Getting smart

The days of the dumb terminal may be numbered. Today's terminals not only scan and decode bar codes, but also are acting more and more as portable computers.

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 4/1/1999

Not so long ago, data-collection terminals came in two types--dumb and dumber. Dumb units could read a range of bar codes and store the data, while the dumber units couldn't even do that. They had just enough power to decode one or two types of bar-code symbologies.

In the last couple of years, manufacturers have begun producing smarter terminals that can handle tasks beyond just bar-code scanning and decoding. These days, terminals come equipped with an alphanumeric keypad for manual data input or a radio unit for wireless data transmission. The chips inside the terminals have increased in both memory and processing speed, turning the handheld unit into a portable personal computer.

The availability of all that extra computing power has enabled two operating systems originally designed for the consumer market to cross over into the bar-code arena. Both the Palm operating system and the Windows CE operating system have shown up in bar-code terminals in the past few months. Equipment manufacturers hope their introduction of these new operating systems will spur greater use of automatic identification in the logistics field.

From Scanners to Terminals

In the early days of automated data collection, manufacturers made scanners that did only that--scan bar-code labels and decode the signals. Later, they began making portable readers, which had a keypad and microcomputer system for memory and program storage. Handheld scanners originally were connected by a cord to these readers, which typically were worn on the worker's belt. Eventually, equipment makers started incorporating the scanning engine and readers into a single portable unit.

The combination of manual data entry (via an alphanumeric keypad) and scanned data entry converted those devices into integrated data-collection terminals. The terminals themselves became even more versatile when manufacturers embraced the concept of radio-frequency identification (RFID). Because the terminal would have to convey scanned data to a host computer instantaneously via radio signals, vendors began marketing models that contained a radio unit. At that point, the devices became real-time data-collection terminals.

Recent advances in microprocessor technology have reduced costs and brought about smaller, lighter, and smarter handheld data-collection tools. Faster, more powerful processors have set the stage for the migration of consumer-device operating systems to automatic-identification (auto ID) equipment.

Pocket-Sized Terminals

The first of these new operating systems to reach the industrial market arrived in the shape of the SPT 1500 pen-based terminal, introduced last year by Symbol Technologies of Holtsville, N.Y. The SPT 1500, which can fit into a shirt pocket, lets a worker enter data using a stylus and a touchscreen.

The technology powering the SPT 1500 is the PalmPilot, the personal digital assistant made by 3Com Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif. Symbol obtained rights from 3Com to market the product in certain industries such as transportation and added a scanning engine to that pocket computer, which measures 5.5 inches high and weighs about 6 ounces.

One big advantage for logistics managers is PalmPilot's "scriptability" feature, reports David Collins, president of the Data Capture Institute in Plymouth, Mass. "What the pen-based systems give you is continuous scriptability in a screen that can be customized to the user's needs," he notes. Collins explains that instead of a terminal with 36 keys, the PalmPilot can be programmed to use two touch buttons that drive menus for shipping and receiving. Selection of either button would prompt the appearance of more screens to guide the user. "If you hit 'receiving,' for instance, the next screen is a set of choices," he explains. "It might ask, for example, whether the item is bar coded or not. If it's bar coded, you activate the scan. If it's not bar coded, the keyboard pops up and you enter critical numbers."

Along with ease of use, the PalmPilot provides a low-cost option for small distribution operations seeking a data-collection tool, says consultant Bert Moore of Pittsburgh-based IDAT. "Handheld terminals may be ruggedized," says Moore. "But the PalmPilot is so easy for people to use. And PalmPilots are cheaper." He notes that a typical handheld terminal goes for between $2,000 and $3,000, while the PalmPilot costs between $400 and $500. "Smaller companies can afford a PalmPilot where they couldn't a handheld terminal," he notes.

Microsoft Enters the Fray

The Palm OS (operating system) platform is just one of the operating systems being adapted for use in today's bar-code terminals. Early this year, a number of auto ID equipment makers brought out or announced plans to introduce terminals based on Windows CE, a computer operating system originally developed by Microsoft for consumer electronic devices.

Unlike current terminals, many of which use the DOS operating system, Windows CE requires a 486 or higher Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) or Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) microprocessor. In general, the newer RISC system processes data faster than the CISC does.

When it comes to capturing bar-coded information, the Windows CE operating system offers numerous benefits. For starters, Windows CE provides a universal programming standard. In addition, Windows CE can support such common protocols as TCP/IP, which means devices can be hooked up to the Internet and work with standard Web browsers. It also has the Windows graphical user interface that's now familiar to users of Microsoft's other operating systems, including Windows 98 and Windows NT.

