Motorola announces ET1 Enterprise Tablet for businesses
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Motorola introduced a new mobile slate Monday -- the ET1 Enterprise Tablet.
But the ET1, as the ‘enterprise’ in the name would suggest, won’t be showing up for sale at Best Buy. The ET1 is built for businesses, specifically retail businesses. Rather than on the shelf at a consumer electronics store, Motorola wants the ET1 in the hands of retail employees.
It will be produced and marketed by Motorola Solutions, the business-focused half of Motorola.
Motorola Solutions is the half of Motorola that Google is not trying to buy. The half Google wants is Motorola Mobility, which makes consumer products such as the Droid Bionic phone and Xoom tablet.
The ET1 will also be very different from an average consumer-grade tablet and will be able to ‘withstand multiple bumps and drops during a workday,’ Motorola said in a statement.
Featuring a 7-inch touch screen, the ET1 will be marketed not with Angry Birds in mind as much as for use in a business. It has options such as a bar-code scanner and magnetic stripe reader for swiping credit cards.
Unlike Apple’s iPad or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, the ET1 will feature removable battery packs and a ‘memory backup battery’ that retains recently used data for up to 15 minutes after the device’s battery pack is removed.
Front and rear cameras, Bluetooth technology, mobile-payment readers and mobile printers can also work with the ET1, as well as a hand strap ‘for comfortable full-shift handling.’
‘Intended for demanding day-long use, the Wi-Fi-enabled ET1 is password-protected so it can be easily shared and instantly provisioned for each employee according to his or her level of responsibility and access rights,’ Motorola Solutions said. ‘Based on log-in information, managers can automatically control and monitor use of approved applications to help ensure on-the-job productivity is not compromised.’
Like products from Motorola Mobility, the ET1 will run a modified version of Google’s Android operating system that runs Android apps as well as apps built specifically for business use, built in HTML5. Motorola Solutions has launched app development software called RhoElements that ‘makes it easier for your associates to use the same applications regardless of device or operating systems.’
Motorola didn’t say how much the ET1 will cost, which will surely vary depending on the options a business chooses. But given that the ET1 is targeted toward businesses, one would hope there is a bulk rate.
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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Images: The Motorola Solutions ET1 Enterprise Tablet. Credit: Motorola Solutions