This Week’s Product Pick

Logic Controls (New Hyde Park, NY) has combined its LD9000 Pole Display with an integrated RFID reader and MSR to produce its RFID Pole Display, designated the LD9000 RFM. This three-in-one peripheral offers simplified cable management by using one single connection to the POS system, according to Logic Controls. This not only eliminates unsightly cable problems but also helps retailers save valuable counter space while simultaneously facilitating transactions and improving customer service. Logic Controls’ LD9000 features 2x20 line, 9.5-mm character height display, complete with smart scrolling, user-definable characters, and a wide variety of interfaces. The RFID reader handles common contactless card/tag schemes and the two-track MSR provides state-of-the-art reliability and speed. The MSR’s reading head lasts longer than one million cycles and can read bi-directional swipes. The combination of technologies supports all efforts of major credit card companies such as American Express, Discover, Master Card, and Visa. “All three customer-facing peripherals keep the control of the credit card in the customer’s hands and provide real-time viewing of the transaction,” said Jackson Lum, CEO of Logic Controls. “With this single purchase, the retailer does not have to be concerned about what type of credit card the customer is using. Be it contactless RFID or Magnetic-Stripe, the retailer will always be prepared.”

RFID Pole Display from Logic Controls

Worth Your While

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

5th Annual Partner Invitational
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Division
May 12-14
Phoenix

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

VARTECH 2009
BlueStar
August 13-15         
Nashville, TN

ALLIANCES

CipherLab Bundled with BizTracker POS

CipherLab (Plano, TX) has been certified as one of the preferred vendors by POS software provider BizTracker (Seminole, FL). BizTracker specifically selected CipherLab as its partner because of the features and performance of the CipherLab 9471 Industrial Mobile Computer, according to the two parties. The 9471, along with other CipherLab handheld scanners and mobile computers, will be offered through BlueStar (Florence, KY) pre-loaded with BizTracker Infinity POS software. This bundled solution targets POS, inventory management, price checking, and barcode printing.

“Our retailers stressed how important it was to make sure they didn’t lose one customer due to long lines,” said Jim Eldred, BizTracker’s President. “Now, as an example, our queue-busting technology enabled by the CipherLab 9471 brings transactions to customers, enabling them to bypass the line to complete purchases. This enhances the customer’s experience and hopefully ensures that the customer won’t choose another retailer in the future.”

“The partnership between CipherLab and BizTracker, coupled with the strong distribution network within the BlueStar family, exemplifies how to best develop and deliver the most creative products aimed specifically at solving difficult problems within the retail market,” declared Al Crawford, CipherLab’s VP of Technology.

Al Crawford, VP of Technology, CipherLab

Duros Rides the Wave(link)

Wavelink Corporation (Midvale, UT) announced that its Terminal Emulation software has been selected for use with the new Duros 1214 Rugged Fixed-Mount Computer from RMT, Inc. (Tempe, AZ).  Each Duros 1214 will ship with Wavelink Terminal Emulation pre-loaded and ready for activation by the customer. In addition, Duros customers can easily add voice capabilities for data capture and communication with Wavelink Speakeasy and the entire network of mobile devices can be managed with Wavelink Avalanche Mobility Center. The strategic agreement builds on more than one dozen mobile device manufacturers pre-licensing and/or pre-loading Wavelink products.

Duros 1214 was introduced in February and targeted at the warehouse and shipping environments. Features include: all-in-one aluminum construction, 12-inch polysilicon touch display, Intel Celeron M 1-GHz processor, and four USB 2.0 ports. Interestingly, the 1214’s built-in battery backup provides 20 minutes of continuous use without power—perfect for changing the forklift battery or making last-minute entries after powering down the machine for the day. Overall, RMT supplies three product lines: Duros rugged and fixed-mount PC’s, SwitchBack ultra-mobile PC’s, and DAP Technologies’ handheld and mobile computers. The company sells through resellers and distributes through Synnex (Greenville, SC).

“We designed the Duros 1214 to be the most versatile and rugged warehouse terminal on the market,” indicated Eric Miller, GM for the Duros Product Line. “The addition of Wavelink Terminal Emulation software complements that objective by enhancing the automation, productivity, and efficiency of mobile workers in the warehouse.”

