Motorola MC35 Is More Than Just a PDA

Motorola isn’t all about super slim phones that sell you on the aesthetics rather than the functions. The newly announced MC35 handheld computer, for example, is far from being a looker, but it’s got rugged functionality up the wazoo. Because it’s so big and beefy, the Motorola MC35 is not being touted around as a mere personal digital assistant (PDA), it’s an Enterprise digital assistant (EDA). It’s an “all-in-one communication device that harnesses the voice and data applications people expect from an office setting and delivers them in the form of a durable and compact handheld mobile computer.”

Like the MC50 and MC70 which preceded it, the MC35 is one tough cookie. Connectivity is not a problem with radios for GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GSM/EDGE. It’s also got “laptop functionality”, a camera, bar code reader, mission-critical business applications, an Intel XScale PXA270 416MHz processor, Windows Mobile 5.0, push e-mail, and who knows what else.

Depending on the configuration, the Motorola MC35 EDA will run you somewhere between $640 and $750. They expect to start shipping in April.