Motorola's TETRA PDA to run Windows Mobile 5.0

Geekzone is throwing down a few more deets (including a pic!) on Motorola's TETRA PDA they announced last week for emergency services personnel. So in addition to the WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and digicam support we already knew about, we can see that it's cleary designed for the rugged work favored by our mustachioed emergency services personnel. Moto's new PDA runs Windows Mobile 5.0, includes 128MB of SDRAM and 64MB flash which is further expandable via SD cards. Oh, and sorry 'bout that monster antenna but thems the breaks when transmitting over the TETRA low frequency, encrypted network. But hey, it's gonna look sweet on the utility belt, dig? Commercially available in Q3 2006 so could ya please keep the natural disaster activity down 'till then? Thanks.

[Thanks, M Freitas]

[Samuel McConnell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

It's fun that the simulated screenshot on there still has the program bar from the Windows Mobile emulator. They didn't really try with that one. :p

[emaw_kc @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

What carrier will this be available on? Am I correct in assuming Nextel (er... Sprint?) since it's a Motorola?

[Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Uh, it is a TErrestrial Trunked RAdio (TETRA) which runs at 17Hz (not cell frequency). TETRA devices are mostly used by public safety officials because of the lower frequency which allows for greater geographic coverage, thus reducing infrastructure costs. There are many other advantages to TETRA, google it if you care.

Ps, Cingular has Moto devices also. Moto != Sprint/Nextel

[HawkWolf @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

17hz? Noooo....

http://www.mobilecomms-technology.com/projects/tetra/

[Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

TETRA is a European version of iDEN that adds some public safety features of APCO P25. We'll never see it stateside because there's the far cheaper iDEN plus public safety, by law, is standardized on P25

[Orneta @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Sure would like a PDA that runs windows to run an emulator of an older version of Windows Mobile. :)

[Jen @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Windows Mobile? Do you want your fireman soft-rebooting his PDA while trying to rescue you?

[fogd00d @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

#8, Jen -- do you just cut and paste that brilliance? *sigh* The obligatory no-originality hackneyed Microsoft quip.

The only people I know that have unreliable Microsoft-based systems are the ones stupid enough to install the free screensavers, search bars, etc. "Yes, yes I would like to install your Comet cursor. Thanks for asking! Should I bend over further or is that far enough?"

The only reboots required of my Windows-based equipment have been for driver installs. The only crashes have also been directly attributable to third-party drivers.

[dennis parrott @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

fogd00d says:
----
The only people I know that have unreliable Microsoft-based systems are the ones stupid enough to install the free screensavers, search bars, etc. "Yes, yes I would like to install your Comet cursor. Thanks for asking! Should I bend over further or is that far enough?"

The only reboots required of my Windows-based equipment have been for driver installs. The only crashes have also been directly attributable to third-party drivers.
----

What a load of crap! We aren't talking about DESKTOPS or LAPTOPS here. We are talking about MOBILE SYSTEMS with COMMUNICTIONS CAPABILITY built in... Like my Verizon PDA phone which runs Windows Mobile 2003 and needs to be rebooted fairly often because it forgets how to dial the phone.... Yes, sad but true. A supposed smartphone that cannot remember how to dial a freakin' phone number.

The facts are that Windows boxes, even those you hold in your hand, need to be rebooted fairly often. Their underlying poor pretense of a REAL O/S just isn't up to 24/7 operation.

More to the point, wouldn't that ruggedized PDA look sweet integrated with a cellular antenna and EVDO?

[Andrew Kawczynski @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Do you have or know of software for AOL to run on a SPV M5000 running windows mobile 5,

Thanks

[Andrew Kawczynski @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Does anybody know of any software to run AOL on a PDA running windows mobile 5?