Motorola's pocket-sized personal shopping assistant honored

Motorola's MC17 "shopping assistant" computer has impressed international design judges, picking up three prestigious product design gongs. Gizmag was also impressed by the company's pocket-sized computer, which can scan items, check pricing, locate complimentary items, access personal promotions and create gift and wish lists, when we wrote about it back in 2007. The company won the International Design Excellence award (IDEA), iF Product Design award and Good Design award.

“We are honored to have received awards from three distinguished design organizations," says Curt Croley, senior director of industrial design of Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. "These accolades are a true testament to Motorola’s extensive heritage of product innovation, recognizing our ongoing efforts to bring competitive and differentiated products to market while addressing the demanding needs of our enterprise mobility to customers.”

Mariette Stevens, innovation manager with leading Dutch retailer Dirk van den Broek, gave the product the thumbs up. “Motorola's MC17 inspires the customer to buy products that they were not familiar with by indulging them with relevant product information. With a unique form factor and user-friendly interface, the MC17 has been well-received by our customers."

The MC17 mobile computer is credited with increasing productivity by providing tools that answer customer queries at the point of sale, providing accurate and streamlined inventory management and line bust, as well as reducing waiting times at the checkout. The MC17 mobile computer is Motorola’s third generation retail solution. The updated model is sleek, ergonomically designed and weighs 20 percent less than its predecessor and can withstand knocks and the shock from being dropped.

Anne Hanrahan