Windows Mobile Devlopment for All season Outdoors

[easymoney]

I am researching methods for developing a PDA solution that will work outdoors in daily operating conditions. This may range from high humidity, bright daylight, to direct contact with water.

Currently I am using a Dell Axim PDA for development purposes. My plan, although the Dell is far from shock and water resistant, to use it to develop the beta software and complete a proof in concept. Then I should be able install my final software to the PDA solution of my choice.

So far, my logic seems, ... well logical, hehe.

Problem #1: Direct sunlight... This problem first appeared with my cell phone screen which is practically unreadable outside in the direct sunlight. Some of the PDA screens are slightly better as I have tested a few PDA's in direct sunlight with some success. The Dell Axim screen is actually the best I have tested so far. But, the screen is so shiny, that I get a strong glare from the reflection off the screen. It is readable but the glare becomes a problem after a few minutes. A real headache if you will.

Possible solution: Lightly tinted screen protectors or a model with a better screen with glare reduction. Also, I may try inverting the colors somewhat, may be that will aid in visibility.

Problem #2: Water and Moisture... I have ordered a few type of shock and water resistant PDA cases. None have arrived yet.

Possible solution: Otterbox.com pda cases or a high end "Rugged PDA" (about 3 times the cost of a normal PDA outfitted for outdoors) that is encapsulated in a water resistance case.

Anyone have any nice words of honest advice based on the info given?

Thanks.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I work in fish environments, and was just at a conference where I saw presentations from two state agencies about new PDA based programs that would be used in fairly wet environments. One agency used a ruggedized PDA (big bucks, so probably the same one you are looking at), while the other used something like the Otterbox. Both appeared to be useable.

Unfortunately, both of those state agencies were states that never saw the sun. Neither one discussed screen visibility. I know what you are talking about there, but I have no solid answer. Compaq used to make the brightest screen out there, better than the Dell, but Compaq was bought by HP, and those bright screens are a thing of the past as far as I can tell. I have never found a really good solution to this problem. You HAVE to have some kind of shade. High contrast controls is some help, as is really BIG text, but neither one will be sufficient for most people in direct sun. Keeping the screen light on bright could help, too, but that will shorten battery life.

I had a thread in this forum about a year ago regarding my brief studies of the durability of SD cards. They can really take a beating. I ran one through a washing machine, then a dishwasher, after first leaving it in a glass of water over night. The database on the card was undamaged. Finally, I boiled the card in salt water for five minutes, and that totally and permanently ruined the chip. I never went back to determine whether it was the salt or the heat that did it in.

[easymoney]

Otterbox gave me an honest, but unwanted response, saying, "the otterbox will not fix any glare problems".

Bummer.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I would expect that the only way to fix the glare would be to create a shadow on the screen. This would get pretty bulky, but if you were to create some kind of black rim that could be set over three sides of the screen much like the hoods you see over a street light, that would work best, though it might be too inconvenient for use.

[easymoney]

Thanks for your input. I am still researching options.

There has to be some type of screen protector that will provide a useful solution....

Honestly, what other options do I have? Psion Workabouts maybe?

[easymoney]

Or.... www.clarivue.com/detail.asp?key=Screen_Protector_PDA_Dell_Axim_x50v

I know the screen protectors from Dell suck, pardon my language.

[Strider]

i use psion workabout pro's for all our projects and they are very good. your can get carry cases for them which protect the screen from water.

They also handle freezers, warm areas and are dust proof

[easymoney]

i use psion workabout pro's for all our projects and they are very good. your can get carry cases for them which protect the screen from water.

They also handle freezers, warm areas and are dust proof

Can you verify readable output in all enviroments, from dark to full sunlight?

I can read the output on my PDA (esp. if you use the right color combination s), but in sunlight the glare will give you a migraine from the eye strain.