It's official. Agilent just whooped Fluke's ASS!

[PetrosA]

http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/product.jspx?cc=US&lc=eng&nid=-34134.1006710&pageMode=OV

More to follow

Edit:

Here's a link to a video I did with some basic info about the U1177A:

http://youtu.be/tSodrChd4iU

[8086]

Price?

You could get a cheapy bluetooth module and make your own surely without too much effort?

[Joshua]

This is badass.

[PetrosA]

$48 according to Agilent's website.

This is WAY badass.

[EEVblog]

Price?

It says US$48 on the site.
Looks very nice!

Dave.

[8086]

So about £35? Pretty reasonable.

Shame they won't ship here, really.

...even though its clearly just a gimmick

[IanB]

Why only Android and not iPhone too?

[samgab]

Why only Android and not iPhone too?

...why not at least link with their PC application?

[Uncle Vernon]

Where's the ASS Whooping exactly? Should I put on 3D Glasses?

[kaz911]

Why only Android and not iPhone too?

...why not at least link with their PC application?

it does link with the PC data logger.... "Alternatively data logging and monitoring can also be performed at Personal Computer (PC) via Agilent GUI Data Logger Software"

[PetrosA]

The whoop ass is in what it can do. Fluke has DMMs and clamp meters with removable screens. Agilent's system allows you to use THREE separate DMMs OR clamp meters with a single Android device, and the software is very powerful. It can even phone home if you set it to notify you of a certain event (IOW, you can leave a meter and phone at a jobsite and get remote notification of events). The possibilities for utilities, electricians and technicians are amazing.

Here's a little teaser

http://youtu.be/tSodrChd4iU

[kaz911]

if Fluke makes one for my 287 - I'll buy it - just to keep the sunlight out and stopping the meter from logging. 

[Rutger]

Can you use this instead of the Infrared usb cable (part U1173A) to update the firmware as well?

Rutger

[PetrosA]

Can you use this instead of the Infrared usb cable (part U1173A) to update the firmware as well?

Rutger

I would think that should be possible, technically speaking...

[EEVblog]

Why only Android and not iPhone too?

...why not at least link with their PC application?

Sounds like it can:

Alternatively data logging and monitoring can also be performed at Personal Computer (PC) via Agilent GUI Data Logger Software

Agilent are trying to get me one ASAP.

Dave.

[Bored@Work]

So this is where V&A got the idea from to add Bluetooth dongles to their new bench(!) multimeters

http://va-instrument.en.alibaba.com/product/502180009-201181277/Bench_multimeter.html
http://va-instrument.en.alibaba.com/product/502184950-201181277/Bench_multimeter.html
http://va-instrument.en.alibaba.com/product/502184434-201181277/Bench_multimeter.html

It IMHO doesn't make too much sense for bench multimeters, and V&A doesn't tell you what the dongle really can do, but maybe we are about to see a new trend.

[EEVblog]

So this is where V&A got the idea from to add Bluetooth dongles to their new bench(!) multimeters

http://va-instrument.en.alibaba.com/product/502180009-201181277/Bench_multimeter.html
It IMHO doesn't make too much sense for bench multimeters, and V&A doesn't tell you what the dongle really can do, but maybe we are about to see a new trend.

Yeah, not as useful unless the bench meter can be battery powered.
What do they need a 9 digit display for?

New trend for sure.

Dave.

[PetrosA]

Yeah, not as useful unless the bench meter can be battery powered.
What do they need a 9 digit display for?

New trend for sure.

Dave.

Maybe the idea is for the boss to be able to monitor and make sure the bench workers in the sweatshop are probing and testing, testing and probing

[Uncle Vernon]

(IOW, you can leave a meter and phone at a jobsite and get remote notification of events). The possibilities for utilities, electricians and technicians are amazing.

I can see the possibilities, remote data is my bread and butter. There are however more than a few issues to be resolved.
Do I want to leave a test instrument or two and a cell phone on a customers site?
What's to stop the phone being used for the cleaners routine hour long call to Istanbul?
Do I want to work with half my test meters missing from my vehicle, while I monitor another site?
Do I believe I can leave eye candy meters and cell phones somewhere and not have then tampered with or pinched?

