for fleet dispatchers. One of my many previous part-time jobs was doing some job dispatching to repair technicians and we had to rely on their word regarding location; not always the most reliable when it's close to quiting time! The VC6096 also offers 3.5G WAN voice and data connectivity over a GSM network. One significant benefit for fleet maintenance is integrated SAE J1708 and SAE J1939 telematics support. According to the news release, Motorola expects it to be available 4Q this year.

"Companies -- lots of them -- are still buying Windows Mobile smart phones, and Microsoft Corp. doesn't want to let iPhone mania make them forget. During Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, 325 enterprises purchased at least 500 Windows Mobile phones, with many buying many more, said Scott Rockfeld, group products manager for the mobile communications business at Microsoft, in a Friday interview. "

With all of the hype surrounding the iPhone 2.0 launch recently, which includes some capabilities to synchronize against some of your Exchange data directly with the server, Microsoft doesn't want IT pros to lose sight of the fact that Windows Mobile is still very big in business, although still behind RIM's popular Blackberry platform. Even at that, there are a lot of companies with RIM's BES server that use Windows Mobile devices, and over 100 are decommissioning their BES server. The article also mentioned one company buying 10,000 Windows Mobile devices but wouldn't give the name of the company, speculating only that it might be Wal-Mart, the world's largest private employer.

"The Enterprise Mobility business from Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced the MC75, the latest addition to its portfolio of Enterprise Digital Assistants (EDA), developed for mobile enterprises that require connectivity around the world. The MC75 EDA will help organizations increase worker productivity and efficiency, reduce operational costs and errors, and enhance customer service by delivering simultaneous voice, data, GPS navigation, and camera-based document capture. "At U-Haul, we aim to deliver the convenience that our customers demand, at the low cost that they expect,” said Sam Shoen, chief of staff, U-Haul International, Inc. “With the MC75, Motorola has brought a product to market that will continue to transform the way our organization serves the public and will positively affect almost every retail and logistical aspect of our operations. A technology investment at this level could not have been considered without Motorola’s reputation standing behind it." The MC75 combines high-speed access to voice and data with support for 3G networks based on the HSDPA and CDMA-EVDO (Rev A) standards for wireless communication. Equipped with 802.11a/b/g, a crisp color VGA display and a 2 megapixel digital auto-focus color camera, the new rugged EDA delivers the industry’s first mobile computer compatible with multiple 3G WAN network standards that captures high quality pictures, documents and signatures, as well as 1D and 2D bar codes. This unprecedented combination of real-time local and wide-area wireless communications coupled with advanced data capture capabilities enables businesses to improve workforce automation, reduce data errors, and enable productivity wherever work needs to get done."



Apple and Samsung weren't the only ones who unveiled 3G-capable devices yesterday. Motorola quietly introduced one of their own - the MC75. Designed for enterprises, this rugged handheld runs Windows Mobile 6 Professional and packs a PXA270 624MHz processor, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, a 3.5" VGA touch screen, HSDPA connectivity, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, IrDA, A-GPS, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a barcode scanner, and a microSD slot. Phew, that's a mouthful, and far from everything this device has. Hit the product page for more.