Motorola MC9500: photos

Windows Mobile may be struggling in the mainstream business and consumer markets at the moment, but it retains a strong presence in industrial-class rugged computing, where Motorola has been a long-term advocate of the platform.

Most recently, Windows Mobile has appeared in the MC9500-K, a highly configurable device that supports two versions of the OS — Windows Mobile 6.1 Classic (non-touchscreen) and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (with touchscreen).

The MC9500-K can be configured with several different keypads. There's a standard numeric keypad, an alphanumeric option and a unit that combines both. You don't have to choose just one of these: end-users can swap keypads out as required. According to Motorola, this makes the MC9500-K a versatile device that's easily deployed across a wide range of tasks.

Technical specifications include optional support for HSDPA and CDMA-EVDO — again, users can swap configurations locally. So if an initial purchase is made without WAN, it can be added at a later date.

Like many of today's smartphones, the MC9500 has a motion sensor so that the display can change orientation automatically as you turn the device in your hand. Motorola says it's possible to use the accelerometer with a bespoke application to trigger an alarm. This is potentially useful in challenging situations where people could suffer falls, triggering the motion sensor. The accelerometer can also be used to log the number of times the unit is dropped.

The battery incorporates a charge indicator that uses both a light, which cycles through green to orange to red, and a bar indicator to show the amount of power remaining.

Other specifications include optional GPS, bar code scanning, a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, microSD card support and a 3.7in. 640-by-480-pixel screen.

The MC9500 measures 233.6mm tall by 88.9mm wide by 50.8mm thick and weighs 623g. See Mototola's web site for more specification details.