This Week’s Product Pick
Nordic ID (Fayetteville, GA) shipped its PL3000 Cross Dipole handheld computer, which enhances UHF RFID performance thanks to its novel antenna solution. The device combines Nordic ID’s patent-pending cross dipole antenna with adjustable output power and support for “sense reader” mode, making it more flexible for customer-specific RFID needs, according to the company. The RFID reader is fully compatible with a wide selection of ETSI regulations, the standards of multi-channel management, and NXT-based tag reading. In addition to superior RFID performance and typical read range of 4 meters, the Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole features the Microsoft Windows CE 6 O/S as well as communications functionality for WLAN, Bluetooth, and GPRS. Intended applications include garment processing, pallet logistics, luggage handling, and retail supply chains. “The Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole truly represents a major step forward in professional RFID handheld technology,” said Hannu Heino, Director of RFID at Nordic ID. “This device has been rigorously tested and developed to the point where we can be confident of its ability to perform even under the most demanding conditions.”
Nordic ID’s PL3000 Handheld
INTEGRATION Metrologic Releases EasyID Software Metrologic Instruments (Blackwood, NJ) has released EasyID, its first certified software plug-in for the TotalFreedom platform. EasyID parses barcode data found on government-issued identification cards for applications involving age verification or automatic electronic form population. This plug-in eliminates the need for host system software to process the encoded information contained within 1D and 2D barcodes found on documents such as military-issued identification cards, driver’s licenses, and driver’s permits. EasyID is compatible with the following Metrologic imaging products: MS7580 Genesis, MS1690 Focus, MS1633 FocusBT, MS1890 Focus, and the IS1650 and IS4920. The software can be pre-installed on select Metrologic imagers for out-of-the-box functionality. It can also be purchased as a standalone upgrade for scanners that have already been deployed in the field. After installing the plug-in, a short programming sequence allows the user to transmit up to 24 data fields in any desired order. “A single scan of a PDF barcode can eliminate roughly 45 seconds of manual data entry, reducing the length of an average transaction by 95%,” estimated Mark Schmidt, Metrologic’s VP of Marketing and Product Management. “Retailers can install EasyID to take the guesswork out of age verification, greatly reducing the likelihood of selling an age-restricted product to an under-age purchaser.” Metrologic’s EasyID can also be configured to parse barcode data and prevent sensitive information from being transmitted to the host system, ensuring compliance with HIPAA patient confidentiality regulations, as well as other state and federal regulations regarding the acquisition of personal information.
O’Neil Beefs Up Printer Security O’Neil Product Development (Irvine, CA) has offered WPA2 enhanced security and encryption protocols for its entire line of portable printers equipped with 802.11 wireless communications capability. O’Neil’s MicroFlash, OC, and LP3 portable printer families feature the enhanced protocols, as well as an in-house development approach which “future proofs” wireless security and encryption advancements for customers. The higher level of security and encryption allows O’Neil’s portable printers to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for credit-card processing. As compliance requirements change over time, O’Neil printers can be easily modified to meet the changing requirements, according to the company. O’Neil’s 802.11-equipped printers are compatible with state-of-the-art security protocols, including WPA and WPA2, and WPA and WPA2 authentication protocols including EAP-FAST, EAP-PEAP, and EAP-TTLS. “It is extremely important for us to ensure that our printers protect credit card transaction-related data with the highest levels of security and encryption to prevent any opportunities for security breaches,” commented Paul Lehmann, Director of Product Management for O’Neil. “We offer the industry’s leading security protocols to meet today’s requirements, but our security development methodology uniquely protects for future requirements as well.” |
Worth Your While
Retail Market Seminar
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Division
July 9
Atlanta
RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 12-17
Las Vegas
RFID World 2008
CMP Technology
September 8-10
Las Vegas
VARTECH 2008
BlueStar
September 15-17
Orlando
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS OATSystems Harvested by Checkpoint Checkpoint Systems (Thorofare, NJ) has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase OATSystems, Inc. (Waltham, MA), one of the leaders in RFID-based application software and middleware. Terms were not announced for the all-cash transaction, which is expected to close in two weeks. Senior management of OATSystems, including Michael George, President and CEO, will continue to operate the business under the OATSystems brand, as a division of Checkpoint. “With this acquisition, Checkpoint is once again redefining the scope of shrink management,” stated Rob van der Merwe, President and CEO of Checkpoint Systems. “The addition of OATSystems builds upon our previously announced strategy to help retailers and their suppliers migrate more easily with our ‘Evolve’ Electronic Article Surveillance platform to Electronic Product Code RFID. As our industry moves to a common EPC standard, Checkpoint, with the addition of OATSystems’ capabilities, will now be able to offer solutions that enable retailers and their supply chains to gain deeper inventory visibility—further reducing shrink and increasing bottom-line profits.” Checkpoint Systems has also added two new products to its suite of CheckPro Shrink Management software solutions, IncidentReporter and CaseManager. CheckPro IncidentReporter allows retailers to monitor the number, nature, severity, and cost of incidents such as stock losses, property damage, burglaries, theft, and fraud. CheckPro CaseManager provides retailers with the framework to capture, investigate, and handle suspected fraud cases. Finally, Checkpoint has also announced that its global product lines within its Shrink Management Systems and Intelligent Labels businesses will be led from the company’s headquarters in Madrid, Spain.
