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Now that Motion Computing has announced the upgrades to its Motion C5 MCA and F5 Semi-Rugged Tablet PCs, I can talk about more about the meetings I had last week while in Austin. I've included the press release below, but wanted to give some personal experiences first.

Imran Ulla, Director, Product Management and Zachery Jiwa, Healthcare Product Manager introduced me to some of the features and accessories for both the Motion C5 and F5.

Both the Motion C5 and the F5 Mobile Field Tool have been updated, with the C5 positioning itself with mobile home health care workers and the F5 with construction workers, appraisers, adjusters, inspectors and others who may not have quick access to an office.

In many cases, the return on investment is considerably more than expected. How much money can be saved by not using paper and other supplies, not to mention the time saved moving back from a site to the office connections such as fax, printers, computers? Although this will vary widely between companies, the time-savings alone is considerable.

Some of the improvements on the Motion C5 include mobile broadband (Sprint), SSD drive (better vibration specs, better power profile, reads faster) 32G SSD or 80G. The C5 has already proven its value in many areas. To read some of the case studies, check here.

Motion is offering some great deals with the purchase of either of the above models.

Buy a C5 or an F5 and get a free mobile dock and vehicle adapter ($329) Can be bought separately $249+149.

And for those of you looking for an F5, here's a very special offer - Attend an F5 Webinar series – get $1000 off an F5 (limit 1). For details and times, visit http://motioncomputing.com/promotions/index.asp. This is a HUGE savings!

For those of you who are LE1700 fans, don't worry. The LE series fits in all the above categories where a semi-rugged Tablet may not be necessary.

Now, on to the press release.

Motion’s C5 MCA and F5 Semi-Rugged Tablet PC Enhance Mobile Workforce Productivity with Upgrades, New Peripherals

Mobile broadband and solid state drive options for the C5 extend usability to the mobile point of care, and new accessories customized for the design of the C5 and F5 offer convenient usability options

Motion Computing®, a leader in mobile computing and wireless communications, today announced the C5 mobile clinical assistant (MCA) and F5 semi-rugged tablet PC feature upgrades and new custom peripherals created for the unique design of the devices. The C5 now features integrated mobile broadband and solid state drive (SSD) options to extend its usability to the point of care, regardless of patient location. Additionally, the C5 and F5 now feature improved capacity with standard 80 GB hard disk drives (HDD) at no additional cost.

“Motion understands mobile workforces and we are focused on improving productivity across a broad range of environments, from the patient bedside to the construction site,” said Mike Stinson, VP of Marketing at Motion. “Customer feedback is a critical part of improving our tablet PCs, and based on recent input we’re confident that these upgrades will enable our target customers to be more productive, no matter where work takes them.”

With the C5’s optional integrated mobile broadband, mobile clinicians can improve productivity by accessing important patient information, including digital images and patient history details. For many mobile point of care applications, such as those in home healthcare, ongoing connectivity will enable better collaboration with other treating clinicians and reduce travel time by allowing the immediate transfer of documentation after every patient visit, which can reduce processing delays and improve billing cycle times. Additionally, the optional SSD will help further protect the C5 from the occasional bumps and drops experienced by highly mobile professionals.

Motion® continually adds features and options that help organizations reduce the number of devices technicians carry, improve workflow, reduce data collection errors and ensure users can communicate with host systems and each other from the field. With a new standard 80 GB HDD in the Motion F5 semi-rugged tablet PC, mobile field forces in construction, government, field sales and service, and manufacturing are now able to store more images and other documentation, allowing them to complete tasks and solve customer issues when away from the office.

Motion also announced today new peripherals, custom-designed for the C5 and F5 that offer expanded options to more easily transport, charge and utilize the PCs while away from the office or standard docking stations.

Motion Mobile Dock. The Motion Mobile Dock offers the convenience of docking the C5 or F5 in almost any location, such as a vehicle, wall or cabinet, and features full port replication and charging capabilities.
Motion Flex Carry. An ergonomic solution that provides alternate methods for carrying and holding the devices throughout the workday, the Flex Carry includes shoulder and hand straps and easily fits into the standard docking station for uninterrupted workflows.

