Hello and welcome to our world of PDA barcode scanners, also known as portable industrial mobile computers. If you want to buy these PDA scanners, this blog is a must. Find out what you need to know before you buy here. I can guarantee that you have an arsenal of knowledge to make the right decisions for your business and avoid the most common mistakes when choosing these devices.
The evolution of PDA barcode scanners is progressing at a dizzying pace as prices drop and features increase. You can choose from Dos Text Propriety, Windows CE, Windows Mobile and Windows Embedded Handheld, and Windows 10. I wrote a blog post about the end of support for Microsoft Windows CE, Windows Mobile, and Windows Embedded Handheld. Android is currently the operating system of choice for end-users, rugged handhelds, and portable browsers insurance.
Most manufacturers are turning to Android O/S mainly because Windows CE / Mobile / Embedded will no longer be supported after 2020 according to Microsoft. It also makes sense for developers to develop it for Android. Actually, there are no reviews of PDA browsers running Windows 10, but there are reviews that allow this operating system to be deployed on multiple platforms.
However, I have to admit that I’ve always been a huge Android fan.
This is because they have typing power and speed …… and… they use HTML5 browsers. Windows CE and Windows Mobile generally use IE browsers. This is so weird. IE is too old and slow for use, especially with Wi-Fi. There is no cache in IE. So when you type something in the browser to find something, no suggestions are made. It also does not save memory when switching between apps, so the last scan is not saved. So if you choose a PDA with Windows OS, make sure they have HTML 5 browsers.
PDA barcode scanners go by different names.
In our industry, they are known as industrial mobile computer, portable data terminals (PDTs), portable data terminals, RF guns, PDAs, laptops, mobile portable computers, and Android PDA scanners. Outside of our industry, customers looking for them are often called crawlers. What is the first mistake and what is the first lesson to be learned? The barcode scanner can only scan the article number of the barcode. This is! PDA Barcode Scanner can get barcode ID number + capture amount, location number, date/time stamp, signature, take photos, get GPS locations and more.
So where do we start?
Well, every time a new client comes to us, the questions are almost the same. But the answers can be very different. So we start by explaining to the client that we are talking about two components. Hardware and software. One cannot work without the other. Shall we start with a question?
- What is the app? Asset Management, Inventory – Inventory, Field Service Mobility, Job Tracking, etc.?
It’s important to identify the application so we can lay the groundwork for what kind of hardware, form factor, and software will be required.
- Can the collected data be saved on the PDA barcode scanner and then loaded into the sled?
Collecting data and storing it in a PDA browser is called batch processing. Or batch browser. After scanning, the PDA scanner should be placed in the communication station where the data can be downloaded to your system. This is generally considered the least expensive solution for PDA scanners, as it is often quite inexpensive to integrate compared to PDA scanners that require Wi-Fi / GPRS / 3G connectivity.
- Is it business critical that you need real-time information over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G to send and receive data? If a PDA barcode scanner requires a live interface, how will you communicate with your server?
When the information needs to be in real-time and you need to query the database, you will need Wi-Fi or 3G/4G support with a PDA scanner. Here are some typical wireless connection scenarios.
