Arbor Technology announced a seven-inch tablet PC that offers a 1.1GHz Intel Atom processor and 4GB of flash storage. The ruggedized Gladius G0710S has a touchscreen display, gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n networking, dual cameras, a RFID reader, and the ability to survive four-foot drops, according to the company.

Arbor's "new" Gladius G0710S (right) is clearly a revamp of the company's earlier Gladius G0710, which made its debut in August 2008 with much the same specifications. The company has apparently refined the device for greater durability, however, and standardized on one popular configuration.

For example, the Gladius G0710 was offered with the 1.1GHz Atom Z510 or the relatively rare 1.8GHz Z540. It also came with a choice of 800 x 600 or 1024 x 600 pixels on its seven-inch screen, plus a 200-pin SODIMM socket that held "up to" 1GB of memory.

The Gladius G0710S comes only with a 1024 x 600 display, including sunlight readability (previously optional), and only with the 1.1GHz CPU. In addition, the device's 1GB of RAM is now soldered-on, according to the company. Surprisingly, the tablet's battery pack has been downrated from 3800mAh to 2600mAh, but the device still operates for four hours, says Arbor.

Compared to the 2008 edition, the revised tablet now includes 802.11n wireless networking as well as the older 802.11b/g versions. The Gladius G0710S also adds a SIM slot and is available with a GSM data modem, says Arbor. Finally, there's a RFID reader, said to be capable of reading ISO 15693/14443A/14443B tags.

As before, the Gladius has eight programmable function keys on its front panel. The device is also compatible with external keyboards connected via USB or Bluetooth, since it sports both types of interface, Arbor says.

According to Arbor, the G0710S has a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for videoconferencing, plus an outward-facing two megapixel camera for photography. The tablet includes a gigabit Ethernet port, a serial port, and a 35-pin connector for a docking station, the company adds.

As for storage, the Gladius includes an IDE interface and is offered with either 4GB of flash or a 60GB hard disk drive. Sealed against liquids and dust to the IP54 standard, the tablet withstands shocks of up to 10G (11ms duration) and four-foot drops onto wood, Arbor claims

Features and specifications listed by Arbor for the Gladius G7010S include:

• Processor — Intel Atom Z510 clocked at 1.1GHz
• Chipset — SCH US15W
• Memory — 1GB of soldered-on DDR2 RAM
• Display — Seven-inch touchscreen display with 1024 x 600 resolution; sunlight-readable
• Cameras — 1.3 megapixel camera for videoconferencing; 2.0 megapixel camera for photography
• Keys — Eight programmable function keys
• Expansion — 34-pin connector for docking station
• Storage — 4GB flash or 1.8-inch, 60GB hard disk drive
• Networking:
  • LAN — gigabit Ethernet
  • WLAN — 802.11b/g/n
  • PAN — Bluetooth 2.0
  • WAN — GSM data modem (optional)
• Other I/O:
  • Serial port
  • 2 x USB 2.0
• Battery type/life — 2800mAh battery pack, with life up to 4 hours
• Dimensions — 8.26 x 6.29 x 1.42 inches (210 x 160 x 36mm)
• Weight — 2.2 pounds (1kg)
• Operating temperature — 32 to 113 deg. F (0 to 45 deg. C)

Availability

Arbor did not release pricing or availability information for the Gladius G0710, but the device appears to be on sale now. Operating system support was not detailed either, but should be broad. (The earlier G0710 was said to be capable of running Linux, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows XP Embedded.)

More information may be found on Arbor's website, here.

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