| 5/2/08 - SDG Systems, LLC announced the general availability and support of the TDS Nomad rugged mobile hand-held computer running the Linux operating system. SDG Systems will market and sell the Linux-based Nomad, providing technical and warranty support. The Nomad provides a high level of device integration including Bluetooth, 802.11, GPS, Camera, Barcode scanning and USB host and client ports. All Nomads also include a high-resolution screen (480x640 portrait VGA) for sharp, clear images and a 806 MHz PXA 320 processor. The USB host port has been tested to support mass storage, keyboard, mouse, Ethernet and RS-232 serial adapters.
"The level of hardware integration in the Nomad is outstanding," said Lester Hightower, CTO of 10East Corporation. "The difference that the Nomad makes in our applications is immediately apparent. The fast processor, full VGA screen, integrated barcode scanner and USB host are excellent improvements over the TDS Recon, which we also deploy. Having these improvements in the Nomad, without sacrificing any ruggedness, is a big plus." Like the field-proven Linux-based TDS Recon, the Nomad meets the MIL-STD-810F standard for drops, vibration and temperature extremes. It also has an IP67 rating, meaning it is dustproof and waterproof. "SDG has added a rugged operating system to a rugged piece of hardware and by so doing, given people in harsh situations one less thing to worry about," said Chris Garrett, Senior Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin. The Nomad is designed for all-day operation in extreme outdoor and industrial environments. Battery testing yielded over 12 hours of operation with Bluetooth and 802.11 both enabled and with the screen backlight at 50 percent brightness. Maximum battery life is approximately 25 hours. SDG Systems also announced software enhancements to their Linux implementation. "With our latest software release, we are providing a general mechanism for users to run their own application exclusively, effectively creating a way to build single-purpose devices rather than a general purpose PDA," said Todd Blumer, President of SDG Systems. "This mechanism allows our Enterprise customers to write a Qt(R) for Embedded Linux application, for example, with a standard software build from us. The customer can reduce their support burden by training users on the application and not the PDA interface." The Linux-based Nomad utilizes version 2.6.21 of the Linux kernel. The standard user interface is based on Qtopia(R) PDA Edition, version 2.2, which SDG Systems has enhanced to manage the integrated devices. The operating system utilities are based on the Angstrom Linux distribution. A GPE (X11, GTK+, Qt4) user interface option is in development and is available for beta testing. Qtopia 4 support is planned. In addition to the hardware products, SDG Systems provides Linux development support and services. Pricing and Availability The Nomad has a 806 MHz PXA320 processor with 128 MB RAM and 512 MB or 1 GB of nonvolatile flash memory and sells for $1649 to $2299, based on the level of hardware features. Additional integrated communication options are planned. The Nomad has a one-year parts and labor warranty with an extended warranty also available. The Linux-based Nomad units may be ordered in OD Green, Yellow and Gray colors and are available immediately. A developers' kit for the Linux Nomad is also available at no cost.
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