Data Ltd Inc. (DLI) announced a vehicle-mount computer that comes with a dual-core Atom processor, IP54 sealing against liquids or dust, and a choice of 12- or 15-inch touchscreens. The DLI 9200 includes up to 3GB of RAM, up to 240GB of storage, plus connectivity including an optional GSM or CDMA cellular modem, the company says.

DLI says its new 9200 is intended for fixed mounting in material handling vehicles — forklifts, for example — as well as in construction, fire, or police applications. The all-in-one PC has a case that meets IP54 protection standards overall, plus ports that have IP67 sealed locking connectors, according to the company.

The 9200 is ready for any power vagaries that might occur, since it has an integral filtering DC converter that allows it to accept DC inputs ranging from 10 to 60 Volts, says DLI. Apart from this, there's also a 2800mAh backup battery that's claimed to allow 1.4 hours of operation, not just the few minutes before shutdown that a UPS typically provides.

DLI's 9200 is offered with both 12.1- and 15-inch screens

According to DLI, the 9200 can withstand shocks of up to 20G (11ms) while operating, and easily endures the 5-500Hz vibration found during highway truck operation. This is thanks in part to shock-mounted, 1.8-inch storage, which can be either a hard disk drive in 120GB or 240GB sizes, or a solid state disk (SSD) in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB capacities, the company says.

DLI claims this to be the first use of Intel's dual-core Atom D525 in a vehicle-mount computer. While we can't vouch for that one way or the other, this CPU seems to be an astute choice for this application, combining adequate processing power with a 10-Watt TDP.

According to DLI, the 9200 uses Intel's ICH8M I/O controller and accepts up to 3GB of DDR2 memory. Intel's integrated graphics drives the device's capacitive touchscreen — offered in either 12.1-inch or 15.1-inch sizes — to a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, adds the company.

The 9200 has two USB 2.0 ports and could obviously be used with any keyboard. However, DLI offers the colorful device shown at right, which is IP54-rated and has seven different levels of built-in backlighting.

Other wired connectivity includes a gigabit Ethernet port, plus VGA and RS232 ports (the latter two are optional). Wireless, meanwhile, includes 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, plus the option of a SiRF starIII-based GPS receiver and/or a cellular card (either GSM or CDMA may be selected), according to DLI.

Features and specifications listed by DLI for the 9200 include:

• Processor — Intel Atom D5252 clocked at 1.8GHz
• Chipset — ICH8M
• Memory — up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM
• Display — resistive touchscreen with 1024 x 768 resolution, 500-nit brightness rating, and 400:1 contrast ratio; available in 12.1- or 15-inch sizes
• Keys — six user-programmable keys
• Storage — 120 or 240GB shock-mounted HDD, or SSD (8GB, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB)
• Networking:
  • LAN — gigabit Ethernet
  • WLAN — 802.11a/b/g/n
  • PAN — Bluetooth (optional)
  • WWAN — GSM or CDMA cellular card (optional)
• Other I/O:
  • 2 x USB 2.0
  • VGA (optional)
  • RS232 (optional)
• Power — accepts 6~60VDC input; 2800mAh backup battery can power device for 1.5 hours
• Operating range — -4 to 122 deg. F
• Dimensions:
  • 12.1-inch model — 12.2 x 11.2 x 2 inches
  • 15-inch model — 15.1 x 13.3 x 2.2 inches
• Weight:
  • 12.1-inch model — 9 pounds
  • 15.1-inch model — 13 pounds

Further information

According to DLI, the 9200 will be offered with a choice of operating systems, including Linux 2.6 (Ubuntu), Windows 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Embedded Standard 2009. The device will go on sale in March for prices starting at approximately $2,000, the company adds.

Further information may be found on the DLI 9200 product page.

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