Mobile Solutions Pilot

With large roll outs of mobile solutions it is essential to develop and test the solution in real world environments. If the solution is over a 100 users it is often cost effective to trial the mobile solution on a small number of users. Software or solutions developed for a large number of users are very costly to fix once it has been rolled out to the whole user base. A Pilot can provide answers to the following questions:-

• Is the hardware suitable for the environment it will be used in?
• Is the hardware useable with the solution that has been developed?
• Does the software meet the user requirements in terms of functionality and quality?
• Is the system architecture sufficient for the solution?
• Can the users use the software to perform the tasks that they have to undertake?

These answers can be gathered by effectively evaluating the pilot and feeding the necessary changes into the solution. By finding out the problems with the system early in the development cycle the end product with be vastly more suitable to the user's needs.

Gas Safety/Servicing Inspections on PDA

Gas Safety/Servicing Inspections have to be carried out on all properties that are rented every year. It is compulsory to have an Annual gas safety certificate otherwise the landlord could be liable to procession. Traditionally these inspections have been carried out by registered corgi engineers using paper forms. This approach is fine if the engineer is carrying out one or 2 inspections a week. Often local authorities of housing associations employ a contractor to carry out this work. The engineers are carrying out 5-10 inspections a day filling in a paper form in the process. The engineers schedule is also given to him on paper.

igroup have developed a solution that can handle the scheduling to the engineer along with the collecting the all the information on a PDA. Using a PDA to carry out the inspection allows the data to be viewed in a Web portal. All the gas safety certificates can be retrieved easily from the management system. If your client is a local authority we can even give them access to the archived forms to meet their compliance.  

The main benefits of our system are:-

• Scheduling of Gas Inspections can be updated remotely.
• All completed forms kept electronically and accessible instantly.
• Client access to completed data.
• Easy auditing of collected data.
• PDA ensures that correct procedures are carried out.

 Please contact our solutions team on 0845 838 2184 if you would like a demo or more information.

Xplore ix104c3 PLUS Rugged tablet PC

Xplore technologies have released an upgraded version of their popular ix104c3 Rugged tablet PC. The new tablet has been called the ix104c3 PLUS and incorporates a 1.4Ghz processor to increase the performance of the tablet. The new processor increases the tablets ability to handle applications that would normally be reserved for office  desktops. The ruggedness of the tablet pc is as ever impressive and it still maintains the ATEX certification for hazardous environments for environments such as the oil and gas industries.

HTC P6500 - Enterprise Rugged PDA

My advice is to evaluate the device in real conditions before rolling it out to your workforce. It’s better to buy 5 and find the device does not work than to buy 50. Get real user feedback and make an informed decision.

Buy one here Delivered anywhere in the world.

Enterprise Mobility

A lot of businesses do not know what direction to take when they decide to  undertake a mobile solutions project. There often seems to be no starting point to the solution. In large organisations there is often a business need to mobilise a number of business processes. Sometimes these are treated as separate projects without looking at the whole picture. Across an organisation there could be 10 mobile projects each using different technologies or hardware. By understanding all of your business needs a clear strategy can be implemented. This strategy can use common technologies and utilise commmon resources. By having this integrated approach to mobility it can prove to be highly cost effective and cause less support and legacy issues in the long run.

If you don't know where to start then talk to igroup

Xplore Rugged Tablet PC iX104C3

The Xplore tablet iX104C3 from Xplore technologies has many uses. It is very versatile and can be mounted in vehicles or used as a workstation by using the Desktop Dock called the xStand. The Intrinsically safe rating means that it can be used in ATEX Zoned environments, it has ATEX Zone 2 rating.

The unit can also be mounted on Forklifts in warehouses for porduct picking and on loading bays for load dispatch. Whatever your requirement the Xplore Rugged tablet can meet them. The iX104C3DV can be used outside with its transreflective Allvue technology designed by xplore to reduce the glare on the screen.

You can buy one here.

Symbol MC70 GPS

The Symbol MC70 has just had an upgrade. A version that will be out in Q1 2008 will have GPS integrated. Symbol have obviously seen the benefit of including GPS on their bottom line. It could be that they are feeling some pain from Intermec with their CN3. Whatever the reason it will be a welcome addition to many who like me are always getting hassled to provide rugged GPS devices to customers.

PDA Signature Capture

Capturing signatures is now easier with igroups iSignature software. Work or deliveries can now have a signature captured to make sure that they have taken place. The software is very easy to install and can save the job information as well as the signature. This information can be simply emailed back to the office or sent as XML to be stored in a database. The enterprise version of the product enables jobs to be sent to the handheld so that the engineer/driver has all the information that they need.

 If you need electonric or digital signatures to be captured on a PDA then visit igroups web site.