The article in Wired about new mobile processors caught our attention. Samsung, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are all shipping or about to ship their first dual-core ARM processors.

The reason this is interesting is that all Windows Mobile and almost all Windows CE portable devices use these processors. The increase in power for video applications is primarily being driven by the Consumer phone business, but as prices come down these chips will eventaully find their way into portable data collection devices as well. This will lead to a significant increase on the performance of these devices.

Have you ever noticed that most popular wireless communications methods use 2.4GHz? This includes Wifi (802.11), BlueTooth, cordless phones, and more? Gizmodo provides a very understandable explanation. Basically, it turns out that the 2.4 GHz band of the RF spectrum was set aside by the FCC for unlicensed communications (this means you don't need an FCC license to run your WiFi Access Point or BlueTooth headset). Furthermore, because all of these systems use frequency-hopping technology (which means the radios check a particular frequency to make sure it is open before transmitting), you can have multiple products running in the same physical area without interference from each other.

Z-Space Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce a new addition to our line of Solution Pack applications. First unveiled at Vartech 2010, this application is a complete Package Delivery solution, suitable for either Courier or Campus delivery. Unlike our previous Solution Packs, this one is fully web-based, as it includes Pickup Scheduling and Package Tracking for the delivery company customers. We will have more information over the next few weeks, and the official release is targeted for September.

We have released a new Ready-To-Go® Application. This is a Generic data collection application, meaning is it configurable by the end-user. The program collects from 1 to 8 fields, and the field prompt text is stored in a validation file. The collected data is downloaded to a CSV file on the PC. Learn more at ReadyToGoApps.com.

We are exhibiting at Vartech 2010 in Cincinnati today. We are in both #816. We hope everyone enjoys the show!

Are you going to Vartech 2010 in Cincinnati? If you do, be sure to stop by and see us! We will be demonstrating several exciting products, and Tim will be giving a presentation. We hope to see you there!

GS1 Databar is going to be phased into Grocery and Retail applications starting in Jan, 2011. GS1 Databar is a stacked symbology, meaning it requires an Imager to read and decode. A Laser scanner will not be able to read it. Are you prepared for the transition?

Following up on our earlier articles about the future of Windows Mobile for data collection devices, here is the official Microsoft site for what is now being called Windows Embedded Handheld. This is what used to be called Windows Mobile, and is the version that will be used by handheld devices (as opposed to Windows Phone 7, which will be used in consumer phone handsets). The current version is Windows Mobile 6.5.

Windows CE is being renamed Windows Embedded Compact Edition. Windows CE 7 is in CTP (Community Technology Preview) and will be released soon.

We have posted the July ITScriptNet News. Read about the updates to Solution Packs and new Ready-To-Go applications in the works.

Motorola has filed paperwork to split into two companies. The Enterprise division (formerly Symbol) that produces portable data collection devices will be in the 'Motorola Solutions' company, along with the Networking business. The Mobile Devices and Home and divisions will be the new Motorola Mobility company.

The press release can be found here.

We are pleased to announce that our fourth Solution Pack, Route Accounting, has been released. The Route Accounting Solution Pack is for Route Sales and Direct Store Delivery, enabling your drivers to track items sold or delivered at various stops on a route. You can learn more here.

In addition, all of the other Solution Packs have been updated to V2.1 and re-released. This includes Asset Tracking, Check In / Check Out, and Inventory Management

Here is an interesting article on recycling depleted mobile device batteries. Most devices use Lithium-Ion batteries these days, and these are very hazardous to the environment if simply thrown in the trash. The right thing to do is to recycle them properly. Call2Recycle is expanding their pick-up program with a new collection box. Make sure to dispose of your batteries responsibly!

Motorola has announced a new device called the ES400. This is a ruggedized phone with a barcode scanner, similar to the MC55. At the announcement, Steve Ballmer (Microsoft Chief Executive) had this to say:

"In the next six months we will release a new embedded OS called Windows Embedded Handheld, based on Windows Mobile 6.5 technologies ... [and] in the second half of 2011, we will release a version of Windows Embedded Handheld based on Windows Phone 7 technology,"

We noted in March that Honeywell was retiring the Image Kiosk and Transaction Terminal product line. June 15th was the last day that orders were accepted, according to the retirement announcement.

As we noted before, we will keep ITScriptNet support for these devices until our next release, at which point it will be removed. ITScriptNet 3.1c will be the last version that supports these devices.

Seagull Scientific has released Bartender 9.3. Bartender is label design and printing software for the PC. We like it because you can use a feature called Printer Code Templates to design labels for portable printers and print them with ITScriptNet's built-in printing support. This is a handy way to design your labels with a visual design tool, yet still integrate with ITScriptNet.

Microsoft has announced Windows Compact Edition (formerly known as Windows CE) version 7. This version will build on CE 6.0 R3.

We should expect to see data collection devices with CE 7 at some point. Hopefully the move of the Windows Mobile product (as opposed to Windows Phone) to the Embedded division will also result in a new Windows Mobile version built on this core.