How the Honeywell Android 12 Guarantee for Mobility Edge™ Platform Extends Rugged Mobile Computer Lifecycle

The life expectancy of Honeywell enterprise-level computers is measured in years, not months. As part of our ongoing leadership with Android and Mobility Edge, Honeywell has announced that Android 12 is guaranteed for the Mobility Edge platform. This decision has a far-reaching impact on the decisions that drive your mobile asset lifecycle management.

How long do Honeywell rugged mobile computers last?

Honeywell rugged mobile computers usually last twice as long as consumer devices because the rugged mobile computers are purpose-built for mission-critical situations and includes features such as:

·       A display optimized for viewing in bright sunshine
·       Screen response optimized for use while wearing gloves
·       A design that works well in a broad range of temperatures
·       A design that works in dusty, as well as damp, environments
·       A superior scanning functionality for barcodes, compared with camera-based options, which produces faster per-scan times and fewer rescans
·       Long battery life that usually supports an entire shift, exchangeable batteries, and multidevice charging solutions
·       Improved device survivability, which is essential when employees depend entirely on the device, and the cost of downtime due to a device failure is high

Honeywell's Mobility Edge offers an integrated, repeatable, scalable approach to device management based on a common hardware and software platform. Designed for Android, it delivers a unified platform on which all software solutions are based. Enterprises can develop and deploy faster while reducing development costs. This unified, dynamic platform for mobile computing is designed to:

•      Accelerate Deployments. Validate once. Deploy everywhere. Faster, easier, and at lower cost. Enabling versatile out-of-the-box capabilities and a rapid provisioning suite, Mobility Edge expedites development, certification, setup, and training involving multiple form factors at once.

•      Optimize Business Performance. Boost productivity and drive efficiency. Powerful, embedded tools across the platform drive faster data capture and secure, enhanced worker communications. The unified, intuitive experience facilitates user adoption and helps employee’s complete vital tasks.

•      Extend Lifecycle. Forward compatible. Future-proof. Mobility Edge reduces TCO and minimizes headaches with an enterprise-wide approach to maintenance releases, and hardware designed to support ongoing upgrades to the operating system guaranteed through Android 12, and committed to continue working towards feasibility through Android 13.

•     Strengthen Security. Mobility Edge provides a unified, dynamic hardware-and-software platform with the best available future security made possible by unmatched Android forward compatibility guarantee and continuity.

Since launching the Mobility Edge platform, Honeywell's Android version guarantee and commitment has been demonstrated through unbroken continuity of each Android version.  Let's look at examples for rugged mobile computers used in retail and warehouse applications. 

Honeywell Mobility Edge Retail Example. The Honeywell CT40 family of mobile computers, which makes up the first four lines in the graphic below, was first launched on Android 7/N. A few years later, Honeywell introduced a newer version called the CT40XP on Android 9/P. 

Even though Honeywell introduced new hardware, we continue to provide each Android update and version without gaps for the older CT40, which are still available for purchase.  As a Mobility Edge device, CT40 will potentially be available through 7 Android Versions (7/N through 13/T) with NO gaps and is guaranteed through at least Android 12.  The same forward compatibility is valid for the CT60 and newer CT60XP.

Honeywell Mobility Edge Warehouse Example. The Honeywell CK65 family was first launched on Android 8/O. Even though Honeywell introduced new hardware, we continue to provide each Android version and update for the older CK65, which is still available for purchase.  As a Mobility Edge device, CK65 will potentially be available through 7 Android Versions (7/N through 13/T) with NO gaps and is guaranteed through at least Android 12. 

How does Honeywell's Android 12 guarantee for the Mobility Edge platform affect TCO?

Enterprise leaders are hyper-focused on reducing operating expenses. Technology decision-makers need to understand the costs and benefits of mobile solutions. Often success is determined based on selecting the right mobile device for the workflow and the environment in which it will be performed. With the Honeywell Android 12 guarantee, the life expectancy of a device also extends.

A total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis provides essential insight for aligning the 'right' mobile solutions with the target application or use case. You can truly assign value to the mobile device as a solution over the narrow focus at the upfront cost. This reduces the risk of a failed or poorly performing mobile solution that disrupts workflow productivity and increases the overall TCO. ¹

Gartner says², "Ruggedized (enterprise) equipment tends to be significantly more expensive than commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices – typically 2.5 to three times more expensive, when comparing list prices. When doing a full total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation, ruggedized equipment often comes out as having a lower or equal TCO, due to its longer life and the use of a single device across multiple (shift) workers. Customers often focus solely on the ability of the device to withstand drops, and, as such, believe that regular devices enclosed in a case, at a lower cost, could suffice. This may be true in some situations, but many other factors need to be considered regarding truly ruggedized devices."

VDC Research³ adds the average annual total cost of ownership (TCO) of mobile devices supporting line of business applications is 42.5% to 60.5% lower for purpose-built mobile devices. The research factored in upfront acquisition costs, deployment costs, training costs, support costs and cost of downtime.

This contributes to their higher TCO as calculated by the disruptive impact on worker productivity, in addition to higher support costs. Lost productivity represents as much as 41% of mobile devices TCO. On average, mobile workers lose 50 to 80 minutes of productivity when their mobile devices fail.²

Conclusion

Honeywell Mobility Edge provides unmatched Android version support providing the best available security, features, and lifecycle duration of any rugged mobile computer offered from major brands. Honeywell is deeply committed to the longevity and quality of the Mobility Edge platform. The following products are built on the Mobility Edge platform: Honeywell CT40, CT40XP, CT60, CT60XP, CN80, CN80G, CK65, RT10A, and Thor VM1A, and VM3A.

Contact a Honeywell Solutions Expert today! Call 1-800-934-3163.

¹ VDC Research Group, Inc. | Enterprise Mobility, "Total Cost of Ownership Models for Line of Business Mobile Solutions," December 2018.

²Source: Gartner, Revisit Your Ruggedized Strategy Before You're Hit by the End of OS Support, Leif-Olof Wallin, Stephen Kleynhans, et al., Published 27 March 2017.

³ VDC Research Group, Inc. | Enterprise Mobility, "Total Cost of Ownership Models for Line of Business Mobile Solutions," December 2018.

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