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PARTNER PROGRAMS
Citizen’s “Best in Industry” Warranty
Citizen Systems America (Torrance, CA) will now offer all POS printers, including impact printers, with a three-year warranty, and all barcode label printers with a two-year warranty. “We want customers to buy our printers with confidence,” declared Seth Avergon, Senior Director of Marketing for Citizen Systems America. “One of the best ways to do that is to stand behind our products with one of the best warranties in the industry.”
All of Citizen’s thermal and impact head POS printers now carry the three-year warranty. That includes printers such as the new CT-S310, which offers the smallest footprint in its class and features such as dual interface, drop-in paper loading, and 150-millimeter-per-second printing. The company’s family of barcode printers now carries the two-year warranty, excluding the print head, cutter, and peeler.
“At Citizen we take the extra step to make sure that our printers offer reliability as well as performance,” Avergon continued. “That is the reason that we can offer warranties like this on our products. If we were not sure that these printers could take it and still deliver we wouldn’t be making these kinds of guarantees.”
Citizen Systems has also extended its special free trial printer program, which includes its most popular models. To get your free printer, click here.
Epson Envisions Disc Publisher Channel Sales
Epson America (Long Beach, CA) has expanded its Envision partner program to support resellers of its Discproducer professional disc publisher product. Introduced in 2005, the Envision program currently supports resellers in retail, hospitality, grocery, and financial markets selling the company’s range of POS products. Benefits to participants include marketing programs, sales support, promotions, education, and technical tools.
The expanded program is designed to ensure successful sales and support for the Discproducer product, an integrated desktop disc duplication and printing solution for educators, service bureaus, photographers, medical imagers, and other businesses that need to create professional-quality CDs or DVDs on demand. Discproducer enables the creation of personalized disc and label content, making it an ideal and flexible solution for automated disc publishing where high-quality customized labeling is required, according to the company.
“Epson is looking for established leaders, VARs who are already making inroads in the disc publishing arena,” said Bud Weist, VP of Sales and Marketing, Epson System Device Group. “This program continues Epson’s commitment to the VAR channel by providing resources needed to build a strong long-term reciprocal partnership.”
Epson America’s Discproducer Product
Code
Corner
Loftware (Portsmouth, NH) brewed up its latest Java Connector software, Version 3.1., rounding out its family of labeling products that includes Loftware Connector for SAP Applications and Loftware Connector for Oracle. Loftware Connector establishes a high-speed “connectivity bridge” between enterprise applications and the Loftware Print Server (LPS). This enables enterprise applications to generate barcodes and RFID smart labels across large networks of thermal-transfer printers, regardless of label production volumes, according the developer. In addition, print requests can be made independent of printer languages and compliance mandates. “The cornerstone of the Loftware Connector strategy is to provide our customers with the ability to have a drop-in connection with the broadest range of applications with their label printing infrastructure,” maintained Eric Anderson, CEO/President of Loftware. “This enables any Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain, or Warehouse Management System to readily work together with our LPS system for superior label-printing performance, compliance, and reliability. Our new Java Connector software can take diverse output files such as XML, CSV, and PAS files from any business-critical applications and use them to drive label printers in any enterprise environment. The Connector Agent works remotely with the Java Connector to ensure label printing is optimized for enterprise high performance.”
ALLIANCES
Wasp and PPI Swarm SMB Market
Wasp Barcode Technologies (Plano, TX) and Payment Processing, Inc. (Newark, CA) have joined forces in an effort to bring “comprehensive, single-source” POS to retailers in the SMB arena. Under the partnership, Wasp Barcode will integrate its QuickStore POS solution, which provides “fast and simple” customer checkout and inventory management, with the PPI PayMover gateway.
