Consumer Tablet PCs Don't Cut It For Field Service Utility Techs

This article by Derek Oja from MobileDemand discusses the growing adoption of mobile computing and wireless technology across industry lines for field service crews and the realization that not every piece of equipment is equally qualified for the job at hand. Companies are quickly realizing that in the end, rugged tablet PCs give you more return for your investment.

Consumer devices are not designed to meet the demands of field service work. Field service working environments cause devices to get banged around, dropped, exposed to dust, dirt, and moisture, and very high and low temperatures. Consumer devices lack in-vehicle mounting options and are often very fragile. Most consumer devices also cannot be upgraded or modified to the ruggedness level required by field service workers.

This article states, “Field work requires a fully rugged tablet PC with specific attributes. Touchscreen and stylus options are essential tools, but workers often wear gloves. They must be able to easily read the screen in any light, and it has to be large enough to clearly show maps, diagrams and images. Yet the device must be small and light enough for easy portability.”

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