Switching on


Computing aboard the Sea Monster


(Monster of the Sea) is relying on the ultra-rugged Algiz 7 tablet computer from Handheld Group for everything from navigation to calculations and communication. T e race, dubbed the Everest of sailing, began on October 29 in Alicante, Spain, and is due to end in Ireland in July. Like Handheld’s other rugged PDAs and mobile computers, Algiz 7


N


Comedian David Walliams (foreground) during his eight-day fund-raising swimathon, when he was asset-tracked throughout


Tracker device helps with comic’s timing A


sset tracking technology from Masternaut was used by Sport Relief to provide live online location updates as the comedian


and fundraising swimmer, David Walliams, took on the BT Sport Relief Challenge, ‘Walliams vs The Thames’. For this gruelling challenge, Matt Conder writes, the Little Britain


star swam 140 miles of the River Thames over eight days in September, starting at its source near Lechlade, Gloucestershire, and fi nishing opposite the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Masternaut’s asset tracking technology, normally used commercially


to measure utilization and asset performance, provided live location updates throughout the challenge for the Sport Relief website. From two accompanying safety boats, the GPS technology


transmitted David’s precise location to a live online map, which was viewed by nearly half a million supporters following his progress. The decision to locate the tracking technology on board the support


boats, says Masternaut, was for David’s own safety, and to minimize GPS signal distortion underwater. “We needed a partner who would be able to give us the depth of


analysis required to produce live progress for the supporters at home,” said Marcus East, head of future media and technology at Sport Relief. “Masternaut’s generosity in providing this gift in kind and their


excellence in this fi eld meant that we were delighted, and incredibly grateful, to work with them for a second consecutive year.” Walliams’s feat has raised £1.2 million for the charity.


SMS fi re alarm alerts deaf visitors A


fi re safety product that sends a text message alert


to the mobile phones of deaf and hard of hearing people when a fi re alarm sounds has been installed at Kensington and Chelsea College in London, writesMatt Conder. To ensure that deaf and hard


of hearing people among its staff, students, and visitors avoid missing fi re alarm activations, the


8


college has installed DMS (Deaf Message Service), manufactured by Brighton-based fi re safety company FireCo. To register their mobile phone


with the system, users send one text message with the relevant location code – displayed on signs within the building – to the DMS number. The user is then sent a text to confi rm they are connected to DMS at that specifi c


is designed for use in tough environments in industries such as mining, logistics, forestry, public transport, construction, utilities and the mili- tary. It has a seven-inch daylight-viewable screen and runs the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate operating system. During the Ocean Race, the machine will perform a range of tasks, including controlling the main navigation computers via a wireless network and serving as a backup.


Information at hand “When you’re navigating around rocks, marks and more, it’s really great to have a device with you on deck”, said Puma Ocean Racing navigator Tom Addis. “T e Handheld Algiz 7 tablet provides a link to the systems below deck and allows you to have all of the information right at hand. Even the navigator is active, and the Handheld tablet makes work more effi cient in all conditions onboard Puma’sMar Mostro.” “We are happy to be sponsors of the Puma Ocean Racing crew, and


proud that they have chosen our ultra-rugged Algiz 7 tablet for their all- important computing needs”, said Handheld’s marketing director, Sofi a Löfblad. “T is is the kind of tough environment the Algiz 7 was built for.”


• For race updates, visit www.volvooceanrace.com


On board the Mar Mostro, the Algiz 7 wireless tablet computer


ow at sea, taking part in the nine-month Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012, Puma Ocean Racing’s crew aboard theMar Mostro


location. After 12 months, the user will be sent a message asking them to reconnect. The DMS controller, which


Fireco claims can be installed in under half an hour, is hard-wired into the fi re panel. Once the fi re alarm is activated, a text message alert is transmitted to all registered users in that specifi c location, advising that the fi re alarm is sounding.


LAND mobile November 2011


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