Two years ago, we discussed that the US Census Bereau was going to take the 2010 census with a Windows Mobile device made by HTC.  Then, last year it appeared that the project was going to be scrapped.  Not so fast - it looks like the project is still on track, and that the devices really exist.  Sprint has announced that they are the exclusive mobile data provider, and details of the device can be found here.  Will we see census workers at our doors with these devices next year?  Maybe so!

One of the new features in ITScriptNet V3.0c is the ability to automatically archive all data received by the Omni Server.  This is a safety feature to ensure that no data is lost in the event that your back-end database server is down when a portable device sends its collected data.  The Omni Server will archive all downloaded Collected Data, as well as Images, Signatures, and GPS tracking data.

You can configure whether Archiving is enabled, as well as specify a clean-up time.  This causes the OMNI Server to delete archived data older than a threshold you specify, so that data does not accumulate forever.

The ONMI Configuration utility has all of the archiving options.

ITScriptNet 3.0c (8) has been released!  This new version adds support for several new clients, including the Motorola MK500, the BlueBird Pidion BIP-1300, Opticon 7x00, and Cross Match BE.U.  We've also added some new features, including automatic data archiving in the OMNI Server.  We've discussed some of the new features before, and we'll have more information in upcoming entries.  You can download a demo of ITScriptNet 3.0c or upgrade your existing installation from our ITScriptNet Product Page.  You can read about all of the update in the Knowledge Base.

Intermec has announced two new devices, the CN50 and CN4.  Both devices appear to be similar in size to the CN3, and both run Windows Mobile 6.1.  They also have an imaging capability called Enhanced Mobile Document Imaging, which Intermec claims will allow taking full-page document images.

Assuming that the scanner and hardware interfaces are similar to the CN3, we should be able to add support for these devices to ITScriptNet without any difficulty.  Intermec says the devices will be available in Q3 2009.

We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Vangard Voice Systems to offer voice-enabling for ITScriptNet.  We will be officially showing it for the first time at BlueStar's VARTECH show, August 13-15.

Voice enabling ITScriptNet will lead to faster, more accurate data collection by reducing the number of keypresses or screen taps needed to operate the program, reduce the need to look at the screen, and even allow collecting some types of data entirely by voice.

Integration with Vangard's AccuSpeech Mobile product allows for both voice prompting and voice responses to prompts.  Program navigation can be voice controlled, and the program can read back prompt and responses to ensure accuracy.  AccuSpeech Mobile runs on most modern Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices.

We'll present more information as we get closer to VARTECH, but in the meantime if you have questions about how voice-enabling can help your application, please contact us!

We are experiencing some server problems that have taken the Registration and Email servers offline intermittently this weekend.  We apologize for the inconvenience, and we are working to get reliable service restored.

We are preparing for our next ITScriptNet update, which should be released in the next week or two.  Here is a preview of what to expect in ITScriptNet 3.0c.

New Devices supported:

• Motorola MK500 kiosk
• Motorola MC55
• Bluebird Pidion BIP-1300 (all in one with MAg Stripe, Printer, GPS, GPRS.)
• Cross Match BE.U, model SMC-800MCW
• Opticon 7x00 series, Windows CE

New Features:

• Added the ability to limit which devices can connect to each program on the OMNI Server (by device Alias).
• SetServerAddress to control at runtime which OMNI Server is contacted.
• New GPS filters - Once Per Stop and Once Per Send.
• Support for the fingerprint reader in the MT380 via a Shell DLL.
• Bug fixes and minor features.

Normally the CreateValidationRemote function is used to have the OMNI Server regenerate a validation file and send it to the device.  But did you know that this function can also be used with non-autogenerated files? 

If you call CreateValidationRemote on a file that is not autogenerated, the OMNI Server will rebuild any indexes you have defined and then send the files to the device.  This is useful if your validation file is exported from some other back-end system, as rebuilding the indexes is important.  This allows you to make one function call to get a current file with up-to-date indexes to the device!

We had a customer call recently regarding ITScriptNet running on a Datalogic Skorpio device with Windows CE Core Edition.  The client would not run and displayed an error message.  Windows CE Core Edition is a stripped-down version of Windows CE as opposed to Professional Edition.  Core does not include items such as RF support, Internet Explorer, etc.  Specifically, it does not include AGYSHELL.DLL, which is the component responsible for Tap and Hold (among other things).

ITScriptNet V3.0b added support for Tap and Hold Popups, and as a result introduced a dependancy on AGYSHELL.DLL.  This means the client could not be run on a device with Core edition.

We've updated the client starting with V3.0c so that AGYSHELL.DLL will be loaded dynamically instead.  If it is not found, then Tap and Hold Popups will not work, but the rest of the client will run.  We've added a Knowledge Base article about this topic.

Motorola has released the RS507 Hands Free imager.  This device comes in a corded or BlueTooth cordless configuration.  It is intended for use with the WT4000 Wearable Terminal.  This gives material handlers a fast way to collect data as they move product without having to holster a device.

Honeywell (HandHeld Products) has introduced a pistol-grip version of the Dolphin 9900 series device, called the 9950.  This follows the lead of the 9550.  The grip makes the device easier to use for single-handed operation, such as warehousing applications.

Honeywell has introduced a new version of the Dolphin 9900 for Healthcare, with a disinfectant-ready housing.  This model can be cleaned with standard solvents without causing problems with the plastics used in most devices.

With the release of ITScriptNet 3.0b, we now support High Resolution devices.  These are Windows Mobile devices that support a screen resolution higher than the WM standard 320x240.  Most current devices are VGA resolution, which is 640x480.  Examples include the Motorola MC75 and the Intermec CV30.

We wanted to keep our philosophy that programs designed for one device run well on another device.  So if you design a program for a 320x240 device, say a Motorola MC70, we want to on a 640x480 device (like the MC75) without requiring any modification.

Here is an example of a standard program running on a regular 320x240 device:

Now here is the same program running on a VGA device in ITScriptNet, without Auto Scaling and with Auto Scaling:

Without Auto Scaling, the program use only 320x240 of the full 640x480 resolution, and occupies only a quarter of the screen.  But with Auto Scaling, ITScriptNet expands all fonts and images to full the screen.

The advantage of High Resolution displays for devices is that with 4 times the number of pixels in the same space, readability is improved dramatically.  In this example, the left image is the standard resolution device, and the right side is the High Resolution device.  Note how much smoother the text is compared to the standard device.

We've added several more articles to the Knowledge base, including samples and solutions to common problems.  Here is a list of some of the new articles:

HOWTO:  Configure a tethered scanner for the PC Client
HOWTO: FTP from a Data Processing Script
INFO: Upgrade to version 3.0 and retain version 2.4 for existing programs
SAMPLE: Lookup Validation, Display related data fields
SAMPLE: Filter Combobox - Master/Detail
SAMPLE: Grid - Update & Delete Record
HOWTO: Grid - reference selected values
HOWTO: Check for duplicate records
HOWTO: Use the PC Client with OMNI.
INFO: Order in which the Scripts will Run
INFO: Flash or Clone ITScriptNet to terminals

On the lighter side of things, check out this article about the new Star Trek movie using Motorola and Metrologic scanners as props on the Enterprise.  Now I want to see it even more!