This Week’s Product Pick
Datalogic Mobile (Eugene, OR) has brought its new R-Series Vehicle Mount Rugged Mobile Computer to the Americas. Offering 7, 10, and 12-inch display sizes, the R-Series fits different mounting and space constraints and provides up to 25 external keys on the front panel. A software keyboard using the touchscreen has over 25 layouts and adapts the R-Series to a minimum footprint. In addition, external keyboards are available in QWERTY and ABCD layouts. The R-Series ships with Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 and has Wavelink Avalanche and Terminal Emulation pre-installed and pre-licensed at no additional cost. Interfaces include two RS-232 ports, two USB ports, and an expansion slot for 16-bit Type I/II PCMCIA cards. Wireless connectivity is provided through 802.11 b/g WLAN and environmental ratings of IP65, IP66, and IP67 support work in the toughest applications. All Datalogic Mobile products are available through distribution at BlueStar, ScanSource, and Ingram Micro’s Data Capture/POS Division. “The R-Series mobile computers provide ultra-rugged durability, great processing power, and three sizes that allow for maximum flexibility,” said Brad Wall, North American Sales Manager for Datalogic Mobile. “Our 7-inch model is unique to the marketplace and offers both landscape and portrait display capabilities.” For more information, click here.
R-Series Vehicle Mount Rugged Mobile Computer from Datalogic
COMPANY BUSINESS BlueStar Prescribes Code Scanners BlueStar (Florence, KY) now carries Code Corporation’s line of image-based barcode readers, portable data terminals, and software tools for data-collection applications. Coupling high-definition and multi-resolution optics with Bluetooth communications, Code (Bluffdale, UT) builds ergonomic, portable units for mobile workers in healthcare, public safety, technology manufacturing, and transportation. Code’s technology provides reading and decoding of all open 1D and 2D barcode symbologies, in addition to its own proprietary GoCode symbology for secured data applications. “We are excited to add Code to our manufacturer line-up,” shared Rob Dorsey, BlueStar VP of U.S. Sales. “In particular, the addition of Code will further enhance our healthcare offering. Manufacturers like Code, with their proven solutions, are the perfect fit for BlueStar’s Independent Software Vendors and Value-Added Resellers.” “Code offers two barcode scanning products [Code Readers 2500 and 3500] with glare-reduction features that are extremely popular in the healthcare industry due to their ability to scan through hard-to-read surfaces such as solution bags and IV medical bags,” added Bethany Stanton, BlueStar Business Account Manager. “There are no other scanners in the industry with this feature. These products will be very attractive to BlueStar resellers who are looking for more effective solutions to offer their customers.”
Heartland: Time to Move Beyond PCI Interesting week for Heartland Payment Systems (Princeton, NJ), as the payment processor and channel player found itself explaining how it fell victim to international cyber fraud. Heartland, which achieved PCI certification in April 2008, was alerted to the large data breach by Visa and MasterCard, by which time the Trojan software had been deactivated. In making the announcement on Inauguration Day, which in itself drew criticism from some quarters, the company stressed that the stolen information did not contain confidential merchant data or cardholder Social Security numbers, unencrypted PIN addresses or telephone numbers, “therefore making it highly unlikely that it can be used for identity theft.” After it attempted to address the concerns of millions of cardholders and hundreds of thousands of merchant locations, Heartland called for “a new level of information sharing and cooperation” in the payments industry, as well as the adoption of end-to-end encryption that protects both data in rest and data in motion. “PCI is a good and effective standard, but the bad guys have become more sophisticated to the point where encryption of data in motion appears to be one of the next required steps,” stated Robert Carr, Heartland’s CEO. “Heartland has been working on the development of end-to-end encryption, but in light of our recent data breach and the impact cyber fraud has had on the public and processors nationwide, we are ramping up our efforts.” The new strategy includes formation of an internal, dedicated department and the naming of an Executive Director, Steven Elefant. Many RRN.Com readers will remember Elefant as one of the founders of ICVerify, the one-time leader in payment processing integration of PC-based POS software, which eventually was absorbed into First Data. He currently participates in numerous technical ventures in the payments and venture capital industries and serves in the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force. “Late last year, Steve began a consulting project to help us define a business model for bringing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications to our merchant base,” Carr noted. “Now, as a Heartland employee, he will focus on the first leg of end-to-end encryption—getting encrypted data from the point of swipe/entry at the merchant to our switch so malware cannot steal data in motion. The internal network encryption infrastructure will be handled by a combination of new and existing IT professionals under Steve’s direction.”