Motion Tablet PCs now ship with Windows Vista® Business, which offers integrated features that improve the tablet computing experience. Benefits include improved handwriting recognition, enhanced searching capabilities, tablet input panel with auto-fill features for email addresses and URLs and pen clicks that enable users to quickly conduct an action with a simple pen gesture.

The Motion F5, C5 and Flex Carry are available now through Motion’s network of resellers and distributors. The Mobile Dock is expected to ship August 1, 2008. Visit www.motioncomputing.com/buy/index.asp for more information.

About Motion Computing
Motion Computing is a mobile computing and wireless communications leader, combining world-class innovation and industry experience so professionals in vertical industries such as healthcare, field sales and service and government can use computing technology in new ways and places. The company’s enhanced line of tablet PCs, mobile clinical assistants and accessories are designed to increase productivity for on-the-go users while providing portability, security, power and versatility. Motion combines those products with services and unique vertical market knowledge to deliver robust solutions – platforms, peripherals, services and wireless – customized for the needs of a particular industry. For more information, visit www.motioncomputing.com

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I visited Austin and met with several people at Motion Computing's Headquarters in Austin. The sleekness of the case and the usability of the M1200 grabbed my attention at the Tablet PC Launch in New York City in 2002. I've been a Motion Computing fan ever since.

Although there's some news coming from Motion very soon, we're not ready to share it yet. I'll have more when I can, but in the meantime, we have a few items that might be of news.

I had a few meetings at Motion, including ones with CEO Scott Eckert and Mike Stinson, Marketing VP, as well as hearing about products from Imran Ulla, Director, Product Management and Zachery Jiwa, Healthcare Product Manager. I also got to touch bases over lunch with my long-time Motion friend, Jo Lynn Smith and Jacque Hernandez, who is the Senior Marketing Communications Manager.

As most of you already know, Motion Computing is the leader in Tablet PCs in the vertical market. The C5 has proven itself in hospitals and medical clinics around the world. Some of the accessories for the C5 are time-saving and innovative. Take a look at them here - https://store.motioncomputing.com/TABproducts.asp?SolutionCatID=65&LevelID=3&TabID=1

OK, now on to some of the information that I gleaned from the interviews. Motion Computing is a company that's at the top of the slate Tablet PC market. From only about 8 employees, Motion Computing now employs around 140 people.

We'll have more next week, but here are some facts from Scott Eckert that I wanted to share.

Motion isn't only in the business of selling computers. Going hand in hand with setting up a truly mobile facility is the underlying network. A doctor or nurse doesn't have the time to be rebooting a computer or hunt for a different access point when changing locations in a hospital or clinic. Motion Wireless Mobility Services offer consulting for hospitals and other large networks. They'll work with the client, primarily hospitals and other large networks, in configuration of the network. This includes site survey and analysis, locating access points for full coverage of all areas, checking security, ensuring adequate bandwidth and more.

Currently, Motion Mobility Services has about 30 million square feet of hospitals networked. 21Meg bits across the enterprise is the usual goal.

There are growing opportunities for Motion. Home health care is a growing business, which includes WAN wireless for the Motion LE1700 3G for the Motion F5.

About 35% of Motion Computing's business is outside the US. This includes all major European, Australia, English-speaking Asia and Korea. There are several new geographic markets in Asia.

Motion continue to focus on vertical markets, and is also looking sub-vertical markets. As Motion is the lead player in slate market, Scott sees a huge opportunity in 2^nd generation Tablet users as it becomes more and more relevant for them to use slates.

As long as I had Scott's ear, I had to ask him about the future and new products. Here are some of his comments.

There is still not enough awareness about Tablets out there
Return on investment is incredible and often unexpected
Continued and increased involvement with ISVs
More and more products are available that take advantage of pen and touch capabilities
Enterprise class applications running on product that you can hold in the crook of your arm

In response to the question I asked Scott about the possibility of a smaller screen size in the future, Scott said that the opportunity for smaller screens is being watched. Don't expect to see the LS800 resurrected. Too many parts of that have been discontinued. Scott pulled his 800 out of his drawer to show it off. It's good to know that he still appreciates the form factor. That's the first step in seeing a replacement.