Third gen of Motion's lightweight, durable 10.1

Motion CL920 rugged tablet

On October 1, 2014, tablet computing pioneer Third gen of Motion's lightweight, durable 10.1-inch tablet packs a whole lot more punch Motion announced the third generation of its innovative CL-series 10.1-inch tablet computer. Based on a vastly more powerful quad-core Intel 'Bay Trail' processor, Motion says that the new CL920 model offers 70% higher performance over the second generation CL910, as well as significantly improved graphics performance, and longer battery life.

But first a recap of what Motion's successful CL-series is all about. The platform was among the very first modern-era tablet computers for Microsoft Windows users who need something considerably more rugged than a fragile consumer media tablet. The elegant device is well executed, beginning with the sleek overall design, to the nearly invulnerable Corning Gorilla Glass surface, to competent technical underpinnings, connectivity and expandability.

As far as size and weight go, the CL-series measures 10.9 x 7.1 inches, is 0.6 inches thick, and weighs around two pounds. There is a superb 10.1-inch LCD which remains a good match for the display's 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, making for a sharp, bright, contrasty picture with good reflection control outdoors. There was no need to change that. What did need addressing was the processor situation where technology has progressed at blinding speed since the initial CL900 pioneered in January 2011, and that's just what Motion did.

The table below shows how the three generations of the CL-series compare:

(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Motion CL9xx platform generations

The specs clearly show the gist of Motion's upgrades. The Intel Pentium N3540 quad-core processor is a major improvement and should make the CL920 very noticeably quicker and more responsive than earlier generations. Along with the processor come related technology advances, such as efficient DDR3L memory (and twice as much as in the CL910), a switch from USB 2.0 to the much faster USB 3.0, an equally important switch to the speedy new 802.11ac WiFi, as well as a higher resolution camera on the back of the tablet.

The processor upgrade deserves some more commentary: While Intel designed the single-core Intel Atom Z670 in the original CL900 as a tablet processor, its performance was on the marginal side. The dual-core Intel Atom N2600 in the second-gen CL910 was a much better choice, but it also increasingly fell behind with Intel's rapid release of newer and powerful processor generations. The Pentium N3540 used in the 3rd-gen CL920 is part of Intel's 'Bay Trail' lineup which, while technically based on a greatly improved Atom processor architecture, uses the Atom, Celeron and Pentium brand names. The quad-core 'Pentium' N3540 is a powerful chip that closes in on Core processor performance, but at a lower cost and lower power consumption, which makes it a perfect match for Motion's new tablet.

On the ruggedness side, the CL-series got the intended job done as it was, and didn't need much improvement. Motion quotes an operating temperature range of 41 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. That precludes operation in freezers or arctic environments, but it is good enough for most outdoor deployments. In terms of sealing, the CL920 carries an IP52 rating, where the '5' means it's pretty much dust-proof, and it's also protected from water spray onto its surface from angles up to 15 degrees. That's merely spill-resistant (most rugged devices carry at least an IP54 rating), but adequate for most intended deployments. In the field, tablets get dropped, and so the CL920 is designed to survive 4-foot drops, which is about the height from which a tablet drops when you hold it in your hands. Motion also lists altitude (up to 15,000 feet), humidity (8-80%) specs, and vibration (MIL-STD-810G highway truck vibration and minimum integrity vibration tests). Motion also provides a long lists of safety and regulatory requirements that the CL920 meets, and additional ruggedness criteria are probably covered in there. We did see one major improvement, and that's the switch to Gorilla Glass 3, which is said to be up to three times more damage resistant than earlier Gorilla Glass 2, and is also more flexible.

In essence, Motion appears to have taken a good, hard look at its CL-series, changed where change was for the better, and left in place what already worked. An extra bonus is that this third generation CL tablet is totally compatible with all existing accessories and peripherals, making upgrades simple and cost-efficient. Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, 10/01/2014

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