Ford Demos Mobile Office in a Truck

Ford on Tuesday demonstrated a truck that can double as an office at the Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show, an annual event for automotive specialty parts manufacturers in Las Vegas.

The company teamed up with Microsoft as well as Stargate Mobile to create a truck that would be useful for contractors who spend a good deal of their workday out in the field. The truck is a customized F-250 Super Duty and includes a GPS unit, wireless broadband connectivity, a printer and digital camera-enabled tablet computer.

Ford is currently developing the feature to make it available as a dealer-installed option beginning next year. Ford says a contractor could use the system to order and purchase supplies, bid on jobs, and even process payments right from the truck.

"F-Series is all about getting the job done, and this new mobile office technology will fit our truck owners' needs to be on the go as their business demands," said Marty Collins, marketing manager at Ford.

The computer runs off the battery power of the vehicle and will be supplied with a cradle for secure mounting. However, if needed, the owner can remove the unit and use it as a normal tablet, or add an optional keyboard as necessary.

Although it technically could be considered a Tablet PC, the device runs on Windows XP Professional, with additional customized software from Stargate Mobile.

"This system is very user-friendly and properly packages the technology for ease-of-use for the contractor or business-owner that travels to multiple work sites," Collins added.