"The Opticon Mobility Group announced today that their H16 Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional smartphone was just certified by AT&T and they are currently seeking certification of their H19 Windows Mobile 5 Professional smartphone, for a September release. The smartphones are compatible with AT&T's GSM and GPRS networks. Certified AT&T and Opticon solution partners include Telenav, Corrigo, Salesforce.com, and Sybase iAnywhere. Opticon smartphones offer superior scanning abilities with a competitive price point, making them stand out over any other product. The H19 was recently recognized by AT&T as the Best New Network Compatible Device at the CTIA Wireless Tradeshow."

While I wouldn't expect to see these in the hands of your local Wal-Mart employees, businesses who need to combine a barcode scanner with a ruggedized smartphone can check out these offerings from Opticon. The Opticon H19 uses Windows Mobile 6.0, and offers communication through WiFi (802.11b/g), quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and Bluetooth. The H19 also includes integrated GPS capability (SiRF Star III) and a 512MB ROM. The Opticon H16 uses Windows Mobile 5.0 and also includes the same communications options of quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi and Bluetooth and as seen above, features a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, but lacks the GPS capability. Either phone offers either a laser barcode scanner, or 2D CMOS imager.