Bretford® Expands MDM Cart Line with Three New Compact Models for Schools and Other Learning Environments

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bretford Manufacturing, Inc.^®, a United States manufacturer of dependable furniture products that improve how people work and learn, today announced an expansion to its MDM Cart line, which includes three new models with a 20 percent smaller footprint for more options to fit needs and budgets in K-12, higher education and business environments. The addition of the new carts give IT administrators a total of six MDM carts to choose from in varying sizes with or without network capability for their specific educational and business purposes. All three are available for order starting Nov. 26, 2012 and will be shown for the first time this week at EDUCAUSE, Nov. 6-9 in Denver, CO (Booth #1665) and NSSEA, Nov. 7-9 in Tampa, FL (Booth #634).

“The new models are designed for education and business environments where fewer laptops or tablets are needed and where space may be limited based on requests from IT administrators who are responsible for managing the personal computer assets”

The new additions to the line provide a range of choices for their schools and businesses, depending on the size and need. The new models house either 20 laptops/netbooks (MDMLAP20), 24 tablets (MDMTAB24) or 20 laptops with network capability to charge and fully manage the devices from inside the cart (MDMLAP20NR). These smaller-sized carts join the existing MDM line, which consists of a 30-unit laptop/netbook cart, 36-unit tablet cart and 32-unit network-ready laptop cart, all three of which recently received UL Certification (UL 60950 Safety of Informational Technology Standards for the U.S. and Canada).

“The new models are designed for education and business environments where fewer laptops or tablets are needed and where space may be limited based on requests from IT administrators who are responsible for managing the personal computer assets,” said Bob Gabriel, product manager for Bretford Manufacturing, Inc.^® “The new carts offer flexibility to better fit the needs of smaller class sizes and offices while helping a school or business stay within budget limits.”

Gabriel noted that the continuation of the network-ready version allows IT administrators to send security patches, software updates, software installations and more to all the laptops and netbooks in the cart. This saves a tremendous amount of time compared to the existing practice of removing each computer one at a time and updating it individually.

The network-ready 20-unit laptop/netbook model comes prewired with 21 network cables threaded through a hole in the divider panel, which hang in each laptop storage compartment. It includes cord winders on both sides of the cart, one for a power cord and the other for a network cable, with space in the top compartment for a 1U 19-inch rack mounted network switch. It also contains an external network port on the outside to access the network, and thermally-controlled fans inside to dissipate heat from the cart while networking.

All of the new carts include a unique “Power Manager” that continually evaluates the amount of power that can be safely drawn, then efficiently distributes current from a 15-amp wall outlet to the devices in a “Round Robin” cycle. This feature not only prevents circuit tripping, but also allows each set of device batteries to cool down between charging cycles, thereby extending battery life. The carts also include full-access doors in the front for the teacher/educator and in the back for the IT administrator. The cable management in the front positions power cords to plug into laptops and netbooks while the cord management in the back includes removable plates with Velcro straps to secure cords and adapters. The left side panel of the charge-only versions has a cord winder to keep the power cord neat and out of the way when not in use.

Their dual-handle design allows both teachers and students to push and pull the cart safely and easily. At the same time, security is provided by the solid steel construction and a unique locking handle that can be opened using either a re-programmable combination or a key. And the top and side panels and doors of the charge-only versions are perforated to dissipate heat generated when charging and to keep the equipment cool.

Availability

The MDMLAP20, MDMTAB24 and MDMLAP20NR carts are available for order starting Nov. 26, 2012 and will ship later in the year. All three carts are pending UL Certification. For more information about Bretford^® visit Bretford.com or call 1-800-521-9614. Bretford can also be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bretfordmanf.