Telecom Lead Asia: The rugged handheld devices market is
expected to grow at a CAGR of 8 percent during 2010-2014. Key vendors
dominating this market include Motorola Solutions, Honeywell Scanning &
Mobility and Intermec.
One of the key factors contributing to this market growth
is increasing demand for improved operational efficiency. The rugged handheld
devices market has been witnessing a growing preference for application-specific
rugged handheld devices. However, the high cost of rugged handheld devices
could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.
A report from TechNavio said that the increasing
penetration of GIS and GPS in the global market is enhancing the demand for
rugged handheld devices. The GIS enabled handsets and handheld devices are
prone to highly vulnerable conditions.
The report added that portable navigation devices should
be built with robust methodology, as they are meant for usage in rough
conditions. The increasing familiarity of the GPS devices and applications
among the consumers also increases the demand for rugged mobile phones as well.
Despite the fact that the handheld devices such as
barcode scanners are designed to be used by the employees at the lower level of
the hierarchical pyramid, these devices are not built strong enough to
withstand rough handling and physical damage. Especially, 2D scanners have to
be handled with great care. To avoid these challenges, vendors are now
developing devices that can withstand rough and careless handling,” said an
analyst from TechNavio’s Hardware team.
