The CN3 is Intermec's ruggedized PDA for your mobile sales or field service force, and for the regional managers of those routes. With it, your route driver can carry their customer data, catalog information, cell phone, calendar and email in one small package. Its ruggedized frame holds a 3.5 inch QVGA screen, combined 1D and 2D image capture scanner, cell phone, 802.11 transceiver, and your choice of either alpha numeric or full QWERTY keyboards, and 128 megs of RAM with 128 megs of flash memory. To top it off, it has a network independent embedded GPS receiver with integrated antenna. You can download a data sheet with all the specs right here. Intermec also makes the usual array of accessories from printer cables to belt clips, single and four-bay cradles, truck cradles, battery chargers, and a lot of other things you’ll find listed here.
The built-in scanner (which is listed as an option) is an area imager that seamlessly scans both 1D and 2D barcodes. If you only need 1D scanning, you can shut off the 2D option. This saves battery life, and is easier on your eyes. (One complaint from the field about the 2D imager is that brighter light footprint can be tiring on the eyes.) The 2D scanner has three predefined modes: Standard, Bright Environment, and Reflective Surface. Listing the scanner an "option" sounds a little silly to me, but that's because our suite of mobile workforce applications maximize data collection efficiencies by utilizing the scanner, so a unit without a scanner is like a car without seats: you can still drive it, but it's a real pain. The reason it's listed as an option is because the CN3 also has a built-in color camera-with-flash option. However, the scanner and the camera are both installed in the same location on the unit. They don't share the space, though, it's an either or situation. So, if you want a scanner and a camera, choose the built in camera option and buy the separate Bluetooth scanner.
The unit I tested has the built in scanner, and sports the numeric keypad, which is perfect for entering mostly numeric values. If you use an application that requires a lot of text entry, however, you’ll want to choose the full QWERTY version. The screen is large, 3.5 inch QVGA, with a bright back light. It's easy to read, and even in bright sunlight you can see the what's on the screen if there is good contrast between the background and the foreground objects. Software developers note: If you are designing a program that is meant to be used mostly outdoors, make sure your screens have a white background with very dark letters. Like say, BLACK! Or visa versa.
At only 6.3 inches long, 3.2 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep, and about a pound (between 14 and 16 ounces, depending on the features) the CN3 is a rugged, if not stylish, contender in the middleweight mobile workforce PDA arena. Ergonomically, it could use some help. Intermec touts it as the thinnest unit on the market. And it is. But it doesn't fit naturally in my hand, and I found that the strap was important for easy one-handed use. This is a little unfortunate, since I accidentally broke the strap attachment. The strap is connected to the bottom of the unit by a thin nylon wire that is held together with a metal ferrule. When I removed the battery for the first time, I tried to push the strap out of the way and broke the wire strap attachment. While I'm nitpicking, let me just say that the stylus lanyard doesn't look like it will survive long either. It's a 1.5 mm thick plastic coil. I haven't tried to break it, but it doesn't engender confidence. It did survive a couple of bungee drops however.
The CN3 is made to survive the streets. It’s tested for repeated (26 on every surface) 5 foot drops to concrete and carries an IP54 rating. Which means very dusty environments and downpours won't hurt it. The upper and lower casing is joined with a hard rubber gasket that serves as a bumper. The battery compartment looks a little scary, though. To install the SIM card you must open a hatch under the battery by loosening two screws. When you do you are looking at a printed circuit board. Not a sight I like to see in a ruggedized machine. However, the hatch is completely protected by a gasket, and when it's closed, the vital organs are protected from grit and moisture.
As with other Windows Mobile 5 devices, the cell phone is accessed by pressing the phone key. The call quality is not the greatest feature on this unit. Like other competitors in this space, you can use the phone in two modes: Speaker phone and handset. In speaker phone mode, I had trouble hearing the caller in all but the quietest environments. This is made worse by the unfortunate placement of the speaker, which is on the back of the unit, and directly under your hand. The microphone picked up my voice well in quiet to moderately noisy spaces, and while it does have sound dampening technology, it doesn't differentiate between your voice and background noise very well, so it dampens everything. In handset mode, the call quality is good in quiet spaces, acceptable in fairly noisy spots, but poor in loud locations, like next to a running bus motor. The CN3 also has known problems with Bluetooth headsets. I tried three different headsets and had problems ranging from echoing to screeching feedback. It seemed to me that the microphone doesn't shut off when the headset is activated. We showed this to Intermec, and they have promised to investigate it.
So how did the battery do? It handled our test day well, with a little to spare. When we see as many features as the CN3 carries, (scanner, Bluetooth, cell phone, 802.11) we always get a little apprehensive about battery life. The battery we tested was Intermec's standard 2200 mAh. (Their extended battery, at 4000 mAh, is only two tenths of an inch thicker.) We put the unit through a simulated route day consisting of ten stops, creating an order with 100 scans at each stop. For the entire details of our standard route day look here. After 10 stops, including Bluetooth printing and a GPRS comm sessions, the battery gauge still showed 35% of total battery life. I decided to create another ten orders scanning 1000 times and it still had 28% of it's life. So if you're doing 2000 scans in a day you should be fine. Of course a backup battery for safety's sake is always prudent. The more options you have the more power you'll need, and proper battery maintenance is a must.
Well that’s about it on the Intermec CN3. Overall it's a very reliable unit with a few kinks that need to be worked out. We think Intermec will iron out those kinks. None of the issues I've described would keep me from recommending it. In fact, I do recommend it for any one who is looking for a reliable way to run their sales and delivery routes, for any field service route and for the managers of those routes.
Brett Birdsong
Sr. Editor
