Rugged xTablet T8600 tablet PC handles barcode, magnetic stripe reading

Joining the curious workhorse UMPC / tablet PC arena is the xTablet T8600, which boasts about its ruggedness, barcode scanning, and magnetic stripe reading abilities that it handles when not checking your email and making dinner reservations on the go. Furthermore, the unique design allows for a backlit numeric keypad and directional arrows to be installed beside the 8.4-inch SVGA display, and internally, you'll find a 1.1GHz Intel Centrino processor, up to 1.28GB of DDR2 RAM, a "dual digitizer / touchscreen standard," integrated 802.11a/b/g, shock-mounted 40GB hard drive, optional EV-DO / EDGE / GPRS / GSM, Bluetooth, a nine-pin serial port, and a Li-ion battery that can reportedly keep things running for "up to seven hours." To account for all the beatings it'll presumably endure, it sports military-grade water-, dust-, and shock-proof characteristics, and can also operate at extreme temperatures. Hope you aren't too excited, though, as there's no word just yet regarding pricing or future availability.

[Via PCLaunches]

[Ondra Soukup @ Apr 15th 2007 9:45AM]

I'm totally getting this...your new buddy in stealing credit cards, hacking vending machines and other stuff ;)

[LukeA @ Apr 15th 2007 10:11AM]

Who still uses serial ports?

[Gil @ Apr 15th 2007 10:28AM]

First of all the DIY scene/hackers and then a lot of industry equipment still does. Most of the things that implement serial today simply don't need anything more.

[Vortex @ Apr 15th 2007 12:59PM]

"Who still uses serial ports?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394

I realize that you were referring to a specific type of port, but the above are serial standards.

[Vortex @ Apr 15th 2007 12:59PM]

"Who still uses serial ports?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394

I realize that you were referring to a specific type of port, but the above are serial standards.

[Richard Sportwood @ Apr 15th 2007 1:36PM]

Most networking equipment uses it. Many industrial machines use it. Many people use it in hacking devices and flashing firmware onto them. It's used ALOT. There's simply no reason for most of these devices to use a newer method, so why change? It's cheap, simple, and reliable.

[Tech^Cellfish @ Apr 15th 2007 11:27AM]

Looks almost like the terminals used by the staff at the cruise ship I was on this weekend. They had wifi to send orders to the bar and for internet connection for credit card processing. Card reader for the cards. Bluetooth link to a small belt mount receipt printer.

I really wanted one as a wardriving/hacking station. If the hardware is supported under linux, this would be a great hacking machine. Now to read if the hardware can program magnetic stripe cards.

[Jeffrey Frady @ Apr 15th 2007 5:19PM]

Serial ports are very important. I work with environmental testing equipment(which costs about 1k a pop) and nearly all the stuff I use require serial and many of them don't always work on USB -> serial adapters. Currently we are using rugged PPCs with serial host. The fact that this tablet has a serial port makes it very valuable for some industries.