TabletKiosk® Upgrades Sahara NetSlate® 12.1” Enterprise Tablet PC

Torrance, CA, July 30, 2013 — TabletKiosk, a leading provider of slate-style Tablet PCs and customized mobility solutions for the enterprise, today announced the newest addition to its family of 12.1” Tablet PCs, the Sahara NetSlate® a525.

The Sahara NetSlate a525 is a business focused Tablet PC powered by the Intel® Atom™ N2800 processor. Designed to

Technorati Tags: tablet pc,tabletpc,enterprise tablet,embedded,windows 7 tablet

deliver superior value and productivity as well as the ability to run embedded applications, the Sahara NetSlate a525 features 4GB of DDR3L RAM, over 300% better battery life than the previous model, integrated front and rear facing cameras and a true RS-232 serial port as a build-to-order option.

As an enterprise-grade Tablet PC, the Sahara NetSlate a525 effectively bridges the gap between consumer grade tablets and more powerful rugged Tablet PCs. Unlike most consumer tablets powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor that can only run Windows 8 or Android, the Sahara NetSlate a525 offers complete user flexibility by running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8 Pro, Windows Embedded or Linux.

Additionally, the Sahara NetSlate a525 features dual hot swappable batteries, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45), WiFi 802.11n, universal 3G WWAN, Bluetooth 4.0, two full-size USB 2.0 ports, and full compatibility with the Business Smart™ accessory ecosystem created for the company’s flagship Sahara Slate PC® line of Tablet PCs.

“The new Sahara NetSlate a525 is an excellent choice for companies looking for an entry level tablet with a long product lifecycle to maximize their return on investment,” said Martin Smekal, President and CEO of TabletKiosk. “We purposely designed the new a525 with the same body chassis of the previous Sahara NetSlate to ensure that our legacy customers can continue to use their existing accessories and peripherals after transitioning over to this new model.”

Availability

The Sahara NetSlate a525 is shipping now. For additional details, pricing, or to place an order please visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

About TabletKiosk

TabletKiosk is an early innovator of business Tablet PC solutions for the enterprise and was one of the first to offer touch screen enabled Windows tablets. The company regularly integrates modern technology with key legacy components to create forward thinking mobile systems, while still providing backwards compatibility and long product life cycles.

As a manufacturer and distributer of proven mobile computing solutions since 2003, the company’s line of Tablet PCs, including the Sahara Slate PC, has been widely used in Healthcare, Hospitality, Government and Manufacturing both as TabletKiosk branded and OEM / private label deployments. For more information about TabletKiosk, visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

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Web Resources:

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/tabletkiosk
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TabletKiosk
Twitter:  twitter.com/TabletKiosk

TabletKiosk and SMI Collaborate to Produce the Sahara EyeSlate™ the First Tablet PC with Market Ready Eye Tracking Integration

Technorati Tags: TabletKiosk,SMI,Eye Tracking Tablet PC,Sahara EyeSlate

TORRANCE, CA, June 25, 2013 —

TabletKiosk®, a leading manufacturer of enterprise-grade Tablet PCs and accessories for business, today announces a new collaboration with SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI), a leader in eye tracking, eye control, guidance and registration technology, to cooperatively develop the Sahara EyeSlate™, the first Tablet PC with market ready eye tracking integration.

TabletKiosk and SMI plan to market the Sahara EyeSlate™ both as an augmentative/alternative communication device (AAC) and also as a powerful Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC that can be controlled via eye gaze, touch, voice or handwriting recognition in lieu of a physical keyboard and mouse.

The Sahara EyeSlate™ adds eye tracking functionality to TabletKiosk’s signature line of Tablet PCs, the Sahara Slate PC i500 without requiring oversized and expensive add-on modules or awkward brackets as with most traditional augmentative computing devices.

In-use demonstration of the Sahara EyeSlate Tablet PC with Eye Tracking software from SMI

“We are excited to partner with SMI to announce the Sahara EyeSlate™ Tablet PC with eye tracking technology,” said Martin Smekal, President and CEO of TabletKiosk. “As a specialty hardware manufacturer, TabletKiosk strives to align itself with cutting edge technology partners like SMI to jointly create customized and purpose-based hardware computing solutions.”

