Blog entries

Get a little bit more from your GPS

Brian — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Have you ever wanted to see the status of your GPS in an easy-to-use interface? I recently found a great application for your GPS-enabled Recon or Ranger called Visual GPSce. The program is available via VisualGPS.net, and it’s a free download.

What I like best about this little program is its simplicity. After downloading the application, all I had to do was set the serial port to COM4 (the Microsoft GPS sharing port), and the data started flowing in.

The first screen shoRead More...

Portland Police use rugged handhelds to write electronic tickets

Charles Bonville — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Just like police cars that are beefed up with heavy-duty components, the Recon rugged handheld is built to withstand the rigors of police work. Officers in Portland, Oregon use the handhelds for writing electronic tickets, dispatch and for real-time connections to motor vehicle, National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and other databases. Using the handhelds, officers save time on traffic stRead More...

Yuma Tablet Now Runs Windows 7

Rob Davis — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:59:01 +0100

The power and dependability of Windows 7, combined with the Yuma rugged tablet, means field workers can take their office to the field. With Windows 7, the Yuma offers faster sleep and resume capabilities, proven data privacy and security, and enhanced networking capabilities.

The versatile Yuma, a fully functional rugged computer with connectivity, brings full office capabilities to the field. It is used

in construction, survey, public safety, forestry, scientiRead More...

Connect anytime, anywhere with Yuma’s ExpressCard slot

Victoria Gagnon — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0100

In one of my previous posts, I talked about the benefits of the ExpressCard slot that comes standard on Yuma. And I just happened to think of another good example of someone who’s using it to his advantage.

A dairy professor at Oregon State University uses the ExpressCard slot two ways. First, it serves as a practical tool to communicate with offshore developers. Second, it acts as a teaching tool.

While working on a custom solution with a software developer in Israel, the professRead More...

Denver Fire Department saves 4,000 hours a year using rugged handhelds for fire safety inspections

Charles Bonville — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +0100

The Denver Fire Department is able to capture three times as much information, saves 4,000 labor hours a year, and has eliminated about 60,000 sheets of carbonless paper by conducting its fire safety inspections using a rugged Recon handheld. www.trimble.com/denverfire

Turn your cell phone into a modem for anywhere Internet access

Jan Gallant — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

One of the most common questions we hear in Tech Support is “How can I e-mail my data from the field back to the office?” If you have a Web-enabled Bluetooth cell phone, and if your Recon or Ranger is also equipped with Bluetooth, then you may be able to use your cell phone as a modem to connect your handheld to the Internet. You do not need to install any extra software on your handheld; the Windows Mobile 5 operating system includes

everything you need. Once Read More...

My thoughts on World Ag Expo 2010 and the future of farming

Victoria Gagnon — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0100

Since returning from Tulare, Calif., home to the world's largest annual agricultural expo, I've reflected on how much has changed since I first attended the annual event three years ago.

About the event: The World Ag Expo happens the second week of February and includes more than 1,600 exhibitors and an estimated 100,000 attendees.

For those seeking money- and energy-saving tecRead More...

Run over by a semi- and still working

Charles Bonville — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Run over something with an 80,000-lb. semi-truck, and you’d expect it to be squashed flat. And, to be honest, we would also expect the same of even our ultra-rugged handheld computers. But recently, a Recon owned by Quintex Services fell out of a company truck onto one of the busiest streets in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Nobody knows how many cars and trucks may have run over thaRead More...

Practical Tools for Forestry Management

Brooks McKee — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

I performed a demonstration of the new TDS SOLO Forest software at the Winning Technologies in Forestry trade show recently. SOLO Forest is the GIS and mapping solution for forestry applications developed by Tripod Data Systems (TDS), a Trimble company.

At the show, we demonstrated the SOLO Forest software as part of a bundled real-time inventory management system, developed by one of our deaRead More...