[Editor’s Note: Following our recent story on the upcoming launch of Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 comes word that James Watkins, Director, Microsoft Dynamics U.S. Retail, has been terminated along with his team. RRN.Com contacted Microsoft to explore the impact on Microsoft’s partners in the POS channel and received this reply: “Microsoft Dynamics continues to leverage a strong retail-focused team dedicated to supporting both customers and partners in the retail industry. The team managing strategy, direction, and vertical initiatives for the Microsoft Dynamics retail products is still very much in place. Michael Griffiths, Group Product Manager for Microsoft Dynamics Retail, continues to own responsibility for the Microsoft Dynamics Retail Platform and IP strategy.”] |
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Worth Your While
FS/TEC 2009
(Foodservice Technology Exposition)
Nation’s Restaurant News
February 4-7
Orlando
AIM Technology Leadership Summit
Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility
April 20-22
Chicago
Put RFID 2 WRK
RFID Journal Live
April 27-29
Orlando
KioskCom
(Self-Service Expo & Digital Signage Show)
JD Events
May 6-7
Las Vegas
NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 16-19
Chicago
NACStech
National Association of Convenience Stores
May 18-20
Grapevine, TX
RetailNow 2009
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 11-16
Las Vegas
ALL IN THE FAMILY
New PrintPAD Rocks the Mobility Cradle
Datamax-O’Neil (Orlando) debuted its PrintPAD CN3 and PrintPAD CN3e, products which combine the company’s 4te four-inch thermal printer with an integrated cradle for Intermec’s recently introduced CN3 and CN3e mobile handheld computers in order to tackle the demanding requirements of route accounting, direct store delivery, and other field-mobile applications. The cradle combines sleek, ergonomic design with rugged reliability, according to the company, and facilitates power management, communication between devices, delivery of services, and network management.
With the introduction of these PrintPAD models, Datamax-O’Neil offers its factory-service upgrade path that allows deployed PrintPADs to be converted to fit newer model handhelds from the major manufacturers. In addition, the entire line of PrintPAD solutions is compatible with both internal and third-party software that enables networked devices to be remotely managed via Windows Desktop.
“The new PrintPAD CN3 and PrintPAD CN3e are yet another demonstration of our leadership and commitment in the integrated printing systems market segment and expand our line to include all the major mobile handheld computer manufacturers,” emphasized Paul Lehmann, Director of Product Management. “Datamax-O’Neil introduced the first ‘carry, charge, and communicate’ solution and we will ensure that our rugged, reliable, and flexible PrintPAD products set the highest standards within our industry.”
For more information, click here.
Datamax-O’Neil’s PrintPAD for Intermec’s CN3 Series
AML Charged Up Over Ruggedized PDA
AML (Euless, TX) introduced its M8050 Ruggedized PDA for data collection applications in retail and hospitality. The new PDA features 1D or 2D barcode scan engine, magnetic-stripe card reading, and large 5200-mAh lithium-ion battery for all day operation without recharging. Additional standard features include QVGA full-color graphic display with touchscreen, WLAN 802.11 b/g radio, backlit 18-key keypad, trackball pointing device, and Bluetooth. Available with Microsoft Windows CE or Embedded Linux, the M8050 PDA also comes with 400-MHz processor as well as 128-MB SDRAM and 128-MB Flash ROM.
“Extremely functional and fitted with an impressive 5200-mAh lithium-ion battery, the new AML M8050 will run circles around most other PDA devices equipped with Wi-Fi radio and integrated barcode scanner,” pledged Mike Kearby, President at AML. “The only way users might get better life out of a PDA would be to strap it to a car battery.”
AML also debuted its KDT750 Price Verification System with touchscreen navigation and 5.6-inch full VGA color display. The KDT750 comes standard with an onboard price verification program, according to the company. Product documentation provides sample source code for the server-side software required to interface to the KDT750, as well as to perform the lookups necessary to retrieve price and descriptive information from the user’s database. Additional standard features include Power-over-Ethernet, user-definable keys, and multiple USB and serial ports. Customers can chose from the low-cost 1D CCD barcode scanner or the 2D imager for omni-directional scanning.