Duros 1214 Rugged Fixed-Mount Computer with Polysilicon Display

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ALL IN THE FAMILY

Honeywell Seals the Deal for Healthcare

Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Skaneateles Falls, NY) has released its Dolphin 9900hc Mobile Computer with new disinfectant-ready housing, an industry first. The Dolphin 9900hc was specifically designed to resist the harmful effects of repeated exposure to harsh cleaning agents commonly used in healthcare, such as hand sanitizer, isopropyl alcohol, and ammonia- and bleach-based products, according to Honeywell. While such solvents kill pathogens, they also weaken normal plastics over time, creating cracks in the housing that can lead to scanning errors or equipment failure.

The Dolphin 9900hc retains all of the features and functions of the standard Dolphin 9900, including Adaptus Imaging Technology. Computing architecture is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 on an Intel PXA 270 624-MHz processor with 256-MB RAM x 1-GB Flash memory. With Cisco CCX Version 4 certification and integrated 802.11 b/g radio, the Dolphin offers secure, multi-mode wireless connectivity. Finally, Shift-PLUS battery performance extends to 10 hours, eliminating the need to replace the battery during most extended work shifts.

“Traditional mobile solutions can experience cracked or broken cases that lead to down time in patient safety systems that are designed to reduce medical errors,” commented Garrison Gomez, Manager of Mobility Marketing for Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. “Down time can be dangerous and costly to everyone in healthcare environments, where cleanliness and safety are vital. The specially-designed Dolphin 9900hc ensures that the mobile computer will retain its case integrity for years, even after multiple cleanings around the non-stop 24-hour work cycle.”

Dolphin 9900hc from Honeywell Scanning & Mobility

Epson:  SMB Check Processing No Longer Blank

Epson America (Long Beach, CA) took advantage of this week’s NACHA Payments Conference in Orlando to launch its suite of check scanners for the SMB market. The three products include the CaptureOne Single-Feed check scanner, the Perfection V30 flatbed check and document scanner, and the WorkForce 500 All-In-One Scanner with print, copy, fax, and photo capabilities. The first to combine customized Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) software with multifunction scanning and document processing devices, Epson’s Perfection V30 and WorkForce 500 offer more robust functionality than comparable RDC scanners, according to the company. Similarly, the CaptureOne Single-Feed scanner offers the highest MICR accuracy of any competitive single-feed RDC device in its class.

According to 2008 market research from Celent, checks represent 75% or more of the total receivables for over two-thirds of small businesses, and RDC amounts to an untapped opportunity in this segment. “Until now, RDC has been too complex and expensive for small business users,” explained Bud Weist, VP of Sales and Marketing, Epson System Device Group. “Epson has just made RDC easy, affordable, and flexible, with three low-cost check processing options that conform to small business workflow.”

The Perfection V30 and WorkForce 500 are the only SMB scanners available today with Epson’s proprietary SureCapture check imaging software. Designed to automatically handle the check imaging process, SureCapture crops, aligns, and matches both sides of the check to prevent item errors, reads the MICR,  and sends the check data to the bank with all formatting required by the RDC application. The software comes bundled with both scanner models and is simple to install and use, said Epson.

WorkForce 500 All-In-One Scanner from Epson

Code Corner

Cougar Mountain (Boise, ID) has completed its Denali core accounting solution with Version 2.7, which introduces the new Denali Purchase Order module. Denali Purchase Order closes the loop between Sales, Inventory, and Account Receivables and Payables. It gives users more flexibility and control over tools and criteria used to generate PO’s because it utilizes Microsoft SQL technology, according to Cougar Mountain. Further, it works well in multiple-user network environments and has the ability to handle millions of inventory items. Denali Purchase Order includes the following features: Generation of PO’s from Inventory or Sales History, Vendor Performance Reporting, Multi-Tiered Security Rights, Unlimited User-Defined Fields with Look-Up, Customizable Entry and Receiving Screens, and Pre-Issuing of PO’s and Processing of Partial PO’s. “Now that our Denali core accounting solution is complete, we believe this unique and powerful inventory management system sets us apart from others on the market,” declared Brian Jennings, Director of Product Management.

