Motion Computing CL920

Announcing the release of the Motion Computing CL920 Tablet

Rugged, Lightweight, Connected and Ready for Business

Reduce downtime and increase productivity overnight. Our sleek new CL920 Rugged Platform is a giant leap forward in our CL-Series with faster processing power, enhanced connectivity, increased durability and superior image capture software. With support for both Windows® 7 and Windows® 8.1 applications the CL920 is ready to stand by your side now and in the future. 

The CL920 withstands the rigors of a tough workday – dust proof and shock-proof for uninterrupted reliability - rain or shine. Built around an internal magnesium frame and fortified with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 the tablet features a new signature Motion dot-pattern design for a ruggedized, non-slip surface texture. See what other accessories you could pair up with this tablet!

As a mobile professional, speed is your ally. With the latest Intel Pentium quad core processor, the new CL920 Tablet is 69% faster than our previous model. Combine that with 4G LTE for rapid connectivity and the CL920 gets work done in a flash. Click here to see the CL920 Specifications.

Order yours here!

Tablet PC Case Study: Blasting Solutions realizes 75% time savings over paper forms

We recently completed a case study with our client Blasting Solutions, Inc.  They use controlled detonation of explosives to deslag large boilers.  Before they implemented our solution, they spent several days assembling all the paperwork for their Job Book.  Now, the entire process just takes a few hours.  You can read the full case study here.

Lake Oswego Fire Department Chooses Motion F5 Rugged Tablet PCs

Motion F5s are improving inspection and incident documentation through real time electronic documentation and records access in the field

AUSTIN, Texas– April 27, 2010 – Motion Computing^®, a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, announced today that the Lake Oswego, Oregon Fire Department has selected the Motion^® F5 Rugged Tablet PC to improve fire code inspection processes and aid in incident documentation.

When firefighters at Lake Oswego Fire Department endeavored to conduct fire inspections they chose the F5 Tablet PCs to achieve an entirely paperless and electronic process. The team felt that by providing the ability to access and input data electronically, fire inspections would be more accurate and the inspectors more efficient and productive. Lake Oswego Fire Department started with the purchase of FIREHOUSE Software^® Mobile Inspection Software, and realized after the deployment that they would need a hardware solution that was rugged enough for harsh conditions and powerful enough to run the solution, as well as additional applications.

“We really needed hardware and software built around our processes and designed to work in our environment,” said Gert Zoutendijk, Deputy Fire Marshal, Lake Oswego Fire Department. “The software solution running on the F5s is easy to use, and the rugged design makes me feel confident that they will be able to withstand the often harsh conditions encountered by our firefighters.”

The fire department’s manual, paper-based method was time consuming and manually intensive, requiring double documentation which often resulted in inaccurate or missing information. After choosing the inspection software, Zoutendijk worked with John Hill of Allegiance Tablet PC Experts, a Motion reseller and expert in tablet PC deployments, who introduced the Motion F5 Rugged Tablet PC.

“Prior to learning about the F5s, we had been using other rugged computers, but they were too heavy, too expensive and too cumbersome to carry around the inspection site,” added Zoutendijk. “The F5 is ergonomic and thin with a convenient integrated handle, and since it’s all enclosed and rugged it protects the system against dust, moisture and other elements.”

Another feature which drew Zoutendijk towards adoption was the F5’s integrated technologies, including the digital camera which is great for documenting inspections. “Sometimes we encounter unusual situations or conditions and the ability to document and attach pictures directly into our records is an excellent benefit,” said Zoutendijk. “The F5 is also configurable with a wide array of accessories such as carrying cases, shoulder straps and mounts that really support the firefighters’ mobility.”

With the adoption of the Motion F5s, the Lake Oswego Fire Department looks forward to rolling out full implementation in the near future. Additionally, Zoutendijk also plans on utilizing the F5 for EMS charting. “When people’s lives are at stake, we need reliable technology solutions that help us improve care, and the F5s are ideal for this application,” added Zoutendijk.

