UPS to test Honeywell device
UPS drivers will soon field test a new handheld mobile computer with all sorts of next-generation bells and whistles, reports Atlanta Business Chronicle. The article continues:
UPS has partnered with Honeywell on the device, which will undergo field testing in late 2010 with plans to begin a multi-year, global deployment in 2011.
The mobile computer — The DIAD V (Delivery Information Acquisition Device V) — is about half the size and weight of the devices UPS drivers now use and has faster Wi-Fi support. It allows on-the-fly switching between cellular carriers, meaning the computer can automatically jump to another cellular carrier if the preferred carrier’s signal is lost.
The color display and microprocessor has substantially expanded memory to support driver training and future applications like navigation. A color, auto-focus, flash camera will allow proof-of-delivery and help resolve customer claims more quickly.
Its 2D imager can decode many symbologies, including existing UPS linear barcodes and the UPS Maxicode, and speed the upload of additional package information at the time a package is first picked up. The 2D imager also will make it even easier to “capture” a clear view of a recipient’s signature.
