Royal Caribbean cruise ship deploys 55,000 Windows 8.1 tablets
Crew members have been given 40,000 Hexa Electronics devices for personal use, equipped with Intel Atom processors.
Royal Caribbean is also installing 15,000 Dell Venue tablets at point-of-sale locations, to provide a range of services including check-in, activity scheduling and billing transactions throughout the ship.
Billed as a 'smart ship', Quantum of the Seas will make trips between New York and the Caribbean, enabling RFID-tagged luggage to be tracked via a mobile app, as well as offering contactless payment wristbands for purchases while at sea, while a 'virtual balcony' has been installed to allow views of the passing sea via 5K-resolution screens.
A replica version of the ship, Anthem of the Seas, will be cruising from Southampton, England, to the Mediterranean in 2015.
"Introducing Intel-powered tablets to our onboard crew is part of our effort to provide the best guest experience possible," said Bill Martin, CIO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
"Keeping our crew happy by giving them easy ways to connect with family and friends and the world through the Intel-powered tablets is also an integral part in reaching that goal."