How to Save $2 Million on Your Next Ruggedized Device for Android

Every company deploying mobile computer solutions in the rugged enterprise environment expects device lifecycles to be 3-5 years. Unfortunately, that is not a given in today’s rugged device landscape for the Android™ platform.

Many companies in the rugged device market for Android only provide support for two Android releases.

Devices designed on Honeywell’s Mobility Edge™ platform offer the longest lifecycle in the industry with support through five Android releases, Android N to Android 11 (R), plus security updates for up to two years after Google’s last patch. Mobility Edge is good through 2027 with extended Honeywell Sentinel support.

How to Realize $2 Million Savings with Honeywell Mobility Edge

Let's look at a real-life example of the four-year total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage a company can realize when they deploy an enterprise device built on the Mobility Edge platform compared to a competitive enterprise alternative.

In this scenario, you purchase 1,000 Android rugged devices.

• In the first two years, the investment in Honeywell Mobility Edge devices and competitive devices is very similar.
• In year three, because the competitive device is not supported beyond Android 9, you will need to reinvest in replacement devices that will also end of life in two years. The estimated four-year TCO is $4,690,000 or $3,127 per device.
• With Honeywell Mobility Edge devices, the devices you purchased on Android 7 will be supported through Android 10 or 2025. The estimated savings is $2,207,000. The four-year TCO is $2,483,000 or $1,655 per device. Keep in mind that your TCO advantage becomes even more compelling as you adopt multiple Mobility Edge device form factors across your operations.
  

NOTE: Detail came from: https://www.honeywellaidc.com/solutions/platforms/windows-android-migration

Android Lifecycle Management

Although Android has been augmented by Google with a variety of new enterprise features with each major release, extended support is not among them. Android major versions occur on a roughly annual basis and are generally supported with security patches from Google and chipset vendors for a period of three years thereafter. This creates a gap in support coverage relative to enterprise expectations. Selecting OEM chipsets that are supported for subsequent dessert releases will help extend the timeline, but ultimately Google support policy stops short of enterprise customer expectations.

An important note about Google releases: Google announced that the company will be moving away from dessert releases and will go to Google Android 10 and 11 as next releases.

How Honeywell’s Mobility Edge Is Different

Mobility Edge is based upon extensive research gathered from Honeywell’s global community of customers from a range of technologies. Honeywell recognized that businesses wanted a unified hardware and software platform for all form factors – one that allowed for rapid deployments, robust performance, and adaptability to changing needs.

We completely rethought our approach to meeting the challenges of supporting a mobile workforce, and Mobility Edge was the answer. This unified, dynamic platform for mobile computing is designed to:

• Accelerate Deployments
• Optimize Business Performance
• Extend Lifecycle
• Strengthen Security

Established service and support data went into the development of Mobility Edge. We optimized our mobility devices based on the work patterns of many customers and actual users to deliver more realistic testing and precise engineering requirements. Using historical insights from service data, we addressed common failure points during the design phase, making our Mobility Edge products more resilient and stable. We also mined our detailed support data to further improve and refine product quality. By providing a unified hardware and software platform with an agile approach, we can bring you more secure and reliable solutions across your operation.

Mobility Edge offers an integrated, repeatable, scalable approach to device management that is based on a common hardware and software platform. Designed for Android, it delivers a unified platform that all software solutions are based on. Businesses can develop and deploy faster while reducing development costs.

The Mobility Edge common platform is composed of:

• Common SOM (System On Module), which includes the CPU, memory, WWAN (in selected devices), WLAN, Bluetooth®, near-field communication (NFC), and Zigbee (in selected devices).
• Common Operating System Image with support for multiple generations of Android, from Android 10 through Android 11. Note: Android 10 was formally Q and Android 11 was formally R.
• Common Software Ecosystem that includes not just Honeywell software, but also Honeywell-approved ISVs (independent software vendors).

Together these common elements minimize your company’s cost, effort, and risk. They accelerate your time-to-value so you can start deploying devices into the hands of your mobile workers much faster. And they maximize your ROI by extending the lifecycle of your devices.

