Utilizing portable computing devices in the ATE domain

Staying true to Moore´s law, portable computing devices have become exceedingly capable of increasing their intended possibilities and applications. Evidence of this can be seen in the quantity and variety of applications ranging from Language Translators, GPS applications, and Image editing, to wireless control of external hardware. The demand has been so great that even the U.S Military has shown interest in this category of devices [1]. This list most likely will continue to grow due to versatility these devices have demonstrated. Their appeal is also partly due to their ease of use and intuitive user interface. The purpose of this paper is to present possible portable computing device applications for the test environment domain, present an architecture suitable for this type of applications, and discuss the platform used.