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Hands-on with the Motorola Solutions HC1, a modular head-mounted computer
One of the more entertaining posts we wrote up at last year's CES was for the Golden-i, a head-mounted computer that lets field workers control their machines using voice commands and by moving their heads. The idea being: technicians, soldiers and other hands-on types ought to have their hands free if they're going to do their jobs safely. Since then, the Golden-i has been replaced by the Motorola Solutions HC1, which uses the same technology but is now rugged enough to withstand four-foot drops. It also has a much more comfortable, modular design. So comfortable, in fact, that you have to wonder why the original wasn't designed this way. Now the padded inner lining is velcro-attached, so workers can adjust it about as easily as they would a bike helmet. That's convenient for people who live in their headgear 40 hours a week, but it's also nice for companies where employees share helmets -- after all, it'd be nice to take out your own lining so that you're not sharing the same sweat-soaked padding with someone else. Additionally, workers can remove components like the speaker module, which they might need to if the headset's in need of cleaning. There's now a user-programmable button, which you can do to turn off features like voice commands. The eyepiece, too, is now attached to a sturdy, flexible boom, which lets you adjust the LCD position just so. In terms of actual functionality, the core technology hasn't changed much: this is still a heads-up display that allows you to control things using your voice or by moving your head. However, the software has been improved in such a way that you can now share your screen -- or rather, your field of vision. So, for example, if a field worker is having trouble repairing something, he can have a distant colleague remote in and offer help -- sort of the virtual equivalent of looking over someone's shoulder. That's it in a nutshell, but we've got photo and video of the hardware below. Apologies if you have a fear of mannequins.
Motorola Solutions outs HC1 head-mounted computer, keeps workers' hands free in sticky situations (update: video)
We're very familiar with Kopin's Golden-i, but it was surprising that an early collaboration with Motorola Solutions didn't immediately lead to Motorola selling the head-mounted computer on its own. That odd discrepancy is being patched up now that Motorola Solutions' HC1 is here. The design keeps its signature micro-display, head tracking and voice commands, but sees a slight repurposing from Kopin's focus on security: Motorola Solutions' attention is on giving construction workers, field technicians and soldiers an always-up computer that keeps their hands free when it would be too dangerous (or just unwieldy) to grab a handheld. We haven't been told if the HC1 has been upgraded to that promised TI OMAP 4 chip, although we do know that there's an optional camera to bring on the Aliens-style video feeds as well as pairing support that offers cellular data, GPS and voice calls when linked to the right phone or hotspot. Whether or not the HC1 keeps the Golden-i's $2,500 price is an unknown as well -- that said, the corporate emphasis is more likely to see bulk sales of the wearable PC than any kind of scrimping and saving. Update: You'll find an official clip for the HC1 after the break. The clip also confirms that there's no OMAP 4 in this version.
Motorola Solutions buys Psion for $200 million
Psion has mostly slipped out of the public eye, but that's about to change -- Motorola Solutions just bought the company for $200 million in cash to bolster its work with industrial companies. The deal will mostly focus on improving Motorola Solutions' toughened-up handhelds and in-car terminals. Not always exciting out of devices like the ET1, but it ends Psion's 32-year history as an independent company and a legacy that includes some of the very first PDAs, like the Psion Organizer. We won't miss the fight over the "netbook" name, mind you. Regardless of how you feel, you'll have until fall to wax nostalgic, as that's when the two sides expect the deal to close and the Psion name gets subsumed into that of another mobile pioneer.
Motorola Solutions reports Q1 2012 sales of $2 billion, expects jump in Q2
Motorola Solutions (MSI) -- the less familiar Motorola that makes radios, barcode scanners and such for government and enterprise sectors -- just posted sales of $2 billion for the first quarter of 2012. This is a seven percent boost over Moto's results from the same period last year, and that growth reflects an 11 percent jump in government sales. It wasn't all rosy for Motorola this quarter, though: Profit was down two-thirds to $157 million, and sales to large businesses slipped two percent. MSI (not that MSI) expects second-quarter sales to grow six percent compared to last year's earnings, so it doesn't look like government clients will be dropping those wearable displays any time soon.
Motorola unveils rugged ET1 Android tablet for enterprise types (video)
Well, here it is. After months of beta tests, Motorola's ET1 tablet was finally unveiled today, bringing a taste of Android 2.3 to the enterprise market. Powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU, this rugged slate packs 8GB of internal storage, along with a 32GB microSD card slot, and features a seven-inch, Gorilla Glass capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 resolution. Weighing in at 1.4 pounds, the ET1 also boasts an eight megapixel rear camera, a front-facing shooter designed for videoconferencing and 720p video capabilities. Plus, retailers can choose to outfit the tablet with a host of accessories, including a barcode reader, magnetic stripe reader, handstrap and holster. At this point, the ET1 boasts only WiFi connectivity, though Motorola Solutions' Sheldon Safir says a Wide Area Network version is in the works. The manufacturer didn't offer a specific price, but Safir tells Computer World that bulk purchases should cost less than $1,000 by the time the slab hits the market, later this year. Head past the break for a full platter of PR, along with a demo video.
Motorola Solutions hits $2.1 billion in sales for Q2
All said, Q2 wasn't such a bad one for the black logoed Motorola Solutions, with sales of $2.1 billion, up six percent from this time last year. That number includes $1.3 billion for government sales and $747 million for enterprise, up four and 11 percent over last year, respectively. Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI to its friends) was formed earlier this year, when the tech company split in two. Solutions specializes in things like barcode scanners and two-way radios, while Motorola Mobility Holdings deals with the more familiar (to us, at least) smartphone and Xoom-y side of things.
Motorola split official tomorrow, we hope you like red
Here we go. Perfectly timed with this week's festivities, Motorola's split, wherein one become two (a "reverse Spice Girls," if you will) is crossing the final t's and dotting the remaining i's. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that by Tuesday, the Motorola stock ticker (MOT) will stop trading, being replaced instead by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI) and Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI, no relation). The latter will focus on public-safety radios and handheld scanners while the former, with a bright new logo, will be the smartphone / set-top box-focused company that for all intents and purposes we mean when we simply write "Motorola" from here on out. It just rolls off the tongue better.
Motorola split wraps up on January 4th
Just in time for CES, eh? We knew it was happening at some point in January, and Motorola has just announced that it'll formally be split into two companies as of January 4th, 2011. Actually, that's not technically accurate: Motorola Mobility -- the phone and set-top box guys -- will be spun off into their own entity, while the parent company will change its name from Motorola to Motorola Solutions, responsible for the company's infrastructure businesses. Shareholders of the current company as of December 21st will receive one share of Mobility for every eight shares they've got in their possession right now, while the remainder of the company will enact a 1-for-7 reverse split; as of the 4th, you'll be looking at two stock symbols: MMI for Mobility and MSI for Solutions. So... who's buying? Follow the break for the official press release.
Motorola targeting January to finalize split
Though Sanjay Jha is clearly the more visible of Motorola's two co-CEOs, it was his stealthier counterpart, Greg Brown, who mentioned during an analyst conference today that they're looking to wrap up the company's split in January of next year. Brown had already been tapped to head up Motorola Solutions -- one half of the post-split aftermath with $5.3 billion in cash and $2.9 billion in debt -- and he's saying that his company's independent identity "effectively starts today." The handset guys over at Motorola Mobility, meanwhile, have been filing devices with the FCC under their post-split name for a while, but let's be honest: we're still going to know all this stuff as "Motorola"... and that's probably exactly how they want it.
