Rx for Warfighters
November 10, 2010 By: Don JewellDefense PNT Newsletter, November 2010
Take a tablet and call me in the morning — a tablet computer that is. If our warfighters want to accomplish their mission with all the indigenous electronic support they need, all wrapped up in one device, then the new Trimble Yuma may indeed be the solution the doctor ordered.
I first wrote about the Trimble Yuma tablet computer, in depth, in GPS World magazine, just 13 months ago in October 2009. Thousands of our warfighters currently use this marvelous device on a daily basis because it provides everything they need in a rugged, sophisticated, handheld PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing) computing device and more. One way to make it better would be if it had a SAASM capability, and we can hope that is in the works. Who knows?
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) the new Trimble Yuma is now a Windows 7-friendly handheld computer with an integrated GPS receiver and other tightly coupled attributes that our warfighters intuitively know how and indeed want to use — unlike many of the military devices they are issued today. I say many because the majority of the Trimble Yumas in theater today were purchased with government funds, after a waiver process, simply because they are the right tools for mission success.
Update
When I first spoke to the Trimble staff about another Yuma review, I made it clear that I would not write another complete bottoms-up review so soon after my last Yuma article, but would update the warfighters and first responders about the Yuma’s new capabilities that make it even more mission-capable and more user-friendly. Even with that understanding, the new Yuma provides a plethora of capabilities that our warfighters sorely need, and happily many are using.
TTFF and Sensitivity
Time to first fix and receiver sensitivity are among the first specifications (numbers two and three actually) most users want to know about when they are checking out a new PNT device. The first concern is the user interface, or the man-machine interface, and that is Microsoft Windows 7 in this case, which is head and shoulders more user-friendly than Microsoft Vista.
In the TTFF and sensitivity categories, the Yuma simply excels. I live on top of a mountain and therefore have great reception, but even considering that advantage, seeing seven satellites indoors in less than 60 seconds is amazing. The actual TTFF from a cold start averages less than 30 seconds. A warm start TTFF is in the 20-second realm, and if you use Skyhook Wireless it is about five seconds. Granted it is not a less-than-one-meter fix; however, it is an initial fix, which with the Skyhook Wireless capability means the Yuma has a position 12 times quicker than a PLGR - Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver or DAGR – Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (under the best of conditions, and four times faster using just GPS.
What it really means for our warfighters and first responders is that they almost always have an initial position, even indoors, and when they step outside a precision position is determined all that much quicker. Plus, don’t forget a position indoors is something that most users desire but few ever experience. With the new antenna and super sensitive SiRFstarIII GPS chip, it just works; add Skyhook Wireless capabilities and it works almost every time.
Add-ons
Before we get too far into the new Yuma’s specifications let me say upfront that as soon as my test unit arrived I loaded it with the newest versions of Skyhook Wireless, Touch Inspect,and Skype (with a headset). This is important initially merely because the Trimble’s operating system software allows me to add software and make necessary mission upgrades. Sadly the PLGR and DAGR use a proprietary, antiquated, non-user-friendly operating system that does not allow for any customization of the App Store nature. Many of our warfighters who are forced to use the PLGR and DAGR go from using a fourth-generation iPhone-type device, with all the attendant constantly upgradeable capabilities, to a first-generation device (designed in 1995) that is not user upgradeable, does not have a color screen or interactive maps, but at least it does have an incredibly difficult user interface with a precipitously steep, non-intuitive learning curve! Don’t get me wrong, my purpose is not to denigrate the PLGR and DAGR — they do that well enough on their own — it is to point out that in the particular areas of responsibility (AORs) in which our warfighters are fighting today (read lacking a sophisticated enemy threat) there are viable PNT alternatives, such as the Yuma, that actually provide real-time situational awareness that saves lives and resources.
