Motorola Solutions unveils tablet built for enterprise users; first solutions focused on retail

Schaumburg, Ill. -- Motorola Solutions on Monday announced the first tablet computer built from the ground up specifically for enterprise users, the Android-based ET1. With the first solutions focused on retail, the new tablet will be available in fourth quarter 2011.



Similar in appearance to a consumer tablet, the new ET1 is designed to leverage the sleek design and user experience of a tablet with the applications, durability, security, device management and lifecycle-support needs that are specific to the retail environment.



“Retail stores have very specific requirements,” said Sheldon Safir, director of global product marketing, Motorola Solutions. “The ET1 was built from the ground up with the kind of security and durability that is required in a retail environment. It is extremely durable, for example, and built for the bumps and drops that can happen in the in-store space.”



Along with enhanced durability, the new tablet features an optional barcode scanner and magnetic stripe reader, hot-swappable battery packs, and secure system software.



“The security that is built into a consumer tablet is not at the level that a retailer requires,” Safir said.



Among other things, Motorola has added a data encryption device to the table so that retailers can be assured that customer-information data is secure as it is transferred over the data network.



The WiFi-enabled ET1 tablet is password-protected so it can be easily shared and instantly provisioned for each employee according to his or her level of responsibility and access rights. Based on log-in information, managers can automatically control and monitor use of approved applications to help ensure on-the-job productivity is not compromised.



According to Motorola, retailers can seamlessly and securely run a variety of applications developed by the company’s partner and independent software vendor (ISV) community, including:

• Assisted selling;


• Mobile point of sale (mPOS);


• Manager electronic dashboards;


• Planogram management and compliance; and


• Item locator