StayLinked Blog

End-of-Life of Extended Support for Windows Embedded 6.5

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about the most effective and efficient approach to migrating to Android devices, and how there was a great deal of noise in the marketplace concerning the looming end-of-support for Windows CE and Windows Mobile. This week it finally happened, a culmination of rolling end-of-life notices that have been ongoing for the last year and a half. And when the last of those days finally came, a distinctive millennium bug-like silence was in the air as the moment device manufacturers and software companies have been warning us about for the past few years came and went quietly.

As you may have read recently, StayLinked and Zebra have officially announced the release of SmartTEK, the highly-anticipated Android solution for TekTerm users currently available on select Zebra devices. SmartTEK is the culmination of hard work from both teams which has resulted in a clear migration path to Android for TekTerm customers. Because TekTerm is a well-established product whose architecture can accommodate various installation configurations, we also understand that this solution evokes a number of questions from our partners around the globe.

On November 1, 2019, StayLinked and Zebra Technologies officially released SmartTEK to support TekTerm TE for Android™-based Zebra mobile computers. SmartTEK provides customers a migration path to easily transition their legacy devices to more modern, feature-rich mobile computers. Zebra will be offering the StayLinked SmartTEK solution for customers using MIS/TekRF solutions who want to migrate to Android allowing customers with SAP and IBM host applications to run on Zebra Android devices. The SmartTEK solution is also a replacement for customers using MIS/TekRF to emulate SAP applications, IBM 5250 and 3270, and VT emulations.

This week, Zebra announced the launch of Savanna Data Services, a new capability that is, according to their announcement, part of Zebra's breakthrough data intelligence platform, Zebra Savanna™, which allows adopters to collect and process data from Zebra hardware in real time, turning raw data into actionable insights. The platform is designed to help unlock the potential of data to build more intelligent, productive applications. StayLinked has been a proud global partner with the Savanna platform since it was first announced by Zebra in September 2017.

“We recently used the Savanna platform to enhance our ability to deliver customers a complete view of their operations,” said Justin Griffith, CTO, StayLinked, also an ISV partner with Zebra. “We were able to easily link to the Savanna platform, extract valuable Zebra device information as well as complement and enhance our StayLinked iQ™ data, allowing us to help our customers accurately measure everything that impacts productivity to give them a competitive edge.”

There has been a great deal of noise circulating around the marketplace concerning the looming end-of-support for Windows CE and Windows Mobile. As a result, customers are anxious about moving to an Android platform because of a lack of support for legacy applications.

On the surface, this seems to be a valid assumption, but the truth is, there have been options available to migrate to Android for several years now. Global Android adoption has been nothing short of astounding. Back in 2009, Android was loaded on 1.6% of mobile devices in a landscape that included several other OS platforms such as Symbian, iOS and multiple offerings from Microsoft. In less than 10 years, Android has evolved in a marketplace to become the OS of choice on almost 90% of all mobile devices. With such an uptake rate, the idea that Android adoption is the key roadblock to device adoption seems absurd.

What do quality control and sleight-of-hand magic have in common? At StayLinked, quite a lot, as those two disciplines intermingle with StayLinked's Jeremy Griffith. In handling many of the quality control responsibilities at StayLinked, his primary focus is on putting our software through a series of challenges to ensure that customer issues are minimized if not outright eliminated. The goal is to ensure that our software is ready for the rigors of the warehouse. But Jeremy commands something else with equal precision: a deck of playing cards. 

StayLinked to support Zebra's Android-based mobile computing portfolio

StayLinked is proud to announce that SmartTE with SmartTEK now supports Zebra Technologies’ TekTerm TE for Android™-based mobile computers. SmartTEK provides customers with a software migration path to easily transition their devices from legacy operating systems to more modern, feature-rich mobile computers.

We are excited to announce that industry veteran Ron Caines has agreed to join StayLinked as its Vice President of Channel Sales. Ron’s most recent role was as Vice President of Global Sales at AetherPal, a company specializing in remote support and interactive training for mobile devices. Prior to joining AetherPal, Ron was the Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at B2M Solutions, a UK company focused on the development of mobile device analytics.

StayLinked is proud to announce that ScanTexas is now StayLinked Certified. With StayLinked Certification, ScanTexas has further strengthened their ability to provide migration and modernization services for enterprise warehouse environments. The Lucas, Texas-based company works with companies in Texas and surrounding states to achieve the next level of mobile productivity with their "Ditch the Keys, Double Your Speed" philosophy applied to smart telnet solutions. For 20 years now, ScanTexas has had an overall focus on the complete barcode experience, from barcode scanning and label printing to SAP mobility solutions.

Outstanding Contributors to StayLinked's Continued Growth in 2018

2018 was yet another amazing year for StayLinked, and we are once again very grateful to our amazing partners who continue to make it all happen. "As our business continues to grow we fully realize the importance of the contributions from our partners and are thrilled to recognize their outstanding achievements," said Dan Hogan, President of StayLinked. "Our partners continue to play a vital role in extending the reach of our products to a global market. We congratulate all of our winners on their leadership over the past year, and look forward to our continued mutual success."