Rugged Tablet For Outdoor Workers By Chris Crum Staff Writer Article Date: 2008-01-16 Glacier PC has introduced a Tablet PC primarily for outdoor workers to use. It was made to withstand water and humidity at any temperature. It's called the Ridgeline tablet and the Glacier wants you to know that it is built tough so the outdoor worker doesn't have to worry about dropping and breaking it. In fact, they claim that it has been tested to withstand repeated 3-foot drops to concrete. "Utility, construction, warehouse, and shop floor data collection are done 'on the move' as employees operate without being tethered to cables or wires, says director of engineering Dan Poisson. "Long battery life and wireless LAN technology allows instant access to a database, work order, blueprint, parts list, or another computer. With an integrated GPS module, the Ridgeline Tablet becomes an indispensable tool to an employee in the field", he added. The Ridgelines run Windows XP nad has a 10.4" display with options for daylight readable functionality. Each unit comes with integrated 802.11 a/b/g radio, Bluetooth, numerous I/O, a variety of hard drive options and software allowing for signature capture and character recognition. "We produced a unit that would run 24/7 at a price point favorable to large and small deployments," says Poisson. I personally have not seen a retail price on the Ridgeline, so I'll have to take Poisson's word. I'm not an outdoor worker though, so quite honestly I'll probably not be looking for one. More info on the Ridgeline can found at Glacier's website. About the Author: Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.