Motion Computing`s Tablet: A Superior Choice

Take one tablet and call me in the morning may very well be Motion Computing’s slogan for the J3400, a tablet PC that has “built for the health vertical” written all over it.

Weighing in at just 1.64 kilos and featuring a shock-resistant design, the Motion J3400 may be the perfect fit for industries where electronic forms and handwritten notes reign supreme. First and foremost on the list is the medical market, where the unit’s eight-hour battery life (with dual batteries installed) should make the rounds for most medical professionals. Of course, other verticals are well served by the tablet, such as insurance adjusters, surveyors, construction, shipping and logistics, and retail.

Some may think tablet PCs are pretty cool, but wonder if they really need a full-time tablet PC? Motion addresses that concern with a small dock that features a keyboard and touchpad, which turns the unit into a notebook. Perhaps not as classy as a solution as a convertible notebook, the Motion J3400 performs well in either configuration.

he Motion J3400 features many capabilities that should make it the first choice in tablet computing. The unit is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (SU9300) with an ultra-low voltage design running at 1.2 GHz (a 1.4 GHz SU9400 is optional), which sips power without sacrificing performance. Solution providers will also appreciate the choice of Windows Vista Business Edition or Windows XP as the primary operating systems. Wandering users will enjoy the multitude of wireless connectivity capabilities, which include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile Broadband and a smart card slot for other devices.

A tablet PC has to be a pretty tough device since they are subject to the bumps and dumps of a fast-paced environment. Here, Motion went with a magnesium-alloy frame, water-dust resistant screen, chemically strengthened glass and a rubberised housing. All of those features give the unit 3-foot drop test compliance and a Mil-STD-810F rating.

For day to day use, the Motion J3400 proves to be a comfortable and functional unit. It’s well balanced and the digitiser works well with the included stylus. The optional keyboard is a little on the clumsy side, and connects by the tablet resting on an edge connector. The keyboard doesn’t lock onto the unit and can fall off if the unit is carried around in that configuration. In other words, it’s best to leave the keyboard dock sitting on a desk.

Motion also offers a desktop dock which pretty much turns the system into a monitor with an integrated PC. Users can plug a keyboard, mouse, Ethernet cable and other devices into the dock and use the system like a desktop PC, albeit with a small 12.1-inch display.

Motion has included in an interesting mix of additional features in the Motion J3400. Users will appreciate its 1600×1200 Web cam with an illumination light, noise cancelling multidirection array microphone and high-definition audio. Those features make the Motion J3400 an ideal tool for mobile, instant video conferences and the integrated camera could be used to take snapshots to be imbedded into forms.

The Motion J3400 has quite a few ports, and users will find a gigabit Ethernet rj45 connector, headphone, microphone, two USB, external VGA, and keyboard connectors strategically placed around the perimeter of the device. Security-minded users can enable the included fingerprint scanner and further secure the unit using disk encryption and other security technologies.

With 4 GBs of RAM installed and U9400 CPU, the Motion J3400 offered decent performance, the Windows Experience Index came in at a 3.2, while PassMark’s Performance Test V6.1 gave an overall rating of 552.6. That’s an acceptable score, right in the range of convertible notebooks and far surpassing most netbooks. Starting at £1,560, the Motion J3400 doesn’t come cheap, but when compared to either a semi-rugged notebook or a high-end laptop, the price doesn’t seem so bad.

For solution providers servicing mobile vertical markets—such as health care, construction and emergency first responders—Motion J3400 is a superior PC option for your customers.