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Subject: Computer & Automation
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 12:51:16 EST
Message-ID: <3.1992Nov18.125116@AmeriCast.com>

11/18/92


TITLE Computer & Automation PCradio#m#cq#m#: Computing, Communi-
cations For All Environments, At A Price


Michael Stroud


After Hurricane Andrew struck this fall, the Red Cross faced a
communications nightmare.  Most ordinary telephones in a 400-mile
radius didn't work. Data and electrical transmission lines were
down. Cellular phone services were overloaded.  The solution: a
new computer with wireless communications capabilities from
International Business Machines Corp. Using IBM's
PCradio#m#cq#m#, the disaster relief agency was able to pass
electronic mail messages easily among 24 stations.

Computers & Automation

"Since we were able to communicate effectively, we were able to
provide goods and services to our clients that much faster," said
Greg Tune, a disaster specialist with the Red Cross.  That's pre-
cisely the reason why as many as 60 other companies and organiza-
tions are examining IBM's PCradio 9075, a hand-held computer that
provides wireless voice, data and fax transmission. Sears, Roe-
buck & Co., the Baltimore Police Department, Rochester Gas &
Electric Corp. and the Tulsa, Okla., Emergency Medical Service
are among the organizations and companies that recently field-
tested the units.  Giving computers wireless communication capa-
bilities isn't new. It's easy to buy the necessary attachments
for a computer notebook. Start-up EO Inc. recently announced a
product dubbed the Personal Communicator, a portable computer
that integrates a cellular phone.  But IBM claims to be the only
company with a machine designed to take the worst kind of punish-
ment in everything from post-hurricane disaster zones to subzero
temperatures.  "We have a picture of it being hosed down,"
bragged Herb Demsky, IBM's mobile field force communications
manager. "We have another picture of it being dropped from four
feet onto a concrete floor." IBM is targeting the machine at
transportation, communication, public safety and field services.


Appropriate Chip

The machine is based on a relatively primitive microprocessor,
Intel Corp.'s 80C186. Designers of the PCradio picked the chip
because it consumes little power and provides all of the fairly
simple capabilities required by field service workers. The unit
can run for three to eight hours.  "This is not a machine for
somebody who's planning to use it to run Lotus 1-2-3 or
Wordstar," noted IBM's Demsky. "But for most field workers, it's
plenty fast." The unit's key attraction is its flexibility. It
can communicate over a variety of wireless networks, including
IBM's and Motorola Inc.'s Ardis joint venture. And it comes bun-
dled with software that enables IBM to tailor the computer to a
customer's individual requirements.  The unit can be used as a
basic telecommunications device, as the Red Cross used it in
Florida. Or it can be used to tap into a host computer or mini-
computer to allow service workers to access databases of impor-
tant information.  None of this comes cheap. At $5,500, the unit
costs a lot more than most customers are used to paying for a
machine with microprocessor technology that is several years old.

Demsky, however, insists "pilot studies are showing there is a
value in a system at that price." Customers can choose between
two versions of the seven-pound unit. The Model 2 accesses so-
called packet radio networks such as Ardis. Packet radio relies
on short bursts of radio data transmission to pass information.
The Model 2 hooks into cellular networks. Users can plug in a
phone attachment and place calls with the unit. For data, howev-
er, cellular transmission is typically more expensive than packet
radio.

Flash Memory Cards

Using these technologies, the units can communicate with each
other or with more complex computers.

To achieve the desired lightness and ruggedness, IBM dispensed
with hard and floppy drives.  "Traditional drives could never
survive that sort of punishment," said Demsky.  Instead, the un-
its use removable integrated circuit cards called flash memory.
If users want to save or back up their data, they simply copy the
information from one card to another.  The main disadvantage of
such cards now is the amount of data they can store. Most cards
only hold 10 to 20 megabytes of information, compared with the 60
megabytes to 120 megabytes now standard on most notebook comput-
ers. Since the units don't have bulky drives, however, their bat-
tery life is longer.  IBM is introducing a follow-on version of
the PCradio at this week's Comdex trade show that would incor-
porate touchscreen capabilities.

Here is a sampling of some of the field tests of the unit:

The Baltimore Police Department.  Many police officers now carry
PCradios to do quick computer checks on license plates and
suspects' records. Before, officers had to reach dispatchers by
radio to request that they do searches for them - a waste of
time.

Rochester Gas & Electric.  Service workers investigating downed
power lines, gas leaks and lack of heat are using PCradios to
gain immediate access to the utility company's mainframe comput-
ers.

 Tulsa Emergency Medical Service.  Tulsa's emergency medical
workers now can use PCradios to access medical records immediate-
ly while attending to critically ill patients.

Sears.  The huge retailer plans to use PCradios to give its ser-
vice technicians instant access to service and parts information
from service centers.

This article is copyright 1992 Investors Business Daily. Redis-
tribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement
with American Cybercasting Corporation.  For more information,
send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM