Intermec Technologies says its latest 5020 handheld bar code scanner is the world’s first data collection PC by virtue of being the first device of its type to run Microsoft’s Windows CE. Intermec is based in Everett, a short walk from Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters, and counts itself among the top three data capture systems makers worldwide, recording sales of $800m last year, and supplying products to 75% of Fortune 500, and 60% of Fortune 100 companies. Its endorsement of CE is an important boost for Microsoft’s plans to capture a dominant share of the enterprise handheld device space.
Manfred Pierl, Intermec’s local area systems product director, said Windows CE has the potential to create an open platform for integrating data capture applications with enterprise IT infrastructure. It will encourage more independent software vendors to address data capture applications, as well as providing really seamless integration with IT Pierl said.
Intermec’s present data capture platforms are split between DOS, the original PC operating system, and Trakker, its own proprietary platform. Pierl did not discount the possibility that the company would also endorse alternative development platforms, including Java, the 3Com Palm OS and Symbian’s EPOC mobile phone operating system in future. However, those are research projects at the moment, he said.
Separately, Pierl also said Intermec will consider embracing the Blue Tooth low-power radio interconnect standard next year, but in the meantime it is sticking with the more powerful IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standard and its own Picolink radio interconnect specification.
The Intermec 5020 will ship at a similar cost to existing DOS and Trakker devices, providing a more platform that can be remotely configured using a web interface Pierl said.