One of Yuma’s best, but little-known features

Victoria Gagnon — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Need to communicate in real time? One of the most commonly overlooked features of Yuma, the ExpressCard slot offers real-time wireless capabilities when outfitted with a WAN Express Card.*

Let's say a farmer is out in the field and his tractor breaks down. His foreman knows this machine like the back of his hand. Unfortunately, he's back at the shop.

With a Yuma in hand, problem solved. Using the 3G ExpressCard/34 slot and the dual front/back video cameras that come standard onRead More...

All Together Now

Matt Lehman — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

When a forester takes one of our handhelds out to do a timber cruise, he may be using multiple technologies, but it all has to work together as one integrated system. That's the message I got from talking with customers at the Winning Technologies in Forestry trade show earlier this year. They want the electronic maps, GPS, inventory management software and a handheld computer to all work together seaRead More...

Blogging from the top (and bottom) of the world - with a Recon

Guest — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

As if climbing the seven highest peaks on the world’s seven continents weren’t enough of a challenge, try doing them all in only seven months. Swedish photographer and adventurer Fredrik Sträng just did—and his 7-7-7 quest marks a new Guiness World Record—191 days. That’s six months and six days from start to finish. These are the seven summits:

Yuma makes ABC's Nightline

Charles Bonville — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:09:41 +0100

University of Washington's Dr. Dee Boersman studies the Magellanic penguin population in Punta Tombo, Argentina. Last year, she contacted Trimble because she thought the Yuma would be ideal for her data collection efforts. You'll see the Yuma early in the program and just before it ends. For over 25 years, she's gathered data using paper and pencil. One attempt to use a PDA didn't work because of frequent device crashes caused by harsh field conditions.

You don't see the Yuma all tRead More...

The other white meat: A huge potential for rugged handhelds

Guest — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:38:38 +0100

So what’s a company that makes rugged handheld computers doing at a trade show like the Iowa Pork Congress? Well, it turns out that pig farmers are pretty computer savvy—and the inventory tracking and animal management they need to do are ideal applications for rugged handhelds.

A typical commercial pig farm could have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of animals, and farmers not only need to keep track of them all, but they also need to manage medication and feedinRead More...

Customer Story: Yuma aids sailor in Bermuda 1-2 mini yacht race

Charles Bonville — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Getting tossed around in 20 foot sailing boat on the open ocean for five days and nights can be worrisome. Getting tossed around with no real measure of your location can be out right frightening. Which is why offshore racer Drew WoRead More...

Featured Accessory: 3G Sprint Wireless

Charles Bonville — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Did you know that the Nomad has a 3G Wireless option that runs on the Sprint Network? The Nomad 800LD bundle comes with a top-mounted USB host port, a USB 3G Sprint WWAN modem, and an Extended CF-Cap to keep it all protected to IP67 standards.

The Franklin Wireless broaRead More...

Featured Product: Trimble Yuma rugged tablet

Charles Bonville — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

The Trimble Yuma rugged tablet is our first rugged mobile product with the Windows Vista Business operating system. Now, an application that works on your desktop or laptop computer can accompany you in the field in all weather conditions. The Yuma tablet currentlyRead More...

New Identity: Trimble Mobile Computing Solutions

Charles Bonville — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Trimble’s Mobile Computing Solutions Division offers a family of innovative and ultra rugged products that enable mobile workers to be more efficient in extreme outdoor and industrial environments. TRead More...

Understanding Battery Life

Charles Bonville — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:30:02 +0100

What factors impact battery energy life? Does operating a computer in indoor versus outdoor environments have a significant impact on the computer's battery life?

First, what is our definition of battery energy life? Battery life is the amount of time a fully charged battery provides power to operate the computer. Now addressing the question, there are many factors that influence battery energy life and yes, outdoor environments add another layer of complexity. This blog post identiRead More...

Welcome to the newly expanded Outdoorrugged.com

Trimble Admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Check out our new and improved Outdoor Rugged community site! We want to make it easy to tell the world what it really means to be “Outdoor Rugged.” The new site is easier to navigate and includes big changes to the design of the online forum and blog, which are now easier to use and follow. Tell us what you think. We welcome your feedback.