Businesses wishing to extend product lifecycle and gain a better return on their technology investment will be assured by the fact that Mobility Edge platform devices can be upgraded through Android R. Honeywell also provides critical security updates for up to two years past Google’s last security patch through its Sentinel service, giving customers a product lifecycle through at least 2027.

Android Enterprise Recommended Program

Mobility Edge devices are part of the Google Android Enterprise Recommended program. This means these rugged devices meet the defined technical specifications and extended lifecycle support requirements that customers have come to expect for their enterprise device deployments.

So customers can select with confidence knowing these devices are built for hard enterprise environments and can withstand the abuse of daily activities. They can deploy easily using multiple provisioning options including zero-touch enrollment, Google’s fast and simple deployment method. And devices will remain up-to-date over long multi-year deployments with guaranteed security.

How Honeywell Supports Each Android Release

Honeywell releases updates every 30 to 60 days for the Android versions that it supports with exceptions possible for imminent threats. Each release contains security patch updates and bug fixes. Sometimes new customer-requested features are released with controlled configuration options, allowing any customer to turn them on and use them.

Over and above what Google offers in each version, Honeywell builds in extensions to support our proprietary additions such as scanners that are built into the products. We offer extensive configuration capabilities because most enterprises desire a finer degree of control over what the devices can do. For example, a customer may use an application that does not call for the use of a camera. So rather than say don't use the camera, we provide the user the ability to disable the camera at the operating system level. The camera would look like it's not there.

Honeywell Works to Simplify Upgrading from One Android Version to Another

Honeywell works to simplify your transition from one version to another. We encourage our customers to migrate from one version to the next to take advantage of the advanced capabilities that Android introduces.

New Android versions always contain significant improvements along with important security and privacy enhancements. These are items that go far beyond the small fixes that Google issues in regular patches. They also introduce expansions and restrictions to APIs that permit third-party apps to interact with your device and perform a variety of advanced functions.

For example, when Android 9 (Pie) was released, it included:

• Support for a newer Wi-Fi protocol that improves indoor location pinpointing.
• A more advanced system for image processing for developers to utilize.
• A more intelligent system for data management that lets apps pre-fetch data only when network conditions are optimal.
• Apps with expanded access to Google’s neural networks system for advanced types of machine learning.
• A more effective system for autofill features introduced in Version 8 (Oreo).
• Substantial improvements to underlying systems that allow apps to operate.
• Apps that use less memory and are more power-efficient and faster-loading.

And then there is all the system-level privacy and security updates that are included in Android 9 (Pie):

• More controlled access to your device’s camera, mic, and sensors
• Encryption for backup data
• More privacy with network connections
• More protection from unsecure traffic
• User-facing warnings that help you avoid using apps that ignore the latest systems for interacting with your data

When Honeywell receives the new Android release, we aggressively work to upgrade and certify our Mobility Edge platform and make it available for our customers to use.

We have made it very easy for our enterprise customers to effortlessly migrate applications from one Android version to another. Most customers will download the new version into a sandbox environment to test and deploy out to the enterprise through Mobility Edge.

Defining Honeywell Sentinel Program

You can easily deploy security patches across all devices on the unified Mobility Edge platform – built to handle all updates through Android R. When Google ends its security patch support, Honeywell is committed to extending security patch availability for two more years via Honeywell Sentinel, until 2027.

Timing of delivery to customers will be quarterly, or less if no severe patches applicable to the supported operating system version are reported. Applicable patches will generally be delivered within 90 days of public disclosure with exceptions possible for imminent threats.

Customers utilizing this service will be expected to apply all previously released patches in order to apply the most recent patch. In other words, patches are cumulative. Specific patches cannot be applied individually.

Security patches will be tested following Honeywell standard test procedures applicable to all software releases. It remains the responsibility of the customer to test any software updates received from Honeywell to their satisfaction prior to rolling out an update to their estate.

Customers can receive these benefits under the terms of a service contract, either standalone or incorporated into another type of service agreement. Customers without a contract will not receive security patches after Google security patch support ends. This program is available on Honeywell devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later versions, upon expiration of Google security patch support.

