Is any agency currently using, or considering using USB thermocouples when taking food temperatures during inspections?

Comment (0)

It's here! Despite riding a rocky road to the marketplace, HP's Slate 500 Tablet PC running Windows 7 is at long last available for purchase for $799 from HP's website: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/321957-321957-64295-3841267-3955550-4332585.html

Want more info? You'll find loads of articles, reviews and videos online via a simple Google search.  There's even a dedicated aggregator site at http://www.hpslate.org/.

Despite some mixed initial reviews, HP is clearly positioning the Slate for business.  Could this or a future version be the right product at the right time for the perfect Field Inspections computer?

ComputerWorld's IT Blogwatch covers the release: http://blogs.computerworld.com/17210/hp_slate_500_tablet_pc_is_no_ipad_release_date_now?source=CTWNLE_nlt_blogs_2010-10-22

Comment (0)

With Apple's six-month-young iPad already selling over 4 million units per quarter, where are all the announced competitors?  Especially disconcerting are the frequent miscues from vendors trying to produce a slate computer running Windows 7.

Nick Eton surmises in SeattlePI's Microsoft Blog why initial efforts to produce workable iPad competitors are failing so miserably, largely because of consistent opinions that Windows 7 just doesn't function well as an operating system for such mobile devices.

This is probably not good news for those of us waiting for slate-computer field-inspection solutions.  Then again, they say that good things come to those who wait...

http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/225268.asp

Comment (0)

Apple's amazing iPad is known as a hit with consumers, but more and more businesses are adopting the first "slate" computer as well.  Matt Hamblen offers up a Computerworld article discussing such uses by attorneys, executives, sales people, and health-care workers.

Could iEnvisionConnect someday offer state-of-the-art field inspection technology?

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/351462/iPad_Creeping_Into_Business_Offices?source=CTWNLE_nlt_mobilew_2010-09-13

Comment (0)

Many EH agencies seem to be waiting for the arrival of just the right mix of hardware and software to make for the perfect Field Inspection System.  My personal vision is a lightweight "slate" computer, perhaps the size of a clipboard, connected to the database via whatever wireless connectivity is available to it.  I imagine the inspector completing the inspection form on the device and exchanging data to EnvisionConnect in real time.

Apple's popular iPad seems to be the first product to approach the right form factor and is in use by corporate and education entities as well as the general public.  But perhaps an alternative slate product will emerge as even better for our EH application.

This week, the Huffington Post offers up a slideshow and descriptions of 13 alternatives from companies including Asus, Dell, Motion Computer, RIM, Samsung, and Toshiba.  Check 'em out at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/07/ipad-alternatives-tablet-pcs_n_707537.html

Comment (0)

Engadget reports that a $150 Android tablet made by Augen will arrive at Kmart this week! 7" screen, WiFi networking, 2GB of storage, 256MB ram, and access to the Android Market App Store are the listed features. While no one has actually seen the product yet, Kmart is reportedly giving out rainchecks with a promise to contact customers when the tablet arrives this week.

Click the link for more: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/26/augens-150-android-tablet-hits-kmart-circular-coming-to-store/

Comment (2)

How can you participate?

Verify that your needs are being met by existing user stories (Look in the category "Future Inspections") and if not, add your own.

Next, join the Inspections Improvement Group and download the executable prototype. Within that group, discuss your ideas with Decade staff and other agencies participating in the Alpha test.

Members of the group can also view early screenshots of the prototype in the group's photo section.

Thanks in advance for helping us develop a better field inspection application. Together, we'll make our inspection future a bright one.

 

Comment (0)

Today Cisco Systems introduces the Cius, a slate-style "ultra-portable, mobile collaboration business tablet."  The extensive features list includes full Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity, HD video including TelePresence interoperability, support for secure VPN remote connections, 8-hour battery, and the open-source Android operating system.

Click the link below for product literature and videos:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11156/index.html

Comment (0)

IDG's Dan Hystedt reports in Computerworld that more than a dozen iPad competitors appeared at the recent Computex electronics show in Taipei. With Apple reporting over 2 million iPads sold since the product's debut in April, PC vendors are seeking a piece of the market with their own slate-style computers.  Could the perfect field-inspection device be near?

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177664/More_than_a_dozen_iPad_rivals_shown_at_Computex?source=CTWNLE_nlt_pm_2010-06-04

Comment (0)

Training stinks
I'd use a better word if I wasn't at work

Comment (1)