AML’s M8050 Ruggedized PDA
Join the Party at No Charge
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PARTNER PROGRAMS
Looking for Good VARs at Infor
Infor (Alpharetta, GA) has launched its campaign to recruit new channel partners in North America. In particular, the software provider looks to enlist VARs with “deep, industry-specific” knowledge in the manufacturing and distribution sectors in addition to “strong understanding” of enterprise software and its implementation. The North American push follows drives in EMEA and South America to expand its worldwide base of more than 1,400 VARs.
“Becoming an Infor channel partner is a strategic move for our continued success and growth,” indicated Marc Harris, President of Business Solutions Alliance (Whitby, Ontario, Canada), which recently joined the program. “Infor provides development and educational tools in addition to continuous innovations to the ERP Visual solution that help us deliver and implement the product that our North American manufacturing customers want to improve their own operations.”
Infor’s software suite addresses all the major business acronyms, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise asset management (EAM), product lifecycle management (PLM), supply chain management (SCM), and warehouse management systems (WMS). The company was named to the Food Logistics Top 100 Technology Providers for 2008 and recently exhibited at the NRF Show in New York City. Mike Gadow serves as its VP of Channels.
SonicWall Targets SMB Thru D&H
SonicWall (Sunnyvale, CA) has expanded its channel reach into the SMB market through its new North American distribution agreement with D&H Distributing (Harrisburg, PA). D&H will supply the entire SonicWall product portfolio, including network security, secure remote access, content and e-mail security, and backup and recovery solutions. This new distribution relationship supports the recently announced improvements to SonicWall’s Medallion Partner Program under its Channel 2.0 Initiative.
“The addition of D&H to the SonicWall family presents an excellent opportunity for all parties,” commented Marvin Blough, VP at SonicWall. “The SMB market has been our core market since our inception and continues to grow as businesses embrace the productivity gains unleashed by security and networking technology. This agreement with D&H opens up new opportunities for SonicWall’s SMB channel partners and will significantly boost D&H’s own business and network as well.”
To date, more than one million SonicWall appliances have been shipped through its global network of ten thousand channel partners. The new and improved 2009 Medallion Partner Program provides four tiers, Approved, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, to facilitate partner growth and advancement, according to SonicWall. Benefits include deal registration, partner rewards and sales incentives, partner locator, discounted training, and demo products.
[Editor’s Note: Speaking of Channel 2.0, Janet Schijns, Motorola EMB’s VP of Worldwide Channels, told RRN.Com that Motorola's PartnerSelect Program will launch social networking and match-making tools in Q1. Our readers will remember Schijns from her electrifying presentations at BlueStar and ScanSource events while running her channel consulting firm, The JS Group.]
Code
Corner
ShopperTrak (Chicago) launched FloorTrak with Orbit 5 ID, its RFID-enhanced traffic management solution that allows retailers to separately count employee and customer movement. By delivering this level of traffic data, FloorTrak allows retailers to improve operational efficiencies in areas such as: determining the effectiveness of in-store strategies, including visual merchandising, signage, and reconfiguration; comparing store conversion rates to other stores; scheduling labor more efficiently and cost effectively; identifying staff compliance with store directives; and analyzing new store concepts. ShopperTrak’s FloorTrak combines the company’s Orbit 5 sensor with the Ultra-Wideband PLUS RFID Reader from Time Domain Corporation (Huntsville, AL). Employees are outfitted with thin, active PLUS RTLS (Real-Time Location System) tags placed on lanyards or behind their name tags. FloorTrak is positioned above each entrance or pass-through area and when the tagged employee moves through the coverage zone, their unique tag ID is transmitted to the Orbit sensor. With the FloorTrak system in place, retailers can track and eliminate employee traffic as “white noise,” only counting customers in each store. The FloorTrak solution is perfect for high-service areas like fitting rooms where customer counts are normally difficult to obtain due to high employee traffic, according to the developer. “Customer traffic data has evolved to become the key metric retailers rely on to become more efficient and to maximize conversion rate in their stores,” observed Bill Martin, Co-Founder of ShopperTrak.