INTEGRATION

“HotSchedules” Added to Digital Dining

Menusoft (Springfield, VA) will integrate HotSchedules’ online restaurant labor management solution into its POS software, with an interface ready for Digital Dining Version 7.3.5. The move comes in response to numerous requests from Menusoft’s large restaurant chain customers, according to Andre Nataf, Business Development Manager, Digital Dining. “We were quite aware of HotSchedules’ easy-to-use and intuitive online staff scheduling solution, and coupled with our customer’s feedback to make it available with our POS, we knew that partnering with HotSchedules was the right decision,” Nataf said.

HotSchedules (Austin, TX) currently supplies workforce management to more than 3,000 restaurants and 300,000 users, including many well-known national concepts. Its online portal allows employees to view schedules, trade shifts, and request time off. The manager interface includes the tools to create schedules, approve and deny shift trades, review requests for time off, print reports, and evaluate staff availability. HotSchedules integrates with most major POS solutions as well as time and attendance systems, according to the developer.

“HotSchedules has obviously struck a chord with a large majority of our customers and we are currently working with several of our clients to move them on to the Digital Dining/HotSchedules interface as quickly as possible,” Nataf continued. “HotSchedules has been one of our valued partners and our solutions have great synergy. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to providing our customers with this best-in-class restaurant labor management solution.”

Walgreens Knows What You Know

Retail Solutions Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) announced that over 120 suppliers have signed up for the Walgreens Operational Data Share Program, just 12 months after the program was officially launched. Walgreen’s, the largest drugstore chain in the U.S., unveiled its near real-time POS and inventory data-sharing program in March 2008, with the intent to roll it out widely across its supplier base. Retail Solutions has responsibility for “on-boarding” suppliers, for providing them with access to Walgreens data in the user-friendly Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, and for training them on how they can best use the data to create value for themselves and Walgreens.

“We are delighted each time we see another supplier join our Operational Data Share Program,” shared Becky Bly, Manager of Walgreens Vendor Supply Chain Relations. “We clearly view this program as one of the cornerstones of our vendor collaboration initiatives and its adoption level demonstrates suppliers see the benefits as much as we do. Using daily Point of Sale and inventory data is fast becoming business as usual for both Walgreens category managers and their interlocutors at suppliers.”

“The Walgreens Program has been one of the fastest-growing programs we have enabled, and we are delighted to have significantly outperformed our mutual objective of signing up 100 suppliers within one year,” added John Kacedan, Retail Channel Director at Retail Solutions. “Most importantly, suppliers of all sizes and across all categories have responded equally positively to this initiative, including suppliers represented by brokers. Retail Solutions has enabled multi-billion-dollar consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, as well as small enterprises with revenues well under $10 million.”

Key Advertiser Links

Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
M-S Cash Drawer

POS & Peripherals
POS-X

Barcode & Mobile Printers
Datamax-O'Neil

Cash Drawers
MMF Cash Drawer

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Janam Technologies
Motorola

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems

Payment Engine Solutions
Precidia Technologies

Receipt Printers
Star Micronics

Retail Software
Logivision

Screen Protection
3M Optical Filters

Video Surveillance & Access Control
ScanSource Security

PARTNER PROGRAMS

More Free Payment Terminals from UBC

United Bank Card (Hampton, NJ), which transformed the payment processing industry with the launch of its free credit-card terminal program in November 2004, has expanded this program by offering the next generation of terminals at no charge to its partner network. The UBC Free Terminal Program now offers the VeriFone Vx510 Dual Com, Hypercom T4210 Dial or T4220 IP/Dial, Nurit 8020 Wireless, Hypercom T7 Plus, Nurit 2085, Nurit 8320, and Nurit 8500X. With the exception of the Nurit 8020 Wireless, all of these devices can be sold, leased, or placed for free with absolutely no charge to the VAR or ISO. (The Nurit 8020 can only be placed free of charge, which keeps control in the hands of UBC.)

“We realize that there is no one terminal to solve the needs of every merchant,” observed Jared Isaacman, United Bank Card CEO. “That is why we have decided to expand our selection of free terminals available to our partners. Because of this expanded effort, there is never any reason to pay for the terminal or have to reprogram the terminal again.”

