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Getac MH132

Getac cooks up a handy, GPS-enabled device that splits the difference between a smartphone and a rugged handheld computer
By Conrad H. Blickenstorfer

On March 15 of 2011, Getac announced the latest addition to its growing line of rugged mobile computing solutions. The Getac MH132—which will initially be sold in Europe (Getac has no plans at this time to bring it to the US market)—is the company's entry in the growing market of rugged GPS-enabled handhelds that bridge the gap between smartphones and mobile computers. Products in this class are aimed at field workers who seek to carry just one device instead of a fragile consumer smartphone and a bulky mobile computer.

Designing such a device is not an easy task. While all those many millions of smartphones used around the globe have paved the way for acceptance and productive use of handheld technology, they've also raised expectations as to what handheld technology should look like (small, light and elegant), how it should work (effortlessly and elegantly), and how much it should cost (not much). That sets the bar very high for a device that does all that, but also must not break when it falls, must not leak when it gets rained on, and must fit into the often rigid demands of corporate security, programming standards, infrastructure and legacy systems. That requires give and take and clever compromise, and with the MH132, Getac believes it has found the answer in a crossover sort of way Positioning: Getac's thought process when developing the MH132 Getac already offers two rugged handhelds with communication features (the PS236 and the PS535F), and the competition offers a growing number of business and industrial smartphone devices ruggedized to various degrees. So what was Getac's thought process in designing the MH132, and what are the target markets?

Overall, the goal here was to create a pocket-sized rugged handheld with integrated GPS and data capture and communication to give outdoor workers access to real-time information, eliminate tedious repetitive manual/paper processes, and let people concentrate on the delivery of services instead. For that to work, the device has to be small enough to be used anywhere, inexpensive enough to be affordable, and powerful enough to actually be useful for decision support in the field.

Don't Let Credit Card Firms Persuade You to Withdraw Cash

This year has been a real financial struggle for many households, so it is little wonder that many people have had no spare cash to splash out on Christmas and the January sales. However, this is something that some credit card firms have been relying on, and in light of the situation many have been contacting consumers to try and get them to withdraw cash on their credit cards to splash out on themselves.

Some people may have fallen for this ploy, but the reason credit card firms are doing this is because it means that they make more money from cash withdrawal charges and higher interest rates. For you, as the borrower, it means that you can get your hands on some fast cash – and pay through the nose for it. Many industry experts are warning people not to fall for this ploy from credit card firms, but a lot of cash strapped people may already have taken out cash on their cards.

If you are planning to hit the January sales and think that the credit card firms’ solution of taking money out on your card is a good idea, then think again. Credit card companies make a lot of money in this way, and some have been branded irresponsible for trying to persuade customers take out cash and pay these costly fees and charges.

In fact, one credit card provider, MBNA, has been slammed recently for not only trying to persuade customers to take out cash over the Christmas and New Year period but also raising their credit limits. The letter sent out to one customer read: “As one of our best customers we’ve recently increased your credit limit to £11,200. This means you can withdraw more cash this Christmas to really splash out on yourself and your family. Simply by visiting the nearest cash machine displaying either the MasterCard or Visa logo you can get access to cash whenever you need it.”

However, you need to remember that if you have received a similar letter from your credit card firm the company is not doing this to help you through the expense of the festive season – it is designed to line the pockets of the credit card firms and leave you paying a small fortune for your borrowing, ultimately pushing up the cost of Christmas and the New Year even further.

To ease the cost and splash out in the January sales it’s a good idea to compare 0% purchase credit cards that will offer zero interest rates on new purchases for an introductory period.

Alternatively, anyone who has a current credit card debt outstanding should look to compare 0% balance transfer credit cards to move their current debt over to zero interest rates for up to 15 months, which can substantially help to make repayment quicker and more affordable.