SWaP
From a size, weight and power perspective, the new Yuma is difficult to tell from earlier renditions. But as is typically the case with software upgradeable devices, the insides tell the true story. I will get to those; for now I will simply list the Yuma’s specifications for those of you who need that information up front, then I will enlighten you as to why many of these specifications are critical for warfighters and first responders.
Key Features:
- Outdoor rugged design MIL-STD-810F and IP67 compliant, which means
- improved solution reliability, lower cost to support, and lower total cost of ownership, which equals more money for more units.
- Sunlight and reflective snow light visible seven-inch touchscreen display.
- No bulky sealing boxes means increased usability of the product and higher end user satisfaction…plus it just looks better that way.
- Lightweight (2.6 lb with standard batteries; 3.2 lb with extended batteries.)
- All-day battery option (optional eight-hour Lithium Ion hot swappable rechargeable battery – swap on the fly with no loss of data.)
- Windows 7 Professional software
- Standard Windows operating system.
- Reduce time to market or theater, with no need for custom Windows Mobile applications, and with thousands of proven applications available!
- Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor and 32 GB solid-state hard drive (very quick)
- Small footprint: fits in BDU side pockets, rugged, and powerful with numerous power saving features
- No moving parts enables robust performance in extreme temperatures and vibration environments.
- Integrated wireless capabilities: GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0
- Easy connections to other devices, networks, and Internet.
- GPS location-based application compatible i.e ESRI and others.
- No accessories required, but many are available.
- Two geotag-enabled cameras, front and back (video, photo)
- Productivity enhancement: use a video log vs. form or written notes.
- Geospatial inspection ready (read Touch Inspect ready.)
- Microphone (line-in mini-jack), headphone (mini-jack stereo), speaker (think Skype and similar communication applications with a headset.)
- Expandability options
- ExpressCard/34 slot (can be used for cellular WAN technology), i.e. it can be used as a 3G telephone.
- Secure digital (SD/SDHC) memory slot (expanded storage). Add another 32 GB of digital memory.
- USB 2.0 host ports (2x.)
- 12-month limited manufacturers warranty
Comparison
After reading the list of specifications, it is difficult not to compare the Yuma to many of the newest tablet computers on the market today. Compare the Yuma to any device you care to and it will come up a winner every time. For example, you all know if you have been reading my columns lately, that I am a big advocate of the Apple iPad, and we are indeed starting to see Apple iPads in the wartime theaters. I think this is a good thing, as well as being inevitable, and while iPads definitely have their place, they are just simply not built to be as rugged as the Yuma (even with the Otterbox Defender device, which is the best I have ever used, but let’s save that story for another time.) Among rugged PNT devices, nothing I have tested so far compares to the Trimble Yuma for our warfighters and first responders. There are many devices that come close and are successfully used in theater for specific applications,but for general applications in my opinion, if you want the best, and why wouldn’t you when your life depends on it, then currently that device is the new Trimble Yuma.
Yes, I am aware that is a very strong statement, and there is no doubt that I will review other PNT handheld computers for use by our warfighters and first responders, and that I may actually recommend them, but there always has to be a gold standard and currently the Yuma holds that position in my book.
During a recent trip to the Pacific, I duly evaluated the iPad and the Yuma. For their respective purposes both were outstanding, and if Apple ever builds a MIL-SPEC, truly rugged iPad, then the Yuma throne may be in danger, but for me currently the Yuma still holds the title of best rugged MIL-SPEC handheld PNT computing device.
Just one quick example of why I say that. The Apple iPad, even with the rugged Otterbox Defender device attached, warns you that it is not waterproof. The Yuma, on the other hand, is immersed in water, in fact the Trimble engineers explain the water torture this way:
Experience has shown that a temperature differential between the test item [Yuma] and the water can affect the outcome (leakage) of an immersion test. Increasing the test item temperature above the water temperature for the immersion test usually includes heating of the test item to establish a pressure differential (while cooling) to determine if the seals or gaskets leak under relatively low-pressure differential, and to induce expansion/contraction of materials. Although desired, establishing a specific temperature differential for fording tests is often impractical due to the size of the materiel.