Sure I can see some applications for Agilent's new toy but I think reality might limit which of those are practical. And for the price of a top shelf meter and a capable Android handset, I can get an ugly black box GSM logger with more channels, more storage and less knobs to be tampered with.

Don't get me wrong, I think this a great piece of kit, but a bit of kit rating somewhere below whoop-ass.

[Bored@Work]

What do they need a 9 digit display for?

Posing, to enter the Guinness book of Records with the most useless number of digits for a 0.2% or 0.03% meter?

It is probably "an artist's rendition". Maybe they have them on the drawing board only, and once someone orders 100000 they sort out the "minor details", order the glass , and start production and testing. And if you are lucky someone on the way figures 9 digits aren't really that useful.

[PetrosA]

(IOW, you can leave a meter and phone at a jobsite and get remote notification of events). The possibilities for utilities, electricians and technicians are amazing.

I can see the possibilities, remote data is my bread and butter. There are however more than a few issues to be resolved.
Do I want to leave a test instrument or two and a cell phone on a customers site?
What's to stop the phone being used for the cleaners routine hour long call to Istanbul?
Do I want to work with half my test meters missing from my vehicle, while I monitor another site?
Do I believe I can leave eye candy meters and cell phones somewhere and not have then tampered with or pinched?

Sure I can see some applications for Agilent's new toy but I think reality might limit which of those are practical. And for the price of a top shelf meter and a capable Android handset, I can get an ugly black box GSM logger with more channels, more storage and less knobs to be tampered with.

Don't get me wrong, I think this a great piece of kit, but a bit of kit rating somewhere below whoop-ass.

You bring up some valid points - especially about leaving eye candy around. You could do it at some jobs but not at others. I think for a lot of people though, the ability to buy even a few U1230A series DMMs plus a few U1177As for cheap and a cheap Android phone (with upgrade ) and have a wireless system that does all this could really be pretty meaningful to their business in a way that the (much) higher priced Fluke 233 isn't, because of the price barrier and the fact that one screen works with one meter and can't do the same kind of datalogging, graphing etc. Right now Agilent has a more flexible, trend setting product on the market that Fluke will need some time to develop a response to.

[Uncle Vernon]

and have a wireless system that does all this could really be pretty meaningful to their business in a way that the (much) higher priced Fluke 233 isn't, because of the price barrier and the fact that one screen works with one meter and can't do the same kind of datalogging, graphing etc. Right now Agilent has a more flexible, trend setting product on the market that Fluke will need some time to develop a response to.

I never quite got the Fluke 233 other than for measuring stuff where your likely to lose a meter and an arm, in those situations the 233 would mean you still have an arm and now have a display with nothing to connect to.

The Agilent makes more sense and is more adaptable, but sadly to be compatible with consumer cell phones has chosen bluetooth. In most of the places you'd like to use this, (around chillers or Gen sets, distribution boards etc) Bluetooth is invariable crap. ISM band wireless is a much better choice, but of course there aren't many if any cells or tablets which support it.

[EEVblog]

Don't get me wrong, I think this a great piece of kit, but a bit of kit rating somewhere below whoop-ass.

If anything, it's almost Agilent's answer to the Fluke 233

Dave.

[Bored@Work]

In most of the places you'd like to use this, (around chillers or Gen sets, distribution boards etc) Bluetooth is invariable crap. ISM band wireless is a much better choice, but of course there aren't many if any cells or tablets which support it.

Ahm, Bluetooth uses the 2.4 GHz IMS band.

But yea, this feature is for us armchair engineers who happen to sit in a cozy, nice and safe environment. We send the techs behind the machine to wire up a few multi meters. Then we pull out the latest Android phone, bought on company's dime, and watch the values, making concerned faces, stroking our beards, and shaking our heads a little bit. It is hard work, but someone has to do it.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Shame they won't ship here, really.

Current country type approval allows the U1177A to be shipped only to the following countries:

Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, Hong Kong, .....