Company: Brother Mobile Solutions

Website: www.brother-usa.com

Technology Snapshot: Brother Mobile Solutions, Inc. (BMS) has announced the launch of its new RJ4200 Series – the latest addition to the popular RuggedJet family of compact mobile receipt and label printers. The ultra-compact and ergonomic RJ4200 series raises the bar on functionality and is engineered to deliver major improvements in performance, ruggedness, connectivity, integration, deployment, battery power, and mounting options. Mobile Deploy—another market first from Brother—comes standard with the new series. This innovative, cloud-based app facilitates fast, easy deployment of printers by enabling remote updates at the touch of a button.

Ravi Panjwani, vice president of marketing and product management with Brother Mobile Solutions, notes: “Our goal with the RJ4200 series was to set a new, higher industry standard on mobile printers’ ease of use and integration, ruggedness, drop protection, connectivity, battery size and capacity. We set out to dramatically improve performance metrics and user experience as well ‒ and it has exceeded expectations in beta trial and early deployments. We think that users across market sectors such as route accounting, transportation, public safety, field service, manufacturing, warehouse operations will immediately recognize the value.”

Heather Burnett, head of distributor sales for VIP (Vermont Information Processing), a leading provider of route accounting, data collection, warehouse management, and sales execution applications for the beverage industry, adds: “When we participated in the beta release of this product it became evident that the RJ4200 would meet the stringent requirements of even our toughest and most technologically advanced beverage distributors.” Burnett further comments: “We’re particularly impressed that this printer is so rugged and durable, and the compact, high-capacity battery is a real bonus.”

David Krebs, industry analyst and executive vice president of Enterprise Mobility at VDC Research Group believes the new series fills an important void. “The Mobile Deploy feature gives enterprises and fleets of all sizes remote management and support capabilities for business-critical field assets such as mobile printers. In addition, Mobile Deploy addresses many of the functionality gaps found in standard mobile device management solutions when supporting unique devices such as Bluetooth printers.”

Shawn Sicking, vice president of technology sales for Saltus Technologies, developer of digiTICKET ecitation software for the public safety sector comments that, “Printer size, power and mounting configurations are of paramount importance in the cop car, and the active docking station available with the RJ4200 series resolves a key space issue faced by police departments nationwide.”

The Brother RJ4200 Series is currently comprised of two models: the RJ4230BL and *RJ4250WBL, both of which include a 3000mAh smart battery, snap on belt clip, roll holder stop, and strain relief clip. The RJ4230BL comes equipped with a Bluetooth radio and the RJ4250WBL has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios.

The mobile printers incorporate reliable, hassle-free thermal printing technology with no messy inks, ribbons or solvents to deal with. To support a diverse range of markets and applications, Brother offers a wide selection of thermal media, including standard, premium, fast dry and weatherproof receipt paper, along with paper and synthetic labels.

A snapshot of features:

• Compact. Twenty percent smaller than its predecessor for lightweight and ergonomic design.
• Rugged. Ultra-rugged construction with reinforced parts, industrial-grade tactile buttons and molded rubber housing engineered for improved toughness, 6.9-ft. drop protection and IP54 certified.
• Powerful. Enhanced print speeds of up to 5ips and industry-leading battery life with real-time battery status indicator.
• Easy to use. Active docking station, visible LCD display, simple loading, NFC one-touch pairing (from NFC enabled devices) and remote updates and configuration with free Mobile Deploy app.
• Smart Li-ion battery (3000mAH). Industry-leading battery life with double the capacity in about half the size – plus indicator for true real-time battery life status.
• Stay Connected. Bluetooth 4.2 (Classic/LE/MFi) and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity options, plus NFC capability for easy pairing (from NFC enabled devices), and more.
• Compatible. iOS and Android™ SDKs for easier app integration and development.
• Versatile. Up and down tearbars to mount and use in any direction, top and side access cover release for accessibility in tight spaces, locking roll holders for accurate repeatable print margins and an active docking station accessory for fast mounting or grab and go situations.
• Protection. Exclusive Brother 2-year Premier Limited Warranty.

A significant new enhancement to the Brother RJ4200 Series mobile label and receipt printer is the custom-developed, cloud-based Mobile Deploy – a mobile device management app, included free with all models.

Mobile Deploy helps save both time and money by enabling remote configuration of printers in the field - virtually eliminating the need for IT to physically configure or update devices in the office or instruct over the phone. Using the Mobile Deploy app and an internet connection, updates can be pushed directly and simultaneously to field operators’ smart devices. Whether updating one printer or an entire fleet, the operation can be performed simply and easily from one central location.

For more information about the new Brother RuggedJet RJ4200 Series of mobile label and receipt printers, visit www.brothermobilesolutions.com/ruggedjet.

*The RJ4250WBL will be commercially available and announced in mid-2018.