Interview ROBERT SHREIB of Symbol Technologies

What is Symbol Technologies and what products and services do you provide?

Symbol Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in wireless and Internet-based mobile data transaction systems and services. Symbol provides its customers solutions utilizing application-specific information appliances, data and voice wireless networks, and bar code and data capture scanning. Symbol and its global network of business partners provide LAN and WAN mobility solutions from the enterprise to e-commerce for industries including retail, transportation and distribution logistics, manufacturing, parcel and postal delivery, healthcare, education, and hospitality. Symbol's broad range of information appliances is in use by business and consumers from the factory, to the office, to the home.

Why did Symbol decide to create a Windows CE handheld device?

Developing devices based on Windows CE was a logical choice for Symbol. With our traditional handheld devices based on DOS, our customers were running into the limitations of that OS: memory limitations, no multitasking, older, unsupported development tools. As we looked at Windows CE, all of that changed. We now have an OS environment that is very rich: Win32 development tools, true multitasking, great connectivity to Windows backend (NT/2000) technologies. And Windows CE is very scalable. In our markets, one size does not fit all. We have devices ranging from wearables to traditional data collection form factors (guns and bricks) to tablet devices. Windows CE is the one common OS that can support all of these form factors. So we have actually developed many Windows CE devices, and have many more in the works.

How does Windows CE fit into Symbol's plans?

We design and develop mobile computing devices that meet a wide range of customer needs. Different form factors. Traditional barcode scanning. 2D barcode scanning. Credit card/smart card reading and writing. RFID. Wireless LAN technologies. WAN technologies. Voice over IP, both WLAN and WAN. Windows CE has the power, flexibility and scalability to handle all of this. As we go forward and integrate these and other technologies into our handhelds and wearables, Windows CE will make that task easier.

Windows CE is a Windows-compatible real-time operating system with a small footprint that supports embedded systems, mobile computers, and handheld terminals. Enabling companies to develop applications easily, Windows CE is ideally suited to Symbol's vertical computing solutions. The Symbol series of ruggedized, CE-based computers with integrated bar code scanning and wireless communications capabilities enables users to capture, compute and communicate business-critical data anytime, anywhere bringing the power of Windows to the point-of-activity.

Describe some of the enterprise solutions Symbol has developed using the PPT 2700 Pocket PC.

There are many, but I'll focus on just a few.

One to discuss is Avis Europe, the leading car rental company in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Together with our partner TBS, we developed a mobile assessment system to accurately and quickly assess light damage to cars. The system is built around the Symbol PPT 2700 mobile computing appliance, incorporating the new Microsoft Pocket PC O/S, and the AutoGraph software system developed by TBS.

Lightly damaged vehicles are becoming increasingly costly for car rental companies. Using this new system, vehicles can be easily inspected and have an estimate prepared instantly. Avis estimates that the European rental industry could potentially save approximately £30 million a year on unrecovered costs. This new system saves considerable time, with appraisals being completed in just two minutes. It also ensures that crucial customer information and signatures are not lost.

The new system merges two functions at Avis: rental check-in and damage tracking. The vehicle's registration number can be keyed or scanned into Symbol's PPT 2700 bringing up all essential information onto the screen. Previous appraisal information, previous mileage and fuel levels can all be retrieved from a database. The Avis employee logs any damage visible, such as a chip on the wing, prior to processing the check-in onto the compact handheld device.