DC Velocity - August 2017

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TECH EXPLOSION IN THE DC

Upgrading to a new OS can also pay dividends by opening the door to a new array of technological capabilities, Kubera said. Virtually all of the next-generation wearable devices such as smartglasses and smartwatches are based on the Android operating system, so they are incompatible with Windows-based applications, he said.

“The advancement of technology in the DC is going to
really accelerate, and people aren’t ready for it. Android
makes it possible to use these new devices,” said Kubera.
“The level of innovation in the Android universe is unprec-
edented compared with the Windows ecosystem, and we’re
already seeing innovation coming from the consumer side
into the industry side.”
The explosion of consumer-grade interfaces and tools
enabled by a next-generation OS could give a shot in the
arm to labor productivity in the DC, agrees Joe Vernon
at consulting firm Capgemini. The change will happen as
warehouses discard their old keyboard-based handheld
devices and upgrade to models with larger screens, touch-
screen interfaces, and other features typically found on the
smartphones employees use in their private lives.

Bringing consumer-grade computing features into the
warehouse is another area where Android has the edge over
Windows or Apple, Vernon said. “The market has been
hungering for screens and programs beyond the restrictions
of Windows CE, and Android is more customizable, more
nimble,” he said. “Android has more shops, local vendors,
and lower prices because Android has a larger consumer
ecosystem.”
Despite the looming deadline of Microsoft’s end of sup-
port for its legacy mobile OS platforms, businesses don’t
have to scrap their entire array of handheld devices in a
single wave of upgrading, Vernon said. “This is not a Y2K
scenario, where you’re going to jump off a bridge if you
haven’t made this change by a deadline,” he said, referring
to the 1990s-era IT scare that had users worried their com-
puters would malfunction at the turn of the millennium.
“You can always start a partial replacement; just pick one
or two areas and install Android. For example, use it for
[quality assurance] at the inbound dock to do sampling of
loads and take pictures.”
Whether a warehouse is looking to increase security, boost
efficiency, or deploy the latest peripherals, change is in the
wind for handheld computers in the DC. With Microsoft
planning to withdraw its support for the mobile operat-
ing systems that companies have used for decades, players
throughout the supply chain will face decisions about
choosing a new OS, finding a handheld device to support it,
and migrating their apps over to the upgraded platform.

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