When TabletKiosk originally launched in 2003, it was one of the first Tablet PC manufacturers to incorporate touch screen technology into its entire line of computing solutions. Now, ten years later, TabletKiosk is once again transforming the Tablet PC platform by incorporating SMI’s gaze tracking technology. Included with the system will be SMI’s powerful Eye Tracking Software Developer’s Kit (SDK) so that developers can integrate the Sahara EyeSlate™ Tablet PC’s eye tracking functionality with their existing software solutions.

Christian Villwock, Director of SMI´s OEM Solutions Business: “The use of eye tracking technology is gaining momentum in many application fields ranging from AAC, gaming and medical screening to gaze interaction in other industry and prosumer applications. We are proud to work with TabletKiosk and are convinced that this new all-in-one tablet PC provides tremendous customer value in many of these fields.”

About TabletKiosk®

TabletKiosk is an early innovator of business Tablet PC solutions for the enterprise and was one of the first to offer touch screen enabled Windows tablets. The company regularly integrates modern technology with key legacy components to create forward thinking mobile systems, while still providing backwards compatibility and long product life cycles.

As a manufacturer and distributer of proven mobile computing solutions since 2003, the company’s line of Tablet PCs, including the Sahara Slate PC, has been widely used in Healthcare, Hospitality, Government and Manufacturing both as TabletKiosk branded and OEM/Private Label deployments. For more information about TabletKiosk, visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

About SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI)

SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI) is a world leader in dedicated computer vision applications, developing and marketing eye & gaze tracking systems and OEM solutions for a wide range of applications such as marketing, human-computer-interfaces, ophthalmology, neurology, psychology, ergonomics and usability. SMI serves customers around the globe from offices in Teltow, near Berlin, Germany and Boston, USA, backed by a network of trusted local partners in many countries. For more information visit www.smivision.com.

Contact: SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH, Stefanie Gehrke, stefanie.gehrke@smi.de

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TabletKiosk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/tabletkiosk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TabletKiosk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/smieyetracking
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/smi-sensomotoric-instruments-inc.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/smieyetracking
YouTube: www.youtube.com/smieyetracking

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TabletKiosk® Upgrades Sahara Slate PC® i500 line of Enterprise Tablets with New Intel® Processors and Expanded Functionality

Newest Tablet PCs Feature Enhanced Graphics Performance, Greatly Improved Battery Life, Integrated Front and Rear Facing Cameras, and True RS-232 Serial Connectivity.

Technorati Tags: tablet pc enterprise tablet TabletKiosk,rs-232,rs-232 tablet,rs232 computer,Sahara Slate PC

Torrance, CA, June 19, 2013 — TabletKiosk, a leading provider of slate-style Tablet PCs and customized mobility solutions for the enterprise, today announced two new additions to its flagship line of 12.1” Tablet PCs. The Sahara Slate PC i575 and Sahara Slate PC i535 are premium, enterprise-grade Tablet PCs powered by 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors and offer enhanced performance and security features, greatly improved battery life and expanded connectivity.

The new Sahara Slate PC i575 and i535 Tablet PCs offer many upgraded features over the existing models that make them even more valuable for business use, including:

· Improved performance, greatly enhanced battery life, and hardware embedded security features with 3^rd generation Intel Core vPro™ processors

· User upgradable to 16GB of RAM and 1.0TB HDD or 480GB SSD

· Built-in front and rear facing cameras

· 2x USB 3.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2 and Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)

· WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) Dual Mode

· A true—not USB emulated—RS-232 Serial Port for interoperability with legacy industrial devices

“I am very excited about the release of these new Sahara Slate PC Tablet PCs and the incredible value they offer our enterprise customers,” said Martin Smekal, President and CEO of TabletKiosk. “In addition to improved battery life and security features, the new Sahara Slate PCs feature a true RS-232 serial interface to control and communicate with legacy equipment used in various industries including Diagnostic Automotive Testing, HVAC system control, Advanced A/V systems and CNC manufacturing.”

To extend the backward and forward compatibility between product generations, all of the same interchangeable accessories created for the original Sahara Slate PC i500 models can be used with the new Sahara Slate PC i575 and i535. Additionally to ensure operating system continuity for large scale deployments, the two new models will run Windows® 7 Professional, Windows® 8 Pro or Linux.

“Because the new Sahara Slate PC i500 tablets are based on 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors, customers can be confident that they will have the compatibility, performance and security features needed in the most demanding commercial environments,” said Jason Kennedy, Intel Business Client Marketing Director. “In addition, these tablets offer the durability, functionality, and flexibility needed for computing on the go, anywhere at any time.”

