Fujitsu Packs Wireless into Stylistic 1000

Company Delivers Integrated Wireless Color Pen Tablet

Mobile pen-based computers are well suited to a number of tasks ranging from the simple—such as data collection and verification—to the more complex, such as advanced decision support. Several vendors, such as Symbol Technologies, Telxon, and Norand, have staked out much of the former category creating enviable positions for themselves. A few others have decided to concentrate their efforts on other segments of the market, with one vendor achieving striking success: Santa Clara, California-based Fujitsu Personal Systems, Inc. (FPSI).

In contrast to data collection and analysis, decision support systems require a mobile device powerful enough to perform local analysis of information. And with the ever-growing volume and complexity of today’s data—whether it be in a healthcare setting or on the floor of a stock exchange—efficient analysis often means powerful graphing and other visualization tools. Clearly this implies a color display, a fast processor, and seamless connectivity to the source of the information, often a legacy host system or modern distributed network of resources.

Enter the Stylistic 1000 RF

Fujitsu has had a hand in this market dating back to early 1993 when the company introduced the sleek 325Point pen tablet, later solidifying its position with the introduction of the 486-based Stylistic 500 and Stylistic 500 RF—the latter featuring an integrated Proxim RangeLAN radio enabling wireless local area networking. With the pattern establish, it came as little surprise when Fujitsu updated its innovative Stylistic 1000 (ST-1000) color pen tablet to incorporate Proxim’s newest RangeLAN2 wireless LAN radio.

Dubbed the Stylistic 1000 RF, or ST-1000 RF, the combination creates an impressive device capable of performing serious analysis and visualization, while maintaining a seamless connection to the local area network, all in a 3.6 lbs. (1.65 kg) integrated package. The processing is supported by the ST-1000’s AMD Am486DX4 microprocessor running at 100 MHz, while the communication is handled by Proxim’s 2.4 GHz frequency-hopping spread spectrum wireless LAN radio.

Who are some of the candidates most likely to benefit from such a device? Certainly, FPSI and Proxim’s focus on the burgeoning healthcare market is on target. Faced with spiralling costs and increased competition, this industry is ripe for the next generation in information automation. Fujitsu has also identified sales automation as an important target market, along with a range of several other less strategic markets including stock trading, hospitality (hotels and restaurants), auto servicing, along with state and federal governments.

Putting it all Together

With the increased capability of wireless mobile computing comes the added complexity of installing and maintaining such as system through an enterprise. Understanding this, FPSI has created a new RF Value Added Reseller (VAR) Partner program to certify and support select VARs in providing a complete wireless sales, service, and installation program.

The need for this type of program stems from the fact that installing a wireless system involves much more than simply selecting the equipment and hitting the “on” button. Wireless is very dependent on the structure of the building, usage requirements, and the resident sources of electromagnetic interference from any of a number of modern devices.

“Installing a wireless system involves much more than simply selecting the equipment and hitting the “on” button.”

By creating the RF VAR Partner Program, we believe that FPSI is again demonstrating its commitment to delivering workable solutions to its end customers.

What are the Implications?

Interestingly, neither Fujitsu nor Proxim has talked much about mobile professionals in the context of the fast-growing, and slightly faddish, corporate intranet market. We think that the significance of this market should not be understated. For as long as people have conducted business, information and data have been collected and stored. In recent times, the computer has dramatically increased not only the volume of this data, but also the illusion that being in electronic form, it is somehow more accessible than before.

In fact, quite the opposite is often the case. Problems ranging from incompatible formats to lack of proper display and visualization tools have hampered the efficient use of this valuable resource. By standardizing on so-called intranets and defining at least a rudimentary standard for data access and exchange, the whole business of information analysis stands to be reformed beyond recognition.

Which brings us to mobile professionals. This important class of workers have more often than not been strangely untouched by much of the data automation that they have designed and overseen. Few professionals carry notebook or tablet computers around with them in a typical office during the course of a day, fewer are continuously connected to a networked resource, and fewer still would know how or where to find critical information in today’s distributed network environment.

Therefore, we believe that while the existing strategic markets of healthcare, insurance, sales automation, and others serve as an appropriate launchpad for systems such as the ST-1000 RF, the greatest prize may come with the mass migration toward open systems access to corporate information through intranets, internets, and similar services. Mobile professionals empowered in this way may even form the backbone of the decision support market in the next few years.

Devices such as the Fujitsu ST-1000 RF, integrated with Proxim’s robust wireless solution, will lead the way in this important market. Already Fujitsu has experienced greater than 100% growth through each of the four past years and is set to match that again this year. Proxim too has experienced steady growth over the same period and now counts more than 50 OEMs for its line of wireless radio products.

Wireless pen computing may indeed be set to ride the wave of this new information technology explosion.

Fujitsu Personal Systems, Inc.
5200 Patrick Henry Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
1-408-982-9500
1-408-496-0575 (fax)
Geoff Walker
VP of Marketing
[email protected]

Proxim, Inc.
295 N. Bernardo
Mountain View, CA 94043
1-415-960-1630
Brian Button
VP of Marketing
[email protected]