Motorola MC65 Review

The following is our review of the MC65 from Motorola which will look to address the key areas when considering a mobile device and hopefully explain the target market and applications for this device.

 

Rugged Design

The MC65 is one of the most ergonomic rugged devices currently available. The device is capable of withstanding multiple drops of 6 ft./1.83 m and is rated IP65 so provides good protection against dust, moisture and heavy rain.

 

Ergonomics

For an enterprise, rugged field service device the ergonomic design is one of the best on the market. The device measures only 77 x 162 x 34 mm and weighs about 350g making it operable with a single hand similar to smaller commercial smartphones.

 

The MC65 has a physical keyboard that can comes with a choice of a numerical or alpha numeric keypads. The 3.5-inch touch display with VGA resolution along with the toughened rugged screen provides real competition for the latest consumer phones displays but also offering protection for harsh environments.

 

Usability and Performance

The MC65 shares the improved Motorola customized user interface that has improved the out of the box Windows Mobile operating system. The bottom line is that although it doesn’t quite compare to the latest slick-looking phones that run iOS or Android, it still looks pretty good for a Windows Mobile device. 

The MC65’s 256MB RAM and improved processors provide excellent performance especially when utilising multiple applications simultaneously.

 

Operating Systems

In a world of Android, iPhone and Blackberry Windows Mobile is definitely starting to look a bit out of date.  However, the MC65 supports the latest release from Microsoft (Windows Mobile 6.5.3) which has been further improved by Motorola to provide an platform comparative to other consumer operating systems.

 

Communications

The main aim of the MC65 device was to provide a device that provided the reliability and performance of an industrial grade device but in a more ergonomic and user friendly package. The MC65 comes with Motorola enhanced phone software helps the phone perform better on this device than other Windows Mobile devices. The call quality is not great but good enough to make and receive calls within an enterprise application.

 

In addition to Class II Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g but not n), the device has an integral GPS receiver and supports HSDPA (3.75G) data communications. The communications on the MC65 are reliable, comprehensive and easy preconfigure for mass deployments.

 

Data Capture

The MC65 provides a 3.2 MP with a auto focus digital camera with LED flash which is easy to use and optimize. As with all enterprise devices the LED flash isn’t amazing in low light but overall a very intuitive and quality camera. For scanning, the MC65 has a dedicated 2D imager that supports virtually all 1D and 2D barcodes and symbologies.

 

Support

The Motorola MC65 has a three-year life cycle and is supported by Motorola’s Comprehensive Coverage Service which covers normal wear and tear as well as internal and external components damaged through accidental damage. This means unlike commercial smartphones and tablets these devices can be deployed over a period of months and years without having to worry about another, upgraded model coming to market and complicating the roll-out with more handsets to manage.

 

Conclusion

Overall, with the MC65, Motorola has targeted customers who need a truly rugged device but in a more ergonomic and user friendly design. By producing a device that is tough, high performing with advance data capture but designed to be small and light enough to be operated all day Motorola have provided the next generation of rugged mobile computing.