INTEGRATION
RDS Banks on Precidia’s Payment Engine
Retail Data Systems (RDS), the largest POS reseller in North America with 25 offices and 400 professionals, has concluded an agreement with Precidia Technologies (Ottawa, Canada) to offer the TransNet payment engine to RDS customers. TransNet has been designed as neutral middleware to meet the needs of any end-user. Transactions are removed from the POS system and housed instead on Precidia’s POSLynx220 payment router, offering more secure, flexible, and cost-effective processing, according to the company. RDS has already deployed the TransNet solution in several quick-service restaurants, retrofitting existing NEC ECRs and POS stations.
“What attracted me to the POSLynx220 and TransNet was the ease of configuration and the fact that it can also act as a firewall for the location, further protecting our systems,” reported John Wilkerson of RDS Ohio Valley. “The POSLynx220 has automatic dial backup and will even notify someone if the unit goes off-line due to network failure. The remote diagnostics are terrific and platform change does not require hardware exchange or on-site visit. In addition, the solution’s Web-based reporting has helped us troubleshoot issues that would otherwise have taken hours to figure out.”
Precidia also announced that Cash Depot (Green Bay, WI) has certified the POSLynx220 with ATMs it provides to customers in the convenience-store industry. In this case, the payment router connects dial-based ATMs to Cash Depot’s SSL gateway for processing. This allows ATM operators to take advantage of the cost savings and efficiency of IP-based processing without having to upgrade their ATM equipment. With POSLynx220, store devices such as Ruby terminals, surveillance cameras, and tank monitors also can be added to the IP network and monitored remotely.
Receipt Printers Certified "POSperfect"
CognitiveTPG (Lincolnshire, IL) announced that its A798 and A799 POS receipt printers have been certified for Windows-based POSperfectII software for retail, grocery, and hospitality. POSperfect (Macon, GA) is the selling arm in North America for New Zealand-based Today Software. Building on its customer and dealer success in the Pacific region, Today Software has moved out into the global market with its off-the-shelf solution for simple inventory, reporting, and scanning requirements as well as customized and advanced features to address multiple POS system requirements.
"POSperfect's approach to the market is similar to ours in that we believe in being flexible to meet the needs of our customers and deliver products and services that create value for our customers, and ultimately, the end-user," said Kyle Turner, SVP of Corporate Development for CognitiveTPG. "Our A798 and A799 receipt printers are designed to address the retail, grocery and hospitality markets with best-in-class performance, unchallenged reliability, and an attractive price point."
The A798 and A799 are the latest line of receipt printers from CognitiveTPG, featuring high-speed performance, small footprint, and "easy drop and load" paper roll design. A built-in liquid dam and gutter deflect and drain spills and help prevent damage to the printing mechanism and board. Model A799 comes loaded with Receiptware marketing management software that allows retailers to turn receipts into promotional tools. "Working with CognitiveTPG printers gives us the confidence that we are providing our customers with solutions that pay for themselves," stated John Mahoney, President of POSperfect.
POSperfect in Health 2000 Store
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
pcCashdrawer
Pioneer POS
POS-X
Barcode Printers
Datamax
Cash Drawers
MMF Cash Drawer
Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic
Mobile
Janam Technologies
Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Precidia
Mobile Printing
O'Neil Product Development
Receipt
Printers
Citizen Systems America
Retail Software
InfoTouch
Logivision
Screen Protection
3M Optical Filters
Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA
HELLO GOODBYE
Avnet Hails New Chief
Avnet, Inc. has promoted Philip Gallagher to Global President for Avnet Technology Solutions (Tempe, AZ), the distributor’s operating group of most interest to RRN.Com readers. Gallagher will report directly to Avnet COO Rick Hamada. He succeeds John Paget, who joined Avnet in 2007, and has stepped down from his position. Paget, RRN.Com readers will recall, served as President of Synnex before joining Avnet.
Gallagher has worked for Avnet for 26 years. Since 2004, he has been President of Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas. Prior to his current role, he served as SVP of Global Business Development for Avnet Electronics Marketing. In 2001 he was honored with Avnet’s Chairman’s Award, and in 2007 he was promoted to SVP of Avnet, Inc.
