You're a hospital IT manager and you need to outfit your nurses and doctors with Windows tablets they can use as they do their rounds. You're not going to buy hundreds of Acer Iconia W3s or ASUS VivoTab Smarts, because you need something that's built to take serious punishment. However, you might want Aava Mobile's new Inari tablet, which is targeted specifically for vertical markets such as healthcare, retail point of sale, construction and manufacturing. We had a chance to handle a preproduction version of the Bay Trail powered slate at IDF 13 and were impressed with its rugged design and high-resolution screen.
Designed to withstand drops of up to 1 meter (2 meters with protective case), the 8.3-inch Aava Mobile Inari is IP65 certified to resist dust and moisture. Its ports are all covered to protect them from damage while its backside features a removable battery, even though it should last 10 hours or more on a charge. Though the device isn't as slick as some, it carries a unique and attractive matte white chassis that was smooth and pleasant to grip in our brief hands-on.
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The 1.1-pound device sports a 1920 x 1200 screen that made Windows 8's UI look sharp and sample x-rays we viewed appear particularly detailed. The panel on this early build wasn't particularly bright, but Aava Mobile's Piotr Frasunkiewicz told us that the final product will have a very bright backlight.
On the inside, the Inari features a quad-core, 1.3-GHz Baytrail 3470 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 64 or 128GB of internal storage memory. A front-facing 2-MP camera allows for video chats while an 8-MP rear lens is ideal for capturing everything from patient charts and product barcodes to photos of a broken machine on the factory floor. The tablet comes with an NFC chip and Wi-Fi, but will also be available in 3G and LTE models. An optional stylus is also available.
The device is loaded with ports, including a full size USB 2.0 port, a microSD card slot, a micro USB 3.0 port for docking and mini HDMI out. We particularly appreciated the microUSB charging port which will allow users to juice up with a standard USB cable rather than searching for a proprietary AC adapter.
Aava Mobile does not have exact pricing for the Inari and likely won't be selling it directly to end users. Frasunkiewicz said that the company is in talks with OEMs and other solution providers who sell into vertical markets. The final shipping device that customers buy may even be branded with another company's logo. However, if you're in a vertical market and want a rugged Windows device that fits easily in one hand, you'll want to keep an eye out for the Inari, no matter who is sells it in your area.