In an interview with RRN.Com, Brian Jones, EVP Sales and Marketing, noted that UBC’s program has proven wildly successful and, as such, has been widely imitated. “We offer the best program in the industry because we still include our legacy terminals, in addition to these new high-speed, IP-based devices,” Jones suggested. “Some merchants prefer to stay with the terminal they’ve had, and our program allows them to do that.” By offering the terminals for free to end-users, he added, VARs and ISOs get deals they wouldn’t have won, with the accompanying, highly-prized, recurring revenue stream.

Yours to Sell, Lease or Give Away

Minuteman Juices Up Warranty Program

Para Systems (Carrollton, TX) has offered two new extended warranty options for its Minuteman Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) product line. By lengthening the warranty period from three years to five years, the new program responds to customer requests to provide warranty coverage through the life of the typical leasing contract or equipment depreciation terms for new servers and systems, according to the company. When purchasing Minuteman UPS from distributors or resellers, the end-user may opt for either the Standard or Premier Extended Warranty.

The Standard Extended Warranty includes two additional years of full protection beyond the current three-year warranty period. Free battery replacement is available to the user during the entire warranty period. The Premier Extended Warranty puts priority status on any warranty claim, plus free freight on repair or replacement of the Minuteman product. Free battery replacement is also included during the five-year warranty period, and if the batteries have not been replaced after four years, the user will be automatically contacted by Minuteman to remind them to do so. Once shipping information is confirmed, Minuteman replacement batteries will be sent with freight pre-paid, and the user can return the batteries for recycling at no additional charge.

“By offering these two new extended warranty options, we are allowing users to align their warranty with the typical five-year leasing programs, along with equipment depreciation terms,” stated Kevin Canole, Director of Product Development at Para Systems. “We also think customers will appreciate the unique automatic battery replacement notification offered in the Premier package, along with the two extra years of peace of mind the extended warranty provides. Under this plan, there are absolutely no additional charges to the end-user for maintaining optimum performance from their Minuteman UPS for five years.”

Guaranteeing the UPS for Five Years to Match Leasing Contracts and Depreciation Terms for New Servers and Systems

Channel Factoid

According to Microsoft’s Small Business Specialists, 55% of their customers will maintain or increase their IT spending year over year through carefully placed investments. These Small Business Specialists expect an increase of 20% in the number of SMBs that use Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) in 2009. More than 50% of Small Business Specialists anticipate an increase in the number of SMB remote workers, and nearly 60% expect that this shift to remote workers also will lead to bigger roles and more responsibilities for those individuals working remotely. More than 50% of these Small Business Specialists, once again, identify virtualization or IT consolidation through small or mid-sized servers as the technology most likely to reduce SMB operating costs. Finally, more than 40% expect an increased interest in business intelligence. Microsoft expects to publish its “Microsoft SMB Insight Report” annually.

STANDARDS

GS1 DataBar Still Coming on January 1

GS1 US (Lawrenceville, NJ) wants everyone to know that January 1, 2010 remains the Sunrise Date for GS1 DataBar in the U.S., and that work underway on the new standard by the barcode community “should continue on course.”  Incomplete media coverage on the date for all trade-item barcode scanning systems to read GS1 DataBar has generated questions and misinformation among industry players such as retailers, manufacturers, and labeling providers, according to GS1, one of 108 country-based affiliates of the global, not-for-profit GS1 standards organization. 

The confusion stemmed from recent media coverage concerning the change in the Sunrise Date in certain other countries. The GS1 Global Office announced its new plan that provides up to four more years for adoption in all nations, but allows early adopter nations, such as the U.S., to move ahead with their current GS1 DataBar implementation strategy.

GS1 DataBar (formerly Reduced Space Symbology, or RSS) symbols can be used on very small or hard-to-mark items like loose produce, jewelry, cosmetics, and healthcare materials. Despite its reduced size, DataBar can carry more information than the current UPC barcode—such as lot numbers and expiration dates—allowing for product authentication and traceability, variable measure product identification, and enhancements to coupons.

GS1 US operates the subsidiaries and brands 1SYNC, BarCodes and eCom, EPCglobal US, GS1 Healthcare US, and RosettaNet. It seeks to bring some worldwide harmony to standards for unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange.

For the U.S., Time Is Ripe for GS1 DataBar