Honeywell has introduced Remote Mastermind for Mobility, a new tool for remote management of mobile computers. This software allows you to remotely install software, change configuration, track devices, and more.

Read more about Remote MasterMind here.

Honeywell is starting an ISV store where they will have live demos of ISV applications. We are putting together demos of some of our Solution Packs and Ready-To-Go Applications for the store. Yesterday Honeywell launched an ISV Store blog. We'll keep an eye on that as the store moves forward.

At the MMS conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft has announced some new tools for managing Windows Mobile and Windows Embedded devices. Once of these called System Center Configuration Manager 2012, and is used to manage devices that connect to Exchange Server, including Windows Embedded, iOS, and Android devices. In addition, a new version of Windows Embedded Device Manager is coming, which will help large organizations manage their fleet of Windows Embedded devices.

Honeywell has just introduced the Dolphin 99EX mobile computer. We have had a pair of these devices in-house for a few weeks, and we are adding support to ITScriptNet. They are very impressive!

Datalogic has posted an article discussing the best practices to maximize battery life on their mobile computers. They emphasize reducing the backlight brightness and the use of the WiFi and WWAN radios. There is also a discussion of battery charging practices.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame has announced that Joe Woodland and Bernard Silver, inventors of the optically scanned barcode, are being inducted. In addition, the inventors of the Digital Camera (Steve Sasson) and the CMOS imager (Eric Fossum and the team at JPL) are being inducted as well. Congratulation, and thanks for making Automatic ID possible!

We are adding support for several new devices in ITScriptNet V3.2b, due to be released in the next few weeks.

The newly supported devices are:

• Datalogic Elf
• Datalogic Falcon X3, CE and WM
• Honeywell Dolphin 99EX
• Motorola ES400
• Opticon H-19
• Opticon H-21
• Opticon PHL8xxx Series

We have reached a milestone in our upcoming ITScriptNet V3.2b release. We have just added support for our 100th device!

Support for some of the oldest devices (such as the Dolphin 7200 and 7400) has been retired, so we are currently supporting about 80 actively produced devices. There are also devices that we do not officially support, but that can use our generic Windows CE and Windows Mobile clients. Including these devices would push us well over 100 supported devices.

Another new enhancement in ITScriptNet V3.2a is the ability to use Images for keypad buttons. This gives you the ability to create attractive keypads to match the style of your data collection program. You can also set certain keypad spaces as Skipped, to leave gaps in your keypad.

Here is a sample of the kind of keypad you can now create using background images and skipped spaces:

A new feature in ITScriptNet V3.2a is Heartbeat Logging. This is a mode where the OMNI Server will record into a SQL Server (or ODBC-complaint) database when ever a device connects to it. You can select one of two modes - either have a new record inserted into the database, or update an existing record by Device ID. This allows you to select whether you want a running log of all connections, or simply to record the most recent connection.

You can use this information in many ways. For example, one customer is using Heartbeat logging to detect if any of their remotely-installed devices has gone offline. They created a process to monitor the log table and alert them if no communication is received from a device within a certain period of time. You could also use the logging to monitor the activity level of each device, to track the load on your OMNI Server, and more.

Heartbeat Logging is one more tool in your ITScriptNet arsenal to help you provide the best data collection solution possible!

Via the Raco Pulse, here are three RFID myths addressed by Ray Cronin, Intermec Vice President and General Manager of RFID, at the RFID Live conference.

According to the presentation, RFID read rates and reliability now rival traditional bar codes, but still compliment barcodes instead of replacing them.

Psion has changed its name from Psion/Teklogix to just Psion.

One of the new features in ITScriptNet V3.2a is Image Transition Effects. These effects provide a way to smoothly transition from one image to another, using fades, wipes, etc. This can add a professional touch to your data collection programs.

To use the image transition effects, call the Transition function in an in-prompt script. The function takes several parameters: the image element name, the new image file to display, the type of effect to use, and a time interval. The function then changes the image from the currently displayed picture to the new one. By changing the time interval, you can make the effect happen faster or slower.

Motorola has introduced an upgrade of the popular MC9090 line, called the MC9190. In much the same way that they upgraded the MC55 with new hardware, this device maintains backward-compatibility with the MC9090 accessories, but improves the device with higher-performance processors and memory.

We expect the ITScriptNet MC9090 client to run unmodified on this new device, and we will test as soon as we can.

ITScriptNet 3.2a adds a new element type - the ability to embed a Media clip on a prompt. These clips can be any Windows Media Format video. You could use this element type to provide Training video, Instructions, or any other information that is best provided in Video form.

With almost every cell phone camera capable of taking video, making these clips is easier than ever. For example, you could provide a short video explaining a particular procedure in your business. You can film the video yourself in a few minutes, convert it to Windows Media format, and add it to your data collection program. Now every one of your employees has access to this video whenever they have a question about the process!

We will be exhibiting during the Partner Showcase at Intermec’s North America Sales Kickoff event in Tucson, AZ Wednesday, January 26th. If you are attending the event, be sure to stop by and see us!

Intermec has announced the 70 series of mobile computers. This is a complete line of devices in 4 different form factors, from a full size flashlight-style device to a smaller, PDA-sized unit. All four devices share a common set of specifications, and are based on Windows Mobile 6.5.3. This commonality should make management of devices easier, while allowing different form factors for different applications.

The model names are CN70, CN70e, CK70 and CK71.

Honeywell Scanning & Mobility has announced several new products aimed at the retail market, but that have applications across mobile computing. Notably, a new Mag Stripe Reader for the Dolphin 9700 is on the way, which could be used for delivery and field service applications. There is also a sled handle for the Dolphin 6500, which could be used in warehouse and inventory applications.

Read the latest ITScriptNet News to find out what's new at Z-Space!

In yesterdays announcement about Windows Embedded Handheld was buried an interesting piece of information. At the bottom of Senior Project Manager David Wurster's blog posting was this paragraph:

According to analyst firm VDC Research, Microsoft is the leader in providing a platform for creating software solutions that power ruggedized handheld terminals and devices: Microsoft Windows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile 6 operating systems accounted for 87 percent of the approximately 2.3 million ruggedized handheld devices shipped in 2009.

We have noticed that there are relatively few ruggedized devices running Linux or Android, and of course none running iOS. For this reason ITScriptNet only supports Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices.