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Sheriff's department streamlines traffic citation process with iOS devices
The next time you're caught speeding in St. John the Baptist Parish in Louisiana, don't be surprised if the sheriff uses an iPad or iPhone to write your ticket. The Sheriff's Office in this parish about 30 miles west of New Orleans is using a ticketing solution developed by Zerion Software on their iFormBuilder platform for iOS. The idea behind the system is to allow law enforcement officers to enter data directly onto an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch while they're talking with drivers. They won't have to return to their vehicles to enter the information into a dashboard-mounted computer, thus saving time. Data entry errors are expected to fall as well thanks to the use of a Socket Mobile barcode scanner to capture driver's license and vehicle information. The ticket is printed on a Zebra mobile printer and given to the errant driver. The citation info is sent to a server for storage and processing, or held for later transfer if the device is offline. There's no word on whether the devices will be pre-loaded with Angry Birds for those long traffic stakeouts, or use Siri to find local donut shops.
Socket Mobile's SoMo 650 Pocket PC
The phone-free PDA is indeed a dying breed, especially in Windows Mobile land, but the SoMo 650 from Socket Mobile is just such a beast, and it really doesn't come off looking too badly. The rugged exterior isn't much to look at, but is built to withstand one meter drops, while the 802.11b/g WiFi allows for a semblance of phone capabilities, since the 624MHz Intel processor is more than enough for VoIP apps. Also onboard is a Bluetooth 2.0 radio, along with CompactFlash and SDIO slots, 128MB of SDRAM and 256MB of flash memory. The SoMo 650 should be shipping for $648 in limited quantities starting this April, to be followed by mass production in May.[Via MobileTechReview]
Socket Mobile teases with smartphone concept
Socket Mobile, the company formerly known as Socket Communication, has set up an intriguing teaser website that alludes to a mysterious smartphone concept. A first glance at the badly put together flash teaser that greats you when you first visit www.socketmobile.com will probably make you reach for your calendar: we can assure you that it is in fact February, just under two months to go until April Fool's Day (we checked.) There's no way we can take the dodgy animation as a confirmation that this device exists, but if Socket Mobile actually expects to release a device based on the concept image above, we can expect it to include a CompactFlash and SecureDigital slot, and for it to run Windows Mobile 5.0. That's it; that's all the information that the dodgy flash animation gives up, other than the concept image above and the assertment that a second concept will appear next week. Until it does, we'll scratch this one up to a really lame attempt at viral marketing, and nothing more.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
