New Product: The Zebra TC8000

Another new and innovative product from Zebra, the TC8000 is a revolutionary redesign in mobile computer technology and form factor. Just one look at this device and you will see the out-of-the-box thinking Zebra put into this, all with workplace optimization in mind. So what makes the TC8000 really special and unlike anything else on the…

What makes the Zebra ZD420 so great?

Recently introduced from Zebra, the ZD420 is their newest desktop printer, offering direct thermal and thermal transfer printing options in a 4” print width. So what makes the ZD420 printer different than other desktop printers on the market? 1. Quick Change Ribbon Cartridge The most innovative and exciting feature found on the ZD420 is definitely…

Eight Best Practices for Patient ID Bands Providing Optimum Patient Safety

We’ve written extensively about the importance to patient safety of rigorous identification protocols, and implementation of the patient wristbands is key to most such strategies. But strapping an ID band – any ID band – on your patients’ wrists does not, in and of itself, ensure their safety. As Zebra Technologies explores in its recent…

Point-of-Care Test Barcoding Yields 593% Reduction in Specimen Mislabeling

I wrote recently about the importance of establishing reliable patient- and specimen-identification protocols and of then following them. That last part, actually following established protocol, may seem too obvious to waste space here saying, but my research revealed that simply failure to follow established procedures is indeed a leading, if not the leading, cause of…

“I Ate Your Halloween Candy, You did WHAT?!”

Witches, ghosts, pumpkins, and candy are all words that you can associate with Halloween.  I mean who doesn’t love Halloween? You get to dress up and get free candy! I always loved trick-or-treating and then trading with my friends and family for the best candy…Reese’s, M&Ms, and Junior Mints.  And you can’t forget about that…

RFID and RTLS, What is the Difference?

RFID? RTLS? Are they the same thing? Sure, each acronym has a distinct root meaning, but I still hear and read RFID and RTLS used interchangeably. So, which should we use when? Fortunately, Zebra Technologies has published a white paper, RTLS 101: What It Is and Why You Need It, that distinguishes RTLS from RFID…

The Case for Coordinated, End-to-End, Item-Level RFID/RTLS Tracking Has Already Been Proved

The L-Tron team recently received a blog comment from Eef de Ferrante, Director of the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (aipia.info), reminding us that item-level tracking systems are often best coordinated at the production end of the supply chain. Said Eef:  “Let’s not forget that barcodes, tags, labels, and indicators are initially a subject…

End-To-End, Item-level RFID Tracking?

When you’re the largest retailer on the planet, you have the power to direct positive change that benefits entire industries. Such was the case in 2003 when Wal-Mart announced what would eventually become known simply as “the mandate,” a requirement that, by 2006, its major suppliers equip all cases or pallets of products with smart…