About Lake Oswego Fire Department

The Lake Oswego Fire Department provides emergency response to more than 50,000 citizens within the City of Lake Oswego and three adjoining contract districts. Emergency services include fire suppression, emergency medical response, water & dive rescue, technical rescue operations, hazardous materials incidents, and disaster response. With four all-career stations strategically located throughout its district, the Lake Oswego Fire Department is prepared to provide rapid emergency service to citizens in need 24 hours a day. For more information visit www.lofire.org.

About Motion Computing

Motion Computing is a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, combining world-class products with services customized for the unique needs of target vertical markets. The company’s enhanced line of rugged tablet PCs, mobile point of care solutions and accessories are designed to increase mobile productivity while providing portability, security, power and versatility.

Motion Computing and Motion are registered trademarks of Motion Computing, Inc, in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

About Allegiance Tablet PC Experts

Allegiance Tablet PC Experts provides mobile computing solutions based on the Tablet PC platform. A Motion Computing Select partner, Allegiance provides pre-sales consulting and post-sale support for all Motion Computing tablets. To learn more about our experience with Fire Departments and EMS providers, visit our website at www.alltp.com or go directly to our Public Safety Solutions page at http://www.alltp.com/public-safety-mobile-computing-solutions/.

Motion C5/F5 - New and Improved!

Motion Computing today announced upgrades to the Motion C5 Medical Tablet PC and the Motion F5 Rugged Field Tablet PC. Both can now use Verizon Broadband internally. This is tremendous news since Verizon is by far the more popular network, at least as far as Allegiance' customers are concerned. Having the flexibility to choose either Verizon or Sprint allows you to choose the mobile broadband provider with the best coverage in your area.

In other wireless news, the units now include Intel WiFi Link 5300 a/g/draft-n communications. While most of our customer haven't installed n-routers you can expect to see more of this technology over the next several years.

The next upgrade is the hard drive which now supports a 64Gb solid state drive.

A new option for the C5/F5 is an external battery charger. IT'S ABOUT TIME! I'm surprised Motion has been able to sell so many C5s into hospital environments without a battery charger being available. Better late than never!

The Motion F5 now comes with a black exterior which is much better for dirty environments. I think it will make it more appealing to customers in field service businesses.

Motion F5 + RFID/Bluetooth = Better Safety

Many of the techie blogs are focused on the feeds and speeds of Tablet PCs. In the real world where companies have to invest in a solution that solves a problem, a tablet like the Motion F5 rugged field tablet is a good choice for inspection and other industrial applications.

Here is a press release from a company that has combined the rugged Motion F5 tablet PC with a RFID wand reader that communicates with the tablet via Bluetooth to solve a required inspection problem.

Tracking of Safety Equipment Made Easy with Handheld RFID Readers


Construction and manufacturing companies are required by law to conduct regular inspections on safety equipment such as eyewashes, safety showers and fire extinguishes. An essential part of these inspections is the accurate identification of each location where the equipment resides, regardless of its location (regularly changing) and the environment (dirt, dust, corrosive chemicals). If the location cannot be verified, the equipment at that location cannot be passed as safe.

Tuscaloosa, AL, January 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- CASE Inc, an Alabama based software development company, has developed an RFID tracking solution for safety equipment incorporating handheld RFID readers from Tracient Technologies and Motion F5 tablet PC’s. The solution is designed for construction and manufacturing companies who are required by law to conduct regular inspections on safety equipment such as eyewashes, safety showers and fire extinguishes. An essential part of these inspections is the accurate identification of each location where the equipment resides, regardless of its location (regularly changing) and the environment (dirt, dust, corrosive chemicals). If the location cannot be verified, the equipment at that location cannot be passed as safe.

Manual data entry from testing is time consuming and creates an unacceptable opportunity for error, especially through operators selecting incorrect equipment records or equipment locations in the database / handheld application. So CASE Inc has developed an RFID based solution for verifying the location of safety equipment in a fast, accurate and effective way using existing off-the-shelf hardware along with custom written software.