Honeywell Devices on the Mobility Edge Platform

The current family of devices includes the CT40, CT60, CN80, CK65, and Thor™ VM1A devices, all running on Mobility Edge. More devices are in process for future release. A brief overview of each device follows:

CT40 Mobile Computer

• Sleek, Ergonomic, Easy to Use All Day Long. The sleek, lightweight, ergonomic design fits easily in the hand – while the simple, intuitive smartphone user interface, enterprise-ready ruggedness, and long-life battery keep workers productive all day long.
• Seamless Integration and Investment Protection. Easy compatibility and seamless integration with both Honeywell Connected applications as well as third-party applications such as MDM, Push to Talk, and VoIP software to maximize efficiency and protect your investment.
• Advanced Data Capture Scanning. Offers three convenient scan engine options with enhanced data capture speed and reading range performance to improve worker efficiency; provides flexibility with a green LED dot aimer or a sharp red frame laser aimer for fast barcode capture, even outdoors.

CT60 Mobile Computer

• Optimal Power and Connectivity. Delivers all-day connectivity to business-critical data and systems with a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 660 processor, the latest 4G LTE/NFC connectivity, and long-lasting battery power.
• Unparalleled Scanning Performance. Next-generation 2D imager delivers best-in-class data capture on linear and 2D barcodes. Optional scan handle for flexibility to switch between handheld and pistol grip operations to reduce worker fatigue.
• Rugged, Ergonomic Design – Built to Last. Sleek, lightweight, and rugged. Fits easily into a pocket. IP65 and IP67 ratings against dust/water spray; can withstand multiple 1.5 m (5 ft) drops to concrete and 1,000 1 m (3.3 ft) tumbles.

CN80 Mobile Computer

• Rugged, Ergonomic Design – Built to Last. Minimizes downtime and lost productivity with extreme longevity: withstands 3 m (10 ft) drops to concrete and 2,000 1 m (3.3 ft) tumbles; IP65/IP67 ratings for dust/water spray and even immersion; cold storage and non-incendive options.
• Best of Both Worlds – Keys and Touchscreen. Boosts productivity with a real numeric or QWERTY keypad for fast and easy data entry plus a full touchscreen for new or future application migration.
• Unparalleled Scanning Performance. Enhanced 1D/2D scanning/data capture options with read ranges of 0.15 m to 15.2 m (6 in to 50 ft) typically required in today’s warehouses; optional scan handle for flexibility.
• Long Battery Life to Drive Productivity. Long shifts, extended talk-times, and heavy GPS usage are no match for the CN80. Long battery life minimizes workflow interruptions and drives efficiency.

CK65 Mobile Computer

• Best-in-Class Drop Rating. A 2.4 m (8 ft) drop spec across temperatures helps you ensure maximum uptime, reducing spare pool size and saving on repair costs.
• Support for Touchscreen and Keypad. Choose the data input method that works best for the task or app at hand, with support for newer touch-based or older key-based legacy apps.
• Superior Wi-Fi. The best wi-fi in its class for reliable, drop-free connections: Bluetooth® 5 for headsets and other accessories and NFC in every model. No more struggling with bad connections!
• Industry-Leading Battery Life: Maximize productivity with 28 hours of battery life – versus competitive models’ 14-18 hours. The battery is also hot-swappable so workers don’t need to reboot and lose their active session when swapping batteries.
• Backward-Compatibility. Reduce your operating costs and risk by reusing existing CK3X accessories and batteries – no need to buy and deploy new ones.

Thor™ VM1A Vehicle-Mounted Computer

• Field-Replaceable Front Panel. Reduce maintenance costs by enabling in-house staff to repair the most common touchscreen and keyboard issues, rather than send the whole computer in for service.
• Smart Dock for Easy Mounting and Removal. The Smart Dock feature enables mounting and removal in seconds without touching cabling, allowing computers to be quickly and easily shifted between vehicles as workloads change.
• Built for All-Day Productivity. Fast processor, WLAN connectivity, integrated keyboard, and large 8-inch touchscreen keeps data readily accessible, while the ignition control feature helps manage power, saving startup time and extending vehicle battery life.
• Cold Storage Option. Built to withstand extreme temperatures and rugged conditions, both indoors and out. Available with optional screen defroster for use in cold storage and freezer environments.