SCIENCE

Socket Mobile announced it has shipped its 50,000th SoMo 650 handheld computer. Sales are being driven by the needs of the hospitality and healthcare market segments for a durable and lightweight device and continue to show growth. Reaching this milestone in unit sales is a good measure of the continued market acceptance of the Socket solution.

Introduced to the market in 2007, the SoMo 650 handheld computer is a durable, high-performance, enterprise-class Windows Mobile PDA that enables businesses to increase the productivity of mobile workers, improve visibility in the field and automate manual processes anywhere. The SoMo 650 has become an essential business tool for mobile workers in a wide range of industries, and is available in both standard and antimicrobial case options.

"Sales of our SoMo 650 handheld computer have been steadily increasing over the last few years and we're extremely pleased to have reached this milestone with our first handheld computer," said Kevin Mills, president and CEO of Socket Mobile. "Recent shipping delays caused by a shortage of LCD computer screens have been rectified, production and deliveries are flowing, and products are now becoming available in Socket's worldwide distribution channels."

"Analyst reports estimate the worldwide shipment of PDAs in 2015 to equal $2 billion with healthcare and field mobility expected to be among the primary growth environments," said Mills. "Recently an analyst also noted that 70 percent of our handheld computer business is currently in healthcare, and with the LCD computer screen supply issues behind us coupled with Hewlett-Packard's discontinuation of the 200 series iPAQs, we're confident that our SoMo business will continue to expand and grow."

"The SoMo 650 is a fantastic replacement for the HP iPAQ 200 series," said Mamoru Tadaki, CEO of CF Company Japan, a leading distributor of business mobility products in the Asia Pacific region. "We're seeing a lot of our customers either making or preparing to make a transition away from the iPAQ, and there's a high demand, particularly in the healthcare industry, for a PDA solution that's both durable and lightweight, and that has excellent Wi-Fi coverage within a 'four walls,' campus-style environment," said Tadaki-san. "With the additional benefit of being available with an antimicrobial case, the SoMo 650 is the preferred device that we recommend for our healthcare customers."

Healthcare applications for the SoMo 650 include point-of-care patient charting, electronic medical record documentation, asset tracking and facility management.

The SoMo 650 has also experienced traction in the hospitality industry with deployments for tableside order entry, mobile point-of-sale, facility maintenance and inspections and inventory control.

"We strongly believe in the potential of the healthcare and hospitality markets as it pertains to our SoMo business, and we'll continue to service and focus on these core markets," said Mills.