CASE Inc CEO Thomas McKane says “We considered using Barcodes but found they were are out of the question due to degradation and cost of replacing stickers when they became worn and/or unusable. Outdoor use and use around mostly metal areas makes barcode stickers hard to place and use. RFID tags have proven to be far more versatile and don’t need ‘refreshing’ as they get dirty.”

CASE found the RFID tags also provided certainly. RFID tags are unique whereas barcodes can be duplicated, not guaranteeing true proximity verification.

CASE’s choice of hardware started with Motion F5 tablet PC’s and docking stations because of the built-in camera, WIFI, and durability in harsh conditions. However the F5’s built-in RFID readers didn’t always work around metal and the tablets would not fit into small, hard to reach areas where tags were sometimes mounted. Tracient’s hand-held Padl-R HF readers were selected to overcome these limitations, ensuring that inspections could be carried out 100% of the time. Connected to the tablet via Bluetooth, the Padl-Rs provided a quicker wand-like reading solution than the built-in tablet reader, cutting the time in half when inspecting hundreds of points per inspection.

Tracient’s readers were chosen because of their small size and competitive pricing, considerably less than comparable readers found in the United States. Their ease of use was also a big advantage - only 10 minutes of training per operator was needed to begin using the readers reliably.

Thomas McKane, CEO, CASE Inc says “The quality has been excellent and integration has been very easy. The support and sales teams from Tracient are highly professional, we are continually impressed with their response time and knowledge in the field of RFID technology. So far it has proved to be a perfect decision to use their readers.”

CASE chose RFID Tags from FerroxTag due to the low price/point and compatibility with metal in an industrial environment.

CASE’s rapid prototyping software development was used to write the inspection software. The software was loaded onto the Motion F5 tablets were it was used to match tag ID’s with the corresponding location. The tablets ran SQL 2005 Express which the CASE software used to reference the RFID tag ID's and verify the location. The tablets then sync’d with a master SQL 2005 server via WiFi or CAT5 connections.

In March 2008 a large US based manufacturing company (who wishes to remain anonymous) allowed CASE to begin testing the solution in one of their facilities. Testing started with approximately 50 RFID tags in highly critical safety areas, focusing on the more important inspections. The tags were placed in locations where inspections could be verified, i.e. pump houses, storm water drains etc. Different environments were also tested, including wood, metal and plastic. The testing revealed the read distance to the tags was fairly consistent, regardless of the environment, with the Padl-R typically reading the FerroxTags at 1-2 inches (2-4 cm). After several months of testing, CASE moved on to other facilities.

The trial proved the following benefits:

- Significantly reduced time to manage and verify inspections. The average time for an inspection was cut by 1/3rd.
- Verifiable inspections that cannot be fabricated with pencil and paper.
- A completely paperless solution, creating cost reduction by removing the expense of paper and paper storage.
- A much cleaner and safer workplace creating better working conditions for employees.

CASE Inc believes their solution will provide their customers with long term cost reduction in environmental/safety compliance due to less environmental fines and fewer safety accidents. They believe the solution is both robust and long lasting because if RFID tags change in the future, the Tracient readers follow industry standard protocols and offer compatibility with most brands and types.

Thomas McKane says “This is great as it has freed us from having to deal with proprietary hardware, which reduces costs in the long term and increases flexibility regarding the choice of tag.”

CASE Inc intend to market the solution to manufacturers, construction companies and utility providers through out the United States.

ALLTP releases Motion F5 Tablet PC video

I am excited to announce that we have released the first in a series of tablet pc videos. Because tablet pcs just aren't available in stores, we have long had a 48 hour demo program. Now, we are taking the next step to make it easier for you to make a purchasing decision by giving the opportunity to see videos of several different tablets. Now you can decide which is best, or at least which ones aren't a good fit, simply by watching a short video.

Please enjoy and let us know your thoughts. Your feedback is very important! And if you REALLY like it, please go to YouTube and give us a nice rating.