“In addition to his breadth of experience, Phil also brings a strong track record of performance, personal adaptability, team development, relationship skills, cultural contributions, and strategic thinking that provides him the strong platform upon which to continue to build success,” said Hamada. “I am firmly convinced that Phil’s leadership skill, coupled with his experience and strong Avnet foundation, adds up to an excellent choice for the global leader for Avnet Technology Solutions.”
Philip Gallagher, Global President, Avnet Technology Solutions
ViVOtech Names Retail-Hardened SVP of Global Sales
ViVOtech (Santa Clara, CA), one of the leaders in contactless payment systems and Near-Field Communication (NFC) mobile payments and promotions, has recruited John Shap as SVP of Global Sales. Shap brings over 25 years of experience in leading sales and business teams, including his tenure as SVP for World Wide Sales & Marketing at DemandTec, the consumer demand management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider. Prior to DemandTec, he held the same executive-level position at SPSS, which provides predictive analysis and market research software for the retail and financial verticals.
“I am very pleased to welcome John to the executive team and look forward to his contributions to the success of ViVOtech,” declared Michael Mullagh, ViVOtech’s CEO. “John has significant experience working with retailers to apply technology solutions that improve the fundamentals of retail operations: sales, customer service, loyalty, and efficiency. We look forward to having him apply this valuable experience to sell ViVOtech’s next-generation contactless and mobile payments and promotions solutions that will change how retailers and consumers interact.”
ViVOtech also announced that Faber, Coe & Gregg Inc. has chosen the ViVOpay 4500m contactless and magnetic-stripe card reader for all of its food and retail locations on the East Coast of the U.S. Faber operates nationally-recognized retail brands in airports, train stations, highway rest stops, and hotels—people on the go, in other words. Testified Burton Friedman, CFO at Faber, “ViVOtech presented us with the best solution not only to accept fast and convenient contactless and emerging NFC mobile phone payments, but also to allow customers to self-swipe their own magnetic-stripe cards in the same customer-facing readers.”
Channel Factoid
Today’s harsh economic climate will actually accelerate the growth prospects for the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, with IDC increasing its SaaS growth projection for 2009 from 36% growth to 42% growth over 2008. By the end of 2009, fully 76% of U.S. organizations will utilize at least one SaaS-delivered application for business use. In addition, the percentage of U.S. firms which plan to spend at least 25% of their IT budgets on SaaS applications will increase from 23% in 2008 to nearly 45% in 2010. Demand for SaaS is strongest in North America, which will account for 65% of total revenue by year-end. On the downside, IDC identifies issues such as cash-flow shortfalls related to slow-paying current clients, liquidity challenges stemming from tight credit at lenders, and—on the horizon—limited resources to scale up with expanded infrastructure to support new customers and new service offerings.
ON THE HORIZON
Tomorrow’s POS, Envisioned by Intel
Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, CA) has attracted attention with its new proof-of-concept POS station that seeks to integrate all the best of digital signage, self-service technology, and next-generation computing capability. Unveiled at the recent NRF Show in New York City, the kiosk-type form factor was conceptualized by Frog Design (San Francisco). It holds the promise of “improving the customer’s retail experience, while also arming sales associates with more accurate information and reducing the operation’s costs such as electricity bills and maintenance,” according to Joe Jensen, GM, Intel Embedded Computing Division.
Significantly, the POS demo incorporates the energy-efficient 45-nanometer Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor already inside hundreds of millions of laptops and PCs. Compared with legacy POS platforms, the processor in the demo cuts power use by 70% while doubling processing performance. The proof-of-concept platform features Intel vPro and Active Management technologies for remote systems management and control. Upgrading to next-generation CPU platforms and retail functions would be facilitated by its unique design, according to Intel, with individual modules added, taken off, interchanged or replaced to meet evolving business needs.
So the machine provides for all retail store activities at one location, while looking pretty stylish doing it. Touchscreen-based self-service. Suggestive and cross-platform selling. Multimedia promotions. Real-time access to inventory status. Not for everyone, certainly. Checkout lines would be pretty long, for one thing. Better to think of the Intel POS as one of those concept cars you see at the Auto Show, which—upon further reflection—do often appear on the road 10 years later.
Intel’s Point of Sale 3.0 Concept
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