A recent study by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology found that the U.S. construction and engineering industry is losing over $15 billion per year as a result of the industry’s continued paper-based business processes, lack of standardization and overall lack of consistent approach to technology deployment among leading organizations.[1]

As construction firms begin to embrace mobile technology to enhance efficiency on the job site, it is critical that they have the right technology in place. Rugged tablet PCs are the ideal mobile device, as they are very portable and have touchscreen capabilities that are favorable for forms-based data entry and work in conjunction with software solutions designed for the market. However, a tablet used on the job site should be MIL-STD-810G certified and IP65 rated in order to survive drops of up to six feet, dust, vibrations and extreme weather. Tablet computers like the Toughbook H1 Field have integrated features, such as a barcode scanner, RFID reader, GPS, camera and mobile broadband that eliminate the need for multiple devices and provide additional resources for data and image capture in the field.

For more information on tablet PCs for the construction market and how to deploy the total solution – hardware and software – for the job site, you can read my article with software partner, Vela Systems, on ForConstructionPros.com here.

While ChannelWeb, PC Magazine, and WIRED Gadget Lab all covered the announcement with zeal, our favorite post introducing the Toughbook H1 Field has to be from Devin Coldewey of CrunchGear who places you in the role of Gordon Freeman; your lab is self destructing and soldiers are attempting to kill you. You need a tablet computer as part of your defense and before you is an iPad and the H1 Field. What do you do? Check out Devin’s suggestion in his post.

Our customers have a different set of critical needs, but it’s fun to pretend to be Gordon Freeman for a day!