LXE introduced the VX9 vehicle-mount computer in January 2009. The machine is based on the Triton Tx700 vehicle mount computer made by Swedish Akerstroms Trux, a company that was acquired by LXE in Februaty of 2008. The new VX9 is manufactured by LXE, a division of wireless connectivity solutions provider EMS Technologies, Inc. The image below shows the VX9 from the front and from the side with one of the multiple RAM Mount mounting options.
The VX9 is a rugged forklift and other vehicle-mount computer with a tough, shock-resistant magnesium housing. The computer measures 12.1 x 9.8 inches and is 3.5 inches thick. It weighs just over eight pounds and can be installed in vehicles with a shock-absorbing mounting bracket system. The Tx700 has a 12.1-inch XVGA display with either 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and a 320 nit backlight or 800 x 600 resolution and a 400 nits backlight (standard notebooks usually have around 200 nits). A hardened touch panel is optionally available as is a LCD defroster.
The VX9 is powered either by a 600MHz or 1.0GHz Mobile Celeron or a 1.4GHz Mobile Pentium processor. It is a full Windows machine that can either be run with Windows XP Professional MUI or XP Embedded. 512MB to 1GB of RAM are complemented by either two or four GB of Flash, depending on the OS used. There is also a 40GB hard disk. No cooling fan is required. The VX9 runs on DC vehicle power, but also has an internal Li-Polymer backup battery.
There is a PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse, two serial ports, an USB 2.0 ports, a multipurpose connector, video out, RJ45 10/100 Ethernet, as well as audio in/out and an external antenna socket. There are also two PC Card Type II slots. For connectivity, the Tx700 offers internal 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth as well as GSM/GPRS/EDGE WLAN options.
An interesting safety option is the Blackout Screen Box that switches off the display back-light when the vehicle is set in motion and is completely user adjustable.
At the January 2009 introduction, Richard Adams, LXE's vice president of marketing, said "In this difficult economic climate, our customers require more options that allow for cost-sharing across their organizations," said Richard Adams, LXE's vice president of marketing. With these new Windows XP vehicle-mounted computers, LXE offers a broad product line to meet customers' specific rugged computing requirements. The VX8 and VX9 enable organizations to run more advanced applications, but still leverage existing computer support resources. That, combined with LXE's industry-leading customer service and support network, can equate to greater cost savings, flexibility and reliability."
By January 2010, the name had changed to LXE VX9 Förj, high performance Intel Core 2 Duo and low power Intel Atom processor options were added, there's more storage, and units equipped with the two new proceesors can be ordered with a LED backlight that offers significantly better contrast, including a high-bright 1000 nits version.
