The weight of a mobile computer becomes an important issue for your staff especially when they have to use the device for an entire shift

A common mistake that managers make is to sit in a boardroom and select a mobile computer that they like or a 'sold' by someone and forget to go downstairs and consult the users - the people who actually have to use them.

Over the years we have found that the MC3000 Series has been preferred by women mainly because the weight of the unit is alot less than comparable devices. Also, the device is narrow and allows their smaller hands to hold the device more comfortably over a longer period of time.

The MC3090R 'brick' wi-fi version weighs in at only 379 grams and is chosen more often than the gun or pistol grip MC3090G version which weighs 550 grams. 

While the weight difference is only 171 grams, if you extend that over an 8 hour shift it can become an issue for staff. Given the choice, female staff prefer the 'brick' version over the 'gun' version and male staff in the same organisation instantly prefer the 'gun' version.

Since the 'brick' and 'gun' versions share the same single and multi-slot cradle accessories it is possible to keep all your staff happy since typically everyone should be given their own barcode scanner to use and look after.

Another thing we have found is that female staff tend to take more care of the barcode readers and are less likely to drop or damage them. 

Related information:

 to see what mobile computers men prefer to use in the warehouse

 to selecting the right mobile device for your staff & business

 to read about the different type of barcode scan engines available

 to see the various keyboard options for each mobile computer 

 of all the Motorola mobile computers 

 How to take control of your mobile computer remotely

 Add barcode, RFID & RS-232 capabilities to your Motorola mobile

 How to lock down a Motorola mobile computer with Appcenter 

Please note: these are general comments based on past experience, our observations and feed back from customers. We have clients where women use heavier mobile computers. Ultimately it comes down to a consensus, budget and finding the right mobile computer for the task and the environment.