Portland Police use rugged handhelds to write electronic tickets

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, Ore. 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 stops and have improved the accuracy of traffic citations.

http://www.trimble.com/pdxpolice

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

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

Erasing battery memory effect

Unlike older NiCad batteries, which suffered from shortened battery life after multiple partial discharge cycles, the Recon’s NiMH batteries are generally not susceptible to this “memory effect.” Still, we’ve had some calls from customers reporting that the low battery warning is showing up much earlier on their Recons.

Jan Gallant from our tech support department looked into the problem, did some tests, and has a solution: a deep discharge of your Recon’s battery, followed by a full 12-hour recharge. Details are in this product bulletin

Rugged from the inside out

There’s much more to building a rugged handheld than putting a sturdy case around a commercial-grade PDA. And while all our handhelds meet the MIL-STD-810F military standard for durability and come with an IP67 rating against water and dust, we design and test them to withstand a lifetime of real-world customer use, not just to meet a spec.

Jerry Steiger, a mechanical engineer who has worked on three generations of our rugged handhelds, shows how they’re built tough from the inside out. You’ll also see how the designs have evolved to save weight and reduce costs while not compromising ruggedness.