Availability

Sahara Slate PC i575 and i535 Tablet PCs will begin shipping at the end of June. For additional details, pricing, or to place an order please visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

About TabletKiosk

TabletKiosk is an early innovator of business Tablet PC solutions for the enterprise and was one of the first to offer touch screen enabled Windows tablets. The company regularly integrates modern technology with key legacy components to create forward thinking mobile systems, while still providing backwards compatibility and long product life cycles.

As a manufacturer and distributer of proven mobile computing solutions since 2003, the company’s line of Tablet PCs, including the Sahara Slate PC, has been widely used in Healthcare, Hospitality, Government and Manufacturing both as TabletKiosk branded and OEM / private label deployments. For more information about TabletKiosk, visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

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Web Resources:

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/tabletkiosk
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TabletKiosk
Twitter:  twitter.com/TabletKiosk

Intel and Intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

TabletKiosk Offers FREE Memory and SSD Upgrades on select Business Tablet PCs

For a limited time, get 8.0GB RAM and an Intel® SSD FREE on select Sahara Slate PC i500 systems.


TORRANCE, CA – November 12, 2012 — TabletKiosk®, a leading manufacturer of enterprise-grade Tablet PCs and accessories for business, announced today that until the end of the year, customers who purchase select Sahara Slate PC i500 Tablet PCs with a capacitive touch screen will receive a free memory upgrade to 8GB RAM and a free upgrade to a Solid State Drive (SSD).

The Sahara Slate PC i500 offers business professionals a robust and powerful Tablet PC computing platform that runs full versions of Windows-based enterprise application software (EAS) programs instead of just cloud-based apps. All Sahara Slate PC i500 Tablet PCs feature a 12.1" WXGA (1280x800) screen, 300 nit AFFS+ LCD panel, Intel® Centrino 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR, biometric fingerprint reader, hot swappable batteries, a full array of PC standard I/O ports, and run Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional (64 bit). The Sahara Slate PC i500 is available with either an Intel® Core™ i7-640LM vPro™ or Intel® Celeron® U3405 processor.

The TabletKiosk free upgrade promotion applies to the four special configurations listed below

Sahara Slate PC i520CAT Part # ST-520CAT-SPEC1 Intel® Celeron® U3405 (1.06GHz, 2C/4T CPU), Capacitive Touch Screen, 8GB RAM ,
60GB Intel® SDD
                   Promotional Price: $1,849 (Regular Price $2,198)
                   Savings: $ 349

Sahara Slate PC i520CAD Part # ST-520CAD-SPEC1 Intel® Celeron® U3405 (1.06GHz, 2C/4T CPU), Dual Mode Wacom® Digitizer+ Capacitive Touch Screen, 8GB RAM, 60GB Intel® SDD
                   Promotional Price: $1,999 (Regular Price $2,348)
                   Savings: $ 349

Sahara Slate PC i550CAT Part # ST-550CAT-SPEC1 Intel® Core™ i7-640LM (2.13GHz, 2C/4T CPU), Capacitive Touch Screen, 8GB RAM,
120GB Intel® SDD
                   Promotional Price: $2,249 (Regular Price $2,598)
                   Savings: $ 349

Sahara Slate PC i550CAD Part # ST-550CAD-SPEC1 Intel® Core™ i7-640LM (2.13GHz, 2C/4T CPU), Dual Mode Wacom® Digitizer+Capacitive Touch Screen, 8GB RAM, 120GB Intel® SDD
                    Promotional Price: $2,399 (Regular Price $2,748)
                    Savings: $ 349

All promotional models can be purchased at http://www.tabletkiosk.com/tkstore/pc/showSpecials.asp or from a TabletKiosk Authorized Reseller. Quantities are available while supplies last. No substitutions or exchanges permitted. For more information, call 310-782-1201.

About TabletKiosk®
TabletKiosk is a registered trademark and wholly owned subsidiary of Sand Dune Ventures, Inc. The company's line of quality enterprise-grade to rugged Tablet PCs and mobile accessories are designed to optimize productivity in key vertical markets while offering power, flexibility and security. All TabletKiosk products are marketed and sold through an authorized reseller channel and directly through the company website. For more information, visit www.tabletkiosk.com .

