This Week’s Product Pick

Unitech (Cypress, CA) unwrapped its PA600 HF mobile computer, which adds an integrated 13.56-MHz High-Frequency RFID reader to its data collection capabilities. While traditional readers only support one ISO standard, Unitech said, the PA600 HF innovatively supports ISO 15693, ISO 14443A, and ISO 14443B standards in a single device, making it ideal for a wide range of markets including transportation, field service, and healthcare. Unitech’s PA600 HF allows users to synchronize data with existing business systems and databases using Oracle Database Lite and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006. In addition, support for Wavelink Avalance enables easier management for wireless devices. The PA600 HF weighs just 11 ounces and fits into the user’s shirt pocket. It comes equipped with 520-MHz Intel processor and an IP64 environmental rating against liquids and dust. Its full-color QVGA color touchscreen lets users view scanned RFID tag information, while an 18-key alphanumeric keypad facilitates data entry. “With RFID and barcoding technology constantly evolving, mobile computers must be versatile enough to handle current and future data collection applications,” said Bill Lewis, Director of Sales and Marketing for Unitech. “With its 2D imager scanner and RFID reader, Unitech’s PA600 HF is a compact and rugged mobile computer well equipped to handle the demands of changing technology.”

PA600 HF Mobile Computer from Unitech

Worth Your While

RetailNow 2009
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 11-16
Las Vegas

VARTECH 2009
BlueStar
August 13-15         
Nashville, TN

2009 APICS International Conference & Expo
Association for Operations Management
October 4-6
Toronto

2009 IFDA Distribution Solutions Conference
International Foodservice Distributors Association
October 19-21
Baltimore

NACS Show 2009
National Association of Convenience Stores
October 20-23
Las Vegas

BAI Retail Delivery Conference & Expo
Bank Administration Institute
November 3-5
Boston

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A Slimmer Dolphin

Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Skaneateles Falls, NY) unveiled the Dolphin 6100 ultra-lightweight mobile computer, the newest member of its popular Dolphin family. Intended for retail and light industrial settings, Dolphin 6100 runs Windows CE 5.0 and reads linear and 2D barcodes and captures digital images, including electronic signatures. Communications capabilities include Enterprise Class 802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. The device was ergonomically designed to provide easy, single-handed scanning, allowing companies to achieve enhanced efficiency and rapid return on investment, according to the vendor.

Like all other Honeywell Dolphin mobile computing products, the 6100 comes standard with Adaptus Imaging Technology, which provides users with versatile, high-performance data collection. Additional features include best-in-class PXA300 architecture, 128-MB memory, 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen display, and 28-key shifted alphanumeric keypad with “precisely positioned scan-keys.” Finally, Dolphin 6100 carries an IP54 environmental rating for liquids and dust, withstands 4-foot drops to concrete, and delivers extended battery capacity.

“The Dolphin 6100 meets the need that many customers have expressed over the years,” commented Garrison Gomez, Manager of Mobility Marketing, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. “Finally, there is an intelligent device for retail and in-premise markets that delivers both performance and aesthetics. Honeywell is committed to enhancing its mobility portfolio and with the introduction of the 6100 we are able to address a broader set of needs for our core customers, as well as those new to Honeywell.” For more information on the Dolphin 6100, click here.

Customer Service with the Dolphin 6100 from Honeywell Scanning & Mobility

Extech Eyes Four-Inch Paper Widths

Extech Instruments (Waltham, MA) has introduced its Apex 4 battery-operated portable thermal printer to address applications requiring four-inch paper widths. The new printer, the latest in the Apex Series, incorporates Seiko Instruments’ clamshell print mechanism with maximum print speed of three inches per second. It will become available next month at the list price of $799 with USB and Bluetooth communications (802.11g available as an option), as well as battery, wall-mounted charging adapter, and shoulder strap or belt loop. Apex 4 is IEC-64 certified and carries an IP54 rating with specially-designed environmental case.

The 32-bit, Arm 7 micro-controller incorporated into Extech’s Apex printers carries internal Flash memory for firmware and resident fonts, rotated fonts, and barcodes and internal SRAM memory for pre-initialized variable storage and stack. Extech’s engineers designed new modular firmware for easy updating and customization, according to the company, and the printers’ lithium-ion battery delivers 2.25 amps of power for more receipts per charge. Apex printers add 4 MB of Flash and 2 MB of SRAM external memory (doubled to 8 MB and 4 MB as an option). Come Q4, an IntelliHead three-track MSR reader from MagTek will be offered.

“According to Venture Development Corporation, the four-inch segment is the largest segment for the mobile printer market, representing 32%, slightly more than the two-inch and three-inch segments,” said Tony Revis, Extech’s GM. “We are the major player in the three-inch segment, and the recently introduced APEX line of new printers is already increasing our market share in the two-inch segment. The improved performance of the Apex 4 will contribute significantly to our overall market share.”

Apex 4 from Extech Instruments

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PARTNER PROGRAMS

POS-X: Two-Day Replacement Now Standard

POS-X (Bellingham, WA) announced Two-Day Rapid Replacement Warranty Service for all of its products, effective this month, and at no additional charge. The new warranty protects the product line from any manufacturer defects or failures that may occur within POS-X’s standard warranty periods of three to five years, depending on the product. With POS-X Two-Day Rapid Replacement, cross-shipped products will be replaced with new or comparable units within two business days.

“Nobody else in the industry comes close to this,” Dan Moseley, POS-X’s President, told RRN.Com. “Typically, customers are out two or more weeks if something goes down. Usually, the only way to get better service than that is to buy an upgraded warranty service. With our new standard warranty, we ship them their replacement product before we get the old one back. They’ll have it in two business days.”

In an interview with RRN.Com, Moseley and Karl Schoessler, POS-X’s VP, cited two major benefits for the company’s channel partners. First, the new standard warranty gives resellers another value-add to offer their customers. Secondly, the new warranty helps resellers better service their customers, since the defective products can be shipped directly to POS-X, if the reseller prefers. “We can take some of the work-load away from the reseller if they chose to have that done,” Moseley said. “If they don’t want to lose that control, of course, they can handle it themselves.”

Two-Day Rapid Replacement Warranty Service carries no charge, with cross-shipments only requiring temporary funds authorization to ensure return of the replaced product. In addition, POS-X still offers its Enhanced Overnight Rapid Replacement Upgrade for the majority of its product line, which promises next-day replacement service as well as coverage for round-trip shipping. The company has also extended the warranty of all XR510 Series receipt printers to five years.

Dan Moseley, POS-X President	Karl Schoessler, POS-X VP

Ingram Micro to “Stimulate” Channel

Ingram Micro (Santa Ana, CA) wants to help VARs capture some of big bucks brought forward by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, sometimes called the Economic Stimulus Bill. The distributor estimates the size of the opportunity at $60 billion to $80 billion for channel partners across six primary end-user segments: healthcare, public safety, education, energy, infrastructure, and broadband. Nearly $32 billion of the projected spend is tied to grants alone, with the remainder falling into normal line budget purchases. In response, it has launched “IMStimulus,” which includes end-user needs assessment, grant availability and tracking, as well as grant writing and sales assistance.

In particular, IMStimulus seeks to address “two of the IT channel’s biggest pain points out of the gate” by providing lead generation, which matches solution providers’ end-user customers with available stimulus dollars, as well as grant services designed to raise business expertise and help speed the sales cycle. As part of the new services, Ingram Micro said it will deliver “specialized sales and technical support resources that will focus primarily on coaching solution providers’ sales teams and customers on how to capture stimulus funding.” Partners will also receive priority access to IMGrants.com, which was developed in conjunction with Grants Office LLC (Rochester, NY), an expert in these matters.

“Ingram Micro is taking the funding and business opportunities presented to the IT industry by the Economic Stimulus Bill very seriously, and has dedicated a substantial amount of resources, expert personnel, and dollars into the development of this new service to help ensure our partners are able to respond quickly to earn the business and drive more sales across the IT channel,” remarked Keith Bradley, President, Ingram Micro North America.

Keith Bradley, President, Ingram Micro North America

Code Corner

Opterus Inc. (Toronto) released Store Ops-Center Version 2.2. Offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Store Ops-Center is delivered in an on-demand retail portal designed specifically to create content, ensure message delivery to stores, monitor task execution