Industrial Computing's New Breed

From rugged desktops and notebooks for shop-floor use, to embedded systems for industrial control networks, to "wearables" and handhelds for pick, pack, and ship applications, manufacturers have a wide variety of options when evaluating industrial computers. While today's models come in different sizes, shapes, and configurations, they all share important characteristics beyond the ability to withstand the harsh conditions of the manufacturing enterprise. First, they are all designed to process work at accelerated speeds, thanks to more powerful microprocessors, denser disk drives, and an assortment of memory and graphics processing extensions. Second, today's industrial PCs are no longer islands unto themselves; they support a wide array of wired and wireless networking options for connecting the shop floor to back-office systems that run the enterprise. And, perhaps most important in these cost-sensitive times, industrial computers are now equipped with more energy-efficient componentry to reduce power consumption and cooling requirements. Perhaps the biggest news in the personal computing space right now is Microsoft's much-anticipated release of its Vista operating system. Expected to further expand the PC's potency, Vista's two versions for business applications -- Vista Business and Vista Enterprise -- will succeed XP Professional. Users can expect device synchronization features that will allow for information synchronization between PCs, servers, and other devices. Portable computer functionality will include enhanced power management and support for wireless networking. In terms of display features, "Live Icons" will be configured on a per-file basis containing actual components of a document, with the aim of quicker information access versus standard icons. Security features include enhanced protection from various "malware," as well as a Secure Startup feature and other data encryption and password properties to protect against data loss if the machine is stolen or lost. On the eve of the launch of Vista, this installment of TechWatch examines what's new on the industrial computing front. The grid below is a representative sample of five types of industrial computers. Visit Managing Automation's new online Industrial Computers directory for additional vendors and products.