Motorola's Enterprise Mobility unit has unveiled a new handheld with high-speed connectivity and GPS, providing mobile workers with a rugged unit that delivers voice, data, navigation, and image capture in a single device.

The MC75 enterprise digital assistant (EDA) is an update of the firm's successful MC70 model and uses the same accessories, but adds support for 3G/HSDPA networks and GPS, among other features.

"Over the last 12 months, we've been seeing new apps coming that require higher bandwidth," said Andy McBain, Motorola senior marketing manager for mobile devices in EMEA. For example, field service engineers using Motorola devices require faster access to online documentation, he said.

Like the earlier MC70, the new model is a PDA-style device with a 3.5in display, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi and a choice of numeric or qwerty keypads. However, it has a higher resolution 640x480 touch-screen and more storage, with 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM. It is powered by a 624MHz XScale processor.

McBain said a VGA resolution display was better suited for viewing technical documentation, while the advantage of 3G wireless is that workers can download data at the same time as making a voice call on the MC75.

"So you can dispense with the need for a separate mobile phone. And because it has GPS, you don't need separate sat-nav either. It's a complete toolkit for the mobile worker," he explained.

While the MC75 is costly compared with other handhelds, McBain said that Motorola offers greater longevity and lower cost of ownership compared with non-rugged units.

"Customers can sign a three or five year contract, and we will repair the device no matter what the damage. It fixes the cost for an enterprise customer, " he said.

The MC75 is shipping in limited quantities from mid June, ramping up to full volume from mid July. Prices start at about £1,200.