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Posts with tag census

Harris' HTC-made Census handheld hits the FCC

by Donald Melanson, posted May 5th 2008 at 1:58PM

Harris Corp's HTC-made Census handheld may only be a shadow of its former self now that the Census Bureau has decided not to use it for any actual census-taking, but that doesn't mean it can hang its head in shame forever, and it's now popped up to make an encore appearance at the FCC. Thankfully, this time around the FCC folks have snapped plenty of pics of the device, including a look at its innards, which you can find at the link below. Otherwise, the device appears to be mostly unchanged, with it still boasting the same fingerprint security, and EVDO and WiFi connectivity, albeit without any voice capabilities. One of the few things getting changed, it seems, is the device's battery -- which, given recent developments, is likely one of the last upgrades it needed.

[Via Register Hardware, thanks Michael]

Census Bureau goes forward with plans to ditch PDAs

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 3rd 2008 at 4:33PM

While it doesn't exactly come as a surprise given recent developments, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez has now told a House subcommittee that the Census Bureau will in fact be ditching its much-ballyhooed PDAs in favor of paper and pencil for the 2010 census. According to the AP, that fairly drastic move comes as part of a package of changes that will ultimately add as much as $3 billion to the cost of the census, bringing the total cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 billion. Among other things, Gutierrez said that a "lack of effective communication with one of our key contractors" was one of the factors that "significantly contributed to the challenges." The handhelds will apparently still see some use during the census, however, although only for verifying street addresses using the PDA's GPS functionality. For its part, Harris Corp. (which had the contract to provide the PDAs) put the best spin on things, saying that it was "encouraged that automation and the adoption of new technology is moving forward, even if in a more narrowly focused fashion." Of course, it's still getting its $600 million+, so it can't really complain all that much.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Problems with census PDAs could prompt a return to pencil and paper

by Donald Melanson, posted Mar 26th 2008 at 4:01PM

Harris Corp. may have nothing but good things to say about the HTC-made PDAs it's planning to supply for use in the 2010 census, but it looks like the handhelds are already starting to cause plenty of headaches for census officials, who are reportedly even considering a return to pencil and paper if things can't be resolved. As the AP reports, the problems start with the contract for the devices, which originally clocked in at $596 million, has since grown to $647 million, and could eventually balloon to as much as $2 billion. As if that wasn't enough, the handheld has also apparently proven to be "too complex" for some of the temporary census workers that took part in a test last year, and the device was reportedly "not initially programmed to transmit the large amounts of data necessary." As a result, census officials are now said to be considering a number of different options to scale back the use of the devices, only one of which apparently actually has the headcounters entering data into 'em as they go door-to-door.

Census takers' custom PDAs get shown off

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 16th 2007 at 4:32PM

We've already heard plenty about the custom PDAs that census takers will eventually be getting their hands on, but Popular Mechanics has now taken things one step further and actually gotten a hands on with the device itself (or at least the current form of it). As we knew before, the PDA is made by HTC and based on Windows Mobile, with Florida-based Harris Corp. handling the actual deployment of the devices, which are expected to eventually total some 500,000. While complete specs are obviously still up in the air (given that they won't be deployed until 2010), the devices will apparently boast 10 hours of battery life, and pack integrated GPS to keep all those census takers on the right track, not to mention a built-in dial-up modem to ensure they stay in touch when venturing beyond the boundaries of Sprint's data network. If that's not enough to whet your appetite, you can hit up the read link below for a video walk through of the device.

HTC's voice-free Census coming to Sprint?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 3rd 2007 at 11:31AM


If this is the device Census Bureau workers end up getting to use come 2010, we've gotta say, we're a little jealous. The aptly-named "Census" from HTC crossed the FCC's wires several months ago, and a fresh visit reveals that pictures of the device and a user's manual are now available. Sticking with the Bureau's claim that their device would be strictly used for data collection, the Windows Mobile Pocket PC-powered Census dispenses with calling functionality, instead loading up with a variety of options for transmitting collected data back to home base: 1xRTT / EV-DO, WiFi, and a phone jack (oh, my!) are all on board. Though we're not certain, we're guessing the jack is an analog modem, ensuring that even the most rural Census visits -- places where even CDMA may not penetrate -- won't go unreported in short order. The device also includes a fingerprint reader, which gives us some sense of security (however false it may be) that the intimate details we share with those workers are safe. A screen shot in the user's manual reveals Sprint as a possible carrier, but if this is in fact the Census device we've all been hearing about, it's uncertain whether it'll ever be made available outside the feds' bureaucratic hands.

[Via phoneArena]

Census Bureau to use HTC handhelds in 2010

by Marc Perton, posted Apr 4th 2006 at 5:15PM


For the first census of the 21st Century, the US Census Bureau is finally entering the 20th. In 2010, when the next census is conducted, the agency will use handheld computers, rather than relying on notepads for door-to-door visits. The agency says the plan will keep costs down as well as making the count more accurate. The handhelds will be made by smartphone manufacturer HTC, and will run a version of Windows Mobile. Concerned Census Bureau officials have been assured that the HTC units won't replace their BlackBerrys, and will be used solely for data collection, not as smartphones (despite the fact that, coming from HTC, they'll probably be very capable smartphones with messaging and calling functions turned off for this project). The equipment is expected to be deployed this year or next by Florida-based Harris Corp., which won a $600 million contract to run the field operation. According to Census Bureau officials, the switch from paper to PDA will save money, though the total cost for the 2010 census is still expected to be as much as $12 billion, double that of 2000.
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