2021 has been another eventful year to say the least, both in the business of rugged computers and in the world as a whole. New challenges had to be overcome, many of them caused by the ongoing pandemic. Most notably among them was the shortage in semiconductors and containers which caused havoc in the global supply chains.
The changes caused by the pandemic brought some positives as well in the form of some impressive innovation and technological leaps. The e-commerce boom has accelerated and several smart solutions have been launched to help the warehouses and package handlers keep up. One of the major trends in the rugged field has been, and will certainly continue to be wearables.
We have also seen some exciting new upgrades both in the forms of hardware and software. Among them, Nautiz X6 and Nautiz X9 got major upgrades in both categories. Other interesting news was the release of several new versions of operating systems.
The challenges of 2021
One of the major themes of 2021 has been supply chain issues. The pandemic caused semiconductor factories to shut down at the same time as the demand for consumer electronics rose quickly, causing a major shortage. That wasn’t the only problem caused by the pandemic however. Shutdowns hit different parts of the world at different times leaving the entire international shipping fleet in disarray. The majority of all containers were basically in the wrong part of the world and shipping costs skyrocketed. To top it all off we had the Ever Given running aground and blocking the entire Suez canal.
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- The global semiconductor shortage
- The Suez canal blockage and the rugged supply chain
- Update on the rugged supply chain issues
- Chip shortage might continue into 2023
Wearable innovations were launched
Wearable technology is the way to go if you want to effectivize warehousing and package handling. Handheld launched two new devices in the category, the RS60 Bluetooth Ring Scanner and the SP500X ScanPrinter. The SP500X ScanPrinter is the first of its kind and truly groundbreaking for package handling.
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- What is wearable technology?
- Handheld announces the SP500X ScanPrinter
- SP500X the first wearable ScanPrinter
- Handheld launches the RS60 Bluetooth Ring Scanner
Innovations that might greatly affect the future
Some truly amazing tech has been unveiled and even though much of it is in early testing stages it has the potential to reshape the way we work entirely.
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- Xiaomi announces long-range wireless charging
- 5G Edge computing: pushing the speed limits
- Starlink – Supplying remote areas with high-speed satellite internet
Upgrades all around
Hardware upgrades software updates and hardware with upgraded software. Every area has basically gotten better this year. Among rugged computers, we highlighted Handhelds Nautiz X6 and Nautiz X9. They have both been upgraded to Android 11 along with receiving major hardware upgrades. On the software side, we have seen rollouts of both Windows 11 and Android 12 start.
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