Windows CE uses a subset of the Microsoft Win32 (bit) application programming found on the Windows-based desktop and server computers. As a result, systems integrators should find it easier to hook up a Windows CE bar-code terminal to another software application like a warehouse management system (WMS) or even an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. "Windows CE can be more easily integrated with other systems and other software," says David Krebs, a market analyst with the research firm Venture Development Corp. in Natick, Mass.

Intermec Corp. of Everett, Wash., for example, plans to introduce a Windows CE-based data-collection terminal this month. The RISC-based unit offers both bar-code scanning and RFID. "We're attracted to Windows CE because of the open-systems aspect," says John Watridge, Intermec's product manager for data-collection personal computers. "It has standard development tools and connectivity protocols that make for seamless integration."

Another maker of auto ID products, Telxon Corp. of Akron, Ohio, also has unveiled two Windows CE handheld terminals--the PTC-1124 and PTC-1134. Both terminals offer touchscreens. At the moment, the Telxon units run on a CISC-type processor to accommodate DOS as well as CE platforms. But the company plans to move to the RISC chip in later production models, says Benny Wei, a Telxon product manager.

Not to be outdone by its rivals, Symbol has come out with its own Windows CE unit, the PPT 5100 pen terminal. That device, which uses a RISC processor, combines bar-code scanning with wireless connectivity.

Despite the interest of Symbol, Telxon, and Intermec in the Windows CE platform, other terminal makers appear to moving more cautiously toward adoption of the technology. "Some of the development tools weren't there [at first]," Moore reports. "Originally, it was only programmable in the C++ computer language. Now, computer languages such as Visual Basic and Java are available, so it's easier to program these things."

The suppliers' hesitation notwithstanding, Krebs of Venture Development Corp. believes that manufacturers will fall in line behind the computing standard from Microsoft in the next couple of years. "[Microsoft's] penetration into the bar-code industry will be pretty rapid," he predicts.

Two Terminal Platforms

For the moment, though, the market for the next generation of bar-code terminals appears to be splitting into two camps: Windows CE and Palm OS. Systems integrator David J. Czaplicki, a vice president with Systems Technical Sales Corp. in Bellevue, Wash., says that both operating systems have their advantages and disadvantages.

"The Palm OS has a tremendous installed base, so it's familiar in the marketplace," notes Czaplicki. He adds that Palm terminals only need a megabyte of memory and are more battery efficient than their Windows CE counterparts. Both attributes are likely to appeal to an industrial customer.

Although Czaplicki describes Windows CE as a "memory hog," he acknowledges that many corporate IT (information technology) staffs might prefer the Microsoft operating system because it can be programmed in such common languages as C or Visual Basic. Still, he adds, it's too early to predict a winner among the two competing systems.

Regardless of which operating system wins out--CE or Palm OS--the industry appears to be marching inexorably toward adopting smarter, multifunctional terminals. In addition to touchscreens, keypads, and RF and scanning capabilities, these palm-size computers soon may include such features as a vision system employing a miniature video camera or even a voice-recognition system to decipher human speech. "These terminals are becoming mini personal computers," says Collins. "They are more power efficient than the previous generation of chips that run DOS."

Too Smart for Practical Use?

Although Palm OS and Windows CE terminals are more powerful than earlier versions when it comes to sheer computing ability, there's a question of need. Does the average warehouse worker really need to walk around the distribution center with the equivalent of a desktop computer in the palm of his or her hand?

Bar-code equipment makers contend that use of these more intelligent terminals will make the distribution operation more efficient. Smarter devices will relieve the warehouse worker of decision making because the devices can be programmed to route data to the correct software application, says John Watridge, Intermec's product manager for data-collection personal computers. "We've put on an intelligent data server, which recognizes data coming into a device and then routes it to the correct application," he explains. "By letting the device do the thinking, all the user has to do is pull the trigger."

In addition, more intelligent terminals ease the burden on the local wireless network, says Watridge. Because a more powerful terminal would not have to receive and send instructions to a host computer via radio signals, there would be less traffic over a limited-size bandwidth. "It would improve response time and hence efficiency for the user," he says. "If it takes five seconds to get a response every time a worker asks what to do with a pallet, the delays adds up."

Others note that PalmPilot and Windows CE terminals are aimed at distribution managers, as opposed to the warehouse worker who picks and packs orders. "These products are geared toward management," contends Tim Moynihan, a senior director of marketing in Symbol Technologies' transportation and logistics group. "The technology's designed to allow them to take the desktop [computer] and get out where the action is in the warehouse."