Create A 3G Wireless, Rugged Mobile Alliance

Within the past year, wireless wide area connectivity has come down in price, and performance has improved. Hans Witt, channel sales manager for Itronix, a General Dynamics company, says wireless carriers originally focused their attention on the consumer market, selling cell phone service plans. Now that the consumer market is nearly saturated, they're going after the business market. "3G [third generation] wireless is here," says Sheila O'Neil, senior director of channel sales for Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. "Not only are high-speed networks such as EV-DO [evolution data-optimized] becoming more pervasive, but EV-DO Rev A is now a reality." EV-DO Rev A increases the peak data transmission download speed from a maximum of 2 Mbps to 3.1 Mbps, and a peak upload speed up to 1.8 Mbps, which enables telephony-based services such as voice, push-to-talk, and video telephony over a wireless IP (Internet Protocol) network. What does all this mean for VARs that sell rugged mobile computing solutions?

Full-Service Rugged Mobile Solutions Providers (Still) In Demand
Even though the wireless carriers do a good job of marketing their services, don't think for a minute that channel support for rugged mobile computing solutions isn't in high demand. "VARs need to focus on offering value-added products and services," advises Sharon Middendorf, global market development supervisor at 3M. "Services could range from building semirugged devices from commercially available mobile computers to offering computer accessories/peripherals along with postimplementation service and support. VARs should also consider services such as providing extra protection for mobile computing display screens, which can otherwise become scratched during normal field use."

One of the hottest opportunities for VARs is providing custom apps that take advantage of 3G wireless bandwidth. Adding digital imaging and/or video components and applications is one example of how VARs can take advantage of the 3G wireless trend. Law enforcement officers, for example, are beginning to use video cameras in their cruisers to document criminal activity. "Transportation and logistics companies are starting to incorporate rugged handhelds equipped with imager-based sensors," says Eric Eckstein, president and COO of Two Technologies, Inc. "The handhelds can be used to provide positive identification such as date, time, and the condition a package was delivered in, which can be combined with a bill of lading." (See "Don't Miss The Imager-Based Scanner Uptrend," on page 84.)

Selling and configuring VoIP (voice over IP) applications is another area VARs can profitably assist their customers. Besides the obvious benefit of using VoIP to eliminate long-distance charges, enterprises want VoIP because they can integrate voice and data applications and improve worker productivity. For example, unified communications applications, which enable voice mail and e-mail messages to reside in the same application are possible.

Avoid Rugged Mobile Computing Pitfalls
Even though the wireless WAN trend is good news for VARs that sell rugged mobile computing solutions, there are a few pitfalls to watch out for. First, keep in mind that wireless technology is changing all the time. New protocols are emerging, not to mention that some wireless networks are stronger in certain areas than others. How scalable/upgradeable are the rugged mobile computers you're selling? According to Itronix' Witt, "Some of the rugged mobile computing manufacturers are addressing the challenge of offering computers that are both rugged and upgradeable. VARs should make sure, for instance, that they're offering mobile computers that can be upgraded to Microsoft Vista operating systems when the customer is ready. VARs should also make sure the mobile computers they resell can accommodate memory upgrades, better video graphics cards, and new wireless radios as the technologies and/or customers' business needs evolve."

Using a PCMIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association) card slot to upgrade a wireless modem is not the right way to achieve upgradeability, says Panasonic Computer Solutions Company's O'Neil. "External modems are a point of failure and therefore are not acceptable in most mobile work environments. A better approach is to select a rugged mobile computer with an embedded, modular radio that is protected from drops and harsh work environments, but still can be replaced if necessary."

Providing rugged mobile solutions that are preconfigured and ready to go when a customer receives its computers is a service that can distinguish a VAR from its competitors. But be warned, dealing with wireless carriers and setting up a wireless account for your customers can sometimes be a frustrating task. "VARs should work with rugged mobile computing vendors that have master dealer agreements in place with the major cellular service carriers," says O'Neil. "This can help remove a potentially time-consuming step, and it places the onus of handling any disputes on the master dealer rather than the VAR."

Choose The Right Form Factor, OS, Custom Apps
"Some VARs have the mindset that you just need to sell the most rugged computers, regardless of the end user's environment," says Witt. "On the contrary, VARs need to take the time to get to know each customer's work environment to ensure that a fully rugged — as opposed to a semirugged — solution is necessary."

Choosing the appropriate form factor is also important. Do the field workers perform very similar steps each time they're on the job, such as reading meters? Then, a PDA with drop-down menus is the wise choice. Does the customer need to enter data in the field? Then, a laptop, tablet PC, or convertible (a combination of laptop and tablet PC) should be considered.

VARs also should consider the OS — especially for handheld devices. "Some handhelds can run Windows XP and Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel," says Two Technologies' Eckstein. "Even though XP is designed to run multiple applications, it's not suited for use in an on-demand wireless environment. A better choice is a mobile OS such as Windows CE, combined with field-specific work applications."

A final word of advice is in regard to selling custom applications. The objective, according to Eckstein, is to make your customer feel like the device was created for their business application. For example, if your customer sells only beer, there's no point in having a screen pop-up asking the customer to check which type of item was sold. "Instead, the VAR could provide an intuitive keypad that features keys with application-specific icons displaying the customer's most popular-selling beers,  thus eliminating unnecessary steps and confusion," he says.

Taking the aforementioned steps will help VARs create stronger customer relationships and help them justify their existence, as well as distinguish themselves from their competition. And after all, isn't that what it's all about?