How Trimble Tests for Immersion
The minimum requirements to pass the immersion test require heating a unit for an hour to a core temperature of 49° C (120° F). Within a minute after removal from the heat source, the device [Yuma] is plunged into 22° C (72° F) degree water to a depth of 1 meter, and kept there for 30 minutes. The unit must function properly at completion of the test to pass.
Obviously the Yuma passed the test. My hat’s off to Trimble. Our warfighters deserve to know how their units are tested so they can be confident the units will perform in battlefield conditions.
Warfighter and First Responder Solutions
What can our warfighters and first responders accomplish with a rugged YUMA handheld PNT device? Among other things they can:
- Collect, save, and exchange data, including photos, movies, blueprints, maps, or position (data – in other words, lots of critical mission data – from several different mediums.)
- Transfer data in real-time using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the 3G telephone capabilities.
- Run reports using standard Windows software.
- Receive dispatch orders or critical mission updates or changes on the road.
- Take geotagged photographs or movies using both integrated cameras.
- Initiate VoIP communications.
- Add secure memory for sensitive or classified files.
- Send e-mail, just like at home.
- Write a report and send it before returning to base.
and best of all
- Find their way out of the forest, the dessert, the mountains, the burning building or the cave. You get the point. Everything they need a handheld device to do to help ensure mission success.
Cameras
Yes, that is plural, as in two integrated cameras; one facing you, one facing forward, and both capable of still photos and video. The 1.3 MP (mega-pixel) user-facing camera is ideal for video conferencing and calls, while the outward-facing 2 MP camera can be used to capture photos with greater detail. The Trimble Yuma tablet uses an onboard application called G-Camera to control the cameras and to attach a GPS position.
Of course, they should have higher resolution cameras, but consider that still photographs can be taken with a maximum resolution of 1600x1200 pixels with the 2 MP camera, and 1280x1024 pixels with the 1.3 MP camera. Still photos are stored in the universal JPEG format, which is widely readable on all types of computers. Video clips are recorded at a resolution of either 320x240 or 640x480 pixels and stored in the .WMV format, which can be viewed on the Trimble Yuma tablet and also on most computers using an application such as Windows Media Player. Photos and videos can be previewed on the Trimble Yuma tablet using the Browser mode of the G-camera application.
Even though there is no flash, and most warfighters are happy about that, in low-light-level situations you can adjust the brightness and contrast levels or select Night Mode to improve subject visibility. In my experience Night Mode really works well; it is amazing how much ambient light the camera is able to gather for those nighttime photos. Some of the ones I shot were surprisingly readable and would have just been a black void with a normal camera without a night-mode capability. I can say that because I tried it.
Conclusion
I could go on and on about the Trimble Yuma and its benefits to the warfighters and first responders, but hopefully I have piqued your interest and you will check it out for yourselves. Currently there is nothing better, and if a SAASM model ever becomes available, it will be absolutely unbeatable for the warfighters’ needs.
One More Quick Review
A few weeks ago I received a note from a warfighter about a light-emitting product (the writer hesitated to call it a flashlight) being used by several of our warfighters. Indeed, that is the way it was described to me, and so I contacted the company and spoke with the CEO. Just a few days later I had a TipSEE light in my possession, and I may never be without one. I ordered one for the glovebox of every car I own. The TipSEE light source is rugged, almost indestructible, spark proof, waterproof, dust proof, shock and vibration proof, and just plain fun to use. I can definitely see how it would be, or rather is, useful to our warfighters and first responders. You never have to worry about damaging the light and the form factor is totally different than any other flashlight you have ever used. The creative form factor allows it to be used in imaginative ways. I keep thinking of new ways to use it. Check it out today. Send a couple to your favorite warfighter or first responder.
Until next time,
Happy navigating
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