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80% of our Products Sold are used as Non-Mobile Touchscreen Input Devices

In today’s super competitive world of consumer-based, media consumption tablets, there still exists a defined niche for our enterprise-based Tablet PCs.  Would you believe that nearly 80% of TabletKiosk products sold are used as non-mobile touchscreen input devices for various industries including Healthcare, Factory Automation, Hospitality and Augmentative Communication?

So if these mobile form factor tablets are being used for non-mobile scenarios, how are they being used and what type of business professionals are using them?  Consider these business scenarios…

• Attached to a medical cart to access and input EMR records
• Mounted on a self-contained pedestal in a factory to control the assembly line
• Permanently affixed to a rolling cart in a school cafeteria for cashless POS
• Fastened to an electric wheelchair as an augmentative communication device
• Secured to a forklift to run order fulfillment software
• Attached to a blackjack or poker table in a casino to run table management software
• Affixed to a desk in a blood donor center admissions area to run donor questionnaire
• Secured to a long arm or short arm industrial quilting machine
• Permanently mounted to a wall for conference room scheduling management
• Affixed to a cockpit as an electronic flight book
• And the list goes on…

All TabletKiosk Tablet PCs are designed for business use, and we’ve been manufacturing and distributing enterprise-based Tablet PCs for over 10 years.  We have a long list of legacy customers who have continuously purchased the Sahara Slate PC line (consistently through 4 product generations) since its introduction in 2003.

When our enterprise customers spec out a Tablet PC for their business functions, they require power, speed, reliability and flexibility as well as a full ecosystem of business accessories, to ultimately get the job done. For these TabletKiosk customers who cater to the enterprise marketplace, a consumer-oriented, media consumption device (like an iPad or Android tablet) just isn’t cut out for their business functions.

As the editor of this blog, I use my Sahara Slate PC i550CAD for everyday general computing functions including MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, administration of the company’s Salesforce database and social media.  When I’m sitting at my desk, I put my Tablet PC in its docking station and use an external mouse, monitor and keyboard and dock in order to get my work done.  But as one who uses the Sahara Slate PC i500 for everyday computing functions instead of running specialized purpose-based software programs, I know I’m in the minority…  

How do you use your Sahara Slate PC?  All responses welcome and we love hearing different scenarios about how are Tablet PCs are being used in the field.

TabletKiosk VAR Database – Hoping to Reconnect!

Imagine a HUGE data overall that involves uploading all of the thousands of VAR (Value Added Reseller) Partner companies that have resold TabletKiosk products since 2005. It’s a mighty task (not for the faint of heart) and it’s helping me uncover hundreds of resellers that may not have otherwise ever hit my Channel Marketing radar screen.

As a result, I’m absolutely pumped to reach out to these new resellers to re-introduce them to the TabletKiosk product line. In speaking to these new/old resellers, many of them don’t know that we have moved to a Distribution channel model where they can now purchase TabletKiosk products through our Authorized Distributors. Additionally, many of them are now aware to the changes we have made to our Tablet PC line including the introduction of the Sahara Slate PC i500!

These are the Distributors currently carrying and stocking product:


- Seneca Distributor that specializes in Tablet PCs
- NewWave Technologies Specializes in the Document Imaging Market
- M-S Cash Drawer Specializes in the POS market
- Filbitron Our new Canadian Distributor

I look forward to re-connecting with all of our reseller partners and look forward to hearing feedback about our program!

Sahara Slate PC i500 – the 4th generation of 12” Tablet PCs from TabletKiosk

Did you know that the Sahara Slate PC i500 represents the fourth generation of the Sahara Slate PC Brand from TabletKiosk?
We’ve been manufacturing and distributing touch screen Tablet PCs running full Microsoft Windows Operating Systems since 2003!

Windows 7 and hospitality technology – Are you ready?

As we continue to expand our business by selling touch screen tablets to the hospitality channel, including hotels, restaurants and casinos, we continue to receive requests for tablets downgraded to Windows XP. The primary reason for this is that many of the legacy and most popular Property Management and Point of Sale software systems were written for the Windows XP operating system and are not compatible with Windows 7.

Up until now we have been able to provide and ship systems licensed with Windows 7 Professional along with recovery media to downgrade to Windows XP. However, because Windows 7 has been so successful, Microsoft has decided that it is finally time to put their eight year old operating system to bed.

As of October 22, 2010, and per our licensing agreement with Microsoft, we will no longer be able to ship systems downgraded with Windows XP or provide Windows XP Restore Media for the purpose of downgrading.

So what’s a hotel, restaurant or casino to do if you need new hardware after October 22, 2010, but are just not yet ready to make the switch to a new OS?

The good news is that after October 22, customers will still be able to downgrade to Windows XP, but we can’t do it for them. In order to obtain the downgrade, they will have to contact Microsoft directly and provide them with the following key items:

1) an existing physical copy of the Windows XP installation media

2) Their new order invoice along with the license number/product key code listed on the Windows 7 COA sticker.

The other option that many companies are choosing for enterprise use is to run a Windows Embedded POSReady (which is basically an enterprise version of XP Pro which maintains UPOS and POS for .NET standards.) Important to note that the POSReady license can only be used for “Point of Service”, and may not be used for general or consumer use.

So in order to get a better handle of where the industry is heading, I’m curious to hear if your systems are set up to run on Windows 7 or are you a Windows XP holdout. Looking forward to feedback.

A Strong and Steady Business Vision in a Sea of Netbooks

Paying close attention to the online techie news sites, I can’t help but notice the emergence of very cool and inexpensive netbooks which seem to be popping up almost daily.  These small and lightweight devices have really taken the consumer market by storm and it’s great to see such a great response to new  mobile technologies.

In fact, these devices are becoming so prevalent that one of my extremely non-technically minded friends called me up to determine the difference between the netbook her husband bought for her and our TabletKiosk tablet PCs. She had seen a preview of the new eo (shown at right) was worried about how it would compete with her netbook.

So as I found myself explaining how our tablets are different than these lower priced consumer devices, I thought that the information would be good information to share on this blog.

To start with, you have to remember that TabletKiosk operates in the B2B enterprise sector and does not market our products to consumers (although consumers can purchase our products through our website).  Because our products are designed for business, they are primarily used to access a central server with domain log-in which can only be accomplished via XP Professional/ Vista/ Win 7 Business OS (or Ultimate).  Most netbooks come pre-loaded with a special lower priced version of XP Home which cannot accommodate domain log-in.  Microsoft uses this as a key factor to define the differences (function and price) between its Home/Business Operating Systems.

Some other key differentiations that TabletKiosk offers:

Our devices are designed for business use.  In order to keep our legacy customers in the TabletKiosk family of products, we offer an ecosystem of business accessories designed to be interchangeable between individual devices as well as for future product revs. Our product rev cycle may be longer than consumer devices, but our products provide a better ROI as a capital investment.  From a CIOs perspective, this just makes good business sense.

Our products are designed to run Vista® Business, XP Pro/Tablet, XP Embedded, Win 7 Business or Linux openSUSE.

Our upcoming products offer superior wireless connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n with dual Channel Networking.

We work closely with key industry ISVs to get our devices certified and vetted for use with their software. 

Our sales team is vertically focused (healthcare, control systems, education, hospitality) with in-depth knowledge of industry specifications, changes and challenges.  In order to validate our products, we also invest in vertically focused pilot programs to ensure that our hardware is the right fit for a perspective project.

We are a US based company with a company-run full service center.  All products come with a 1 year standard warranty and we offer live customer service and tech support from corporate headquarters in California.

For volume orders, we can provide options for private label and customer specific builds.

As you can imagine, all of the differentiations listed above result in an entirely different (higher) pricing model for enterprise customers which should not be compared with the lower priced consumer market.  In this enterprise space, our competition consists of companies that offer slate tablets like DT Research, Motion Computing, Itronix and Mobile Demand. However what I find the most interesting is that because of the features and services that TabletKiosk and the other enterprise manufactures offer, we rarely hear customers mentioning netbooks as viable solutions to their business needs.

In our niche world, the same customers who use an apple iPhone with capacitive touch for their personal use specifically request resistive touch for their work machines because they often wear gloves when operating our devices.  Pan scrolling is cool and it’s fun, but for simple, menu-driven applications, it’s just another bell and whistle that is not needed to get the job done. 

From the coolest / latest speeds feeds and features perspective, some of the newest “coolest” technologies just don’t make sense in the enterprise technology sector.  To sum it all up, the world of enterprise computing doesn’t focus on the newest, sleekest, shiniest and most inexpensive toys, instead, we focus on producing the right computers to meet our customers unique needs.