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The food industry's mobile workforce has been using batch computers on its delivery routes as far back as 1988, so while mobile computing is not exactly a new concept, there are a number of changes to the mobile computer.
These changes include greater usage trends, new features and new applications that amount to a golden age for handheld computer use on delivery routes across the country.
It's an exciting time, feature wise, for handheld computers. These devices are not only being used to verify shipping addresses and orders, take new orders and scan bar codes, most models are now equipped with a number of systems and features that are designed to increase connectivity and improve the paperwork process. Think of them as high tech Swiss army knives.
"The mobile world is increasing in complexity," says Kevin Mccloskey chief executive officer of MobileAware, a Cranberry, NJ-based company that provides software for managing mobile data solutions. "You have an increase in the number of wide area networks and wireless LANs, in addition to greater bandwidth capability and increased capabilities on the device side."
"Our product has a wide area radio in it," says Jon Rasmussen, industry marketing director for consumer goods for Intermec Technologies, Everett, WA. "It has a local area radio and even blue tooth for talking to the peripherals."