“Teaming with Wasp Barcode is a natural partnership for PPI,” stated Chuck Riegel, EVP, Software Products and Partnerships at PPI. “Wasp products have a strong presence and solid reputation among retailers. Now, retailers of just about any size are also able to capitalize on, and benefit from, the sophisticated payment-processing technology provided with PPI PayMover.”
“As the leading provider of integrated payment-processing solutions, PPI was undoubtedly our first choice as a payments partner,” shared Tom O’Shea, President of Wasp Barcode. “Integrated payment processing is clearly critical to the success of our retail customers and Wasp Barcode is pleased to now provide a single source for a complete payment solution.”
[Editor’s Note: The rush to recruit POS ISVs continues unabated at the payment processors. Earlier, PPI announced its PayMover gateway will be integrated with Storis Management Systems’ Vision R8 enterprise software package for big ticket retailers.]
PCI DSS for the Supply Chain
QLogitek (Toronto), one of the leaders in hosted supply chain solutions, has entered into an agreement with Trustwave (Chicago) to provide manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and retail customers with compliance validation solutions for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution will be based on Trustwave’s TrustKeeper on-demand compliance management program.
QLogitek will work with its “Hub” customers, a large group of enterprise clients who maintain a respective web of worldwide suppliers with whom they exchange information in real time, to communicate the need to achieve and maintain PCI DSS compliance. With QLogitek’s proprietary library of supply chain software, customers track invoices, issue purchase orders, and exchange private information with a multitude of organizations. All customers using this supplier/customer exchange need to be compliant.
“By initiating this PCI DSS compliance validation program for QLogitek’s Hub customer set and global community, Trustwave is able to implement the compliance process to a wide variety of customers in a broad range of industries,” observed Robert McCullen, Chairman and CEO of Trustwave. “By securing the supply chain transaction, the supplier and customer can exchange private information in a secure environment, protecting themselves against unwanted intrusions from unauthorized parties.”
Robert McCullen, Trustwave
Key
Advertiser
Links
Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.
POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Ingram Micro
POS & Peripherals
Bematech
Logic Controls
PC-PoS Inc./DigiPoS
Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic
Mobile
Honeywell
Imaging and Mobility
Janam
Technologies
ECRs / Touchscreens / Printers/
Parts and Supplies
CRS, Inc.
Receipt
Printers
Bixolon
Citizen Systems America
Star Micronics
Retail Software
Microsoft Dynamics
Screen Protection
3M
Optical Products
Thermal Print Technology
Seiko Instruments USA
Touchscreens
FireBox Displays
ALL IN THE FAMILY
LXE: “Let There Be Light”
LXE (Atlanta) has introduced its new MX3Plus and VX3Plus mobile computers, which have been outfitted with state-of-the-art active-matrix displays that provide exceptional viewing in any lighting condition. The new products are based on the company’s MX3X and VX3X platforms for handheld and vehicle-mount industrial applications.
The MX3Plus and VX3Plus are available with two specialized display options. At 350 NITs, the “extremely high-contrast” indoor version of the new display is five times brighter than the color displays used in the MX3X and VX3X products, according to the company. The new color sunlight-readable version of the display uses transflective display technology that captures the sun’s light and reflects it back to the user’s eyes to create readability in direct-sunlight applications.
“Display visibility has always been an issue outdoors in environments like container-terminals, and in warehouses that have low-light areas,” noted Richard Adams, LXE’s Director of Strategy and Marketing. “With the MX3Plus and VX3Plus we’ve provided a strong answer to the problem, with display options for a wide range of lighting conditions in both mobile handheld and vehicle-mounted formats.”
A Painter’s Palette for DSD Settings
Zebra Technologies (Vernon Hills, IL) has addressed the practical needs of the mobile workforce with its new RW 420 Route Palette. This multifunction device allows mobile workers to carry the RW 420, Zebra’s mobile printer for Direct Store Delivery (DSD) and route accounting, with their choice of Motorola’s MC70 mobile computer, MC75 Enterprise Digital Assistant, or MC9000 mobile computers.
Described as “sturdy and ergonomic,” the RW 420 Route Palette features simultaneous charging of the printer and mobile computer. Mobile workers can carry it by a shoulder strap or fixed grip handle. During use, they can hold it in their arms like a painter’s palette as they enter data and print receipts, invoices, inventory pick tickets, and other items. The RW 420 Route Palette also features a simple release so that workers can use the printer and computer individually as needed. LED indicators alert users of the charging status and any error conditions and built-in DEX (Digital Exchange) interface facilitates integration with DSD operations.
“By integrating world-class products from Zebra and Motorola, the RW 420 Route Palette offers a durable and convenient solution that delivers optimal efficiency to the mobile workforce,” said Marty Johnson, Mobile Workforce Practice Leader for Zebra Technologies. “Additionally, the simplified charging process provides multiple benefits for the user, including a smaller footprint inside the vehicle, less time spent charging individual devices, and the cost savings associated with purchasing only one charger.”
RW 420 Route Palette from Zebra Technologies
Channel Factoid
Transactions at self-service kiosks will surpass $607 billion this year in North America, as consumers continue to embrace the technology. This amount should more than triple by 2012 to over $1.7 trillion. “We expect continued double-digit growth in the revenue generated by self-service transactions for the foreseeable future,” predicted Lee Holman, Lead Retail Analyst at the IHL Group, which produced the 2008 North American Self-Service Kiosk study. “Consumers are showing a preference for self-service kiosk activity of all kinds. The benefit to retailers is that this technology can significantly increase customer loyalty, as well as customer satisfaction. The devices are also a hedge against increasing expenses during a tough economic climate. They allow retailers to schedule their labor resources for high-volume periods without sacrificing service during non-peak times.”
Reseller Rewind
If you missed the most recent “Retail’s in the Bag” presentation, don’t despair. Microsoft Dynamics RMS has given you another chance to benefit from these deep-dives into POS.
-For Microsoft Dynamics “Retail’s in the Bag: PCI Security Compliance—the New Y2K?” which took place on May 13, click here.
INSTALLATIONS
MGM Grand at Foxwoods Rolls Out Micros
The MGM Grand at Foxwoods has selected the Micros 9700 POS solution for its food and beverage operation. In addition, all of the leased outlets within the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, including Alta Strada, Junior’s Restaurant and Coffee Bar, Shrine, Craftsteak, and The Food Market, have selected the Micros RES 4.0 POS solution.
MGM Grand at Foxwoods opened in May 2008 in Connecticut. To accommodate this new property, which includes an 825-room hotel and 4,000-seat theater, Foxwoods increased its current Micros 9700 solution by 50 terminals, bringing the total to 270 terminals. This enterprise solution, which includes the mymicros.net Web-based reporting tool, allows Foxwoods to receive real-time business intelligence about its operations, according to the two parties. By deploying Micros RES 4.0 in all of the leased outlets within the property, there is seamless integration to Foxwoods casino interfaces, such as player tracking and the hotel property management system
“We have been very pleased with the advanced technology and efficiency of Micros 9700 and mymicros.net,” stated Brian Charette, VP of Information Systems at Foxwoods Resort Casino. “By deploying Micros throughout our enterprise, including the MGM expansion and the leased outlets, we get a true 360-degree view of our operations. This allows us to address needs quickly and offer an exceptional guest experience to our clientele.”
Hard Rock Theme Park Books Agilysys
The Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has chosen the Eatec inventory and procurement solution and the InfoGenesis POS solution to “enhance efficiency and streamline operations” at the 55-acre theme park, which opened in May. Hard Rock Park is the world’s first rock ‘n roll theme park and the first major attraction to be built in the U.S. in almost 10 years.
The Eatec solution by Agilysys is a Microsoft Windows-based, full-featured inventory and procurement system designed especially for the foodservice and hospitality industries. Hard Rock Park is using the Eatec solution in 50 outlets, including retail shops and kiosks, table-service and fast-food restaurants, and warehouses. Approximately 150 foodservice and retail terminals throughout Hard Rock Park run the InfoGenesis POS solution from Agilysys, which offers features such as sorting, grouping, and filtering options; real-time reporting capabilities; organizational controls; and advanced encryption tools.
“The Eatec and InfoGenesis solutions had all the functionality we needed, and they integrate well together,” said Dave Montoya, Senior Director of Information Services for Hard Rock Party. “We are a Microsoft SQL Server shop, so it was critical that the solutions we selected play well with that. Also, the fact that the InfoGenesis solution handles both retail and food and beverage functions enabled us to save money and eliminate an entire system. These are robust solutions with a long lifespan, and Hard Rock Park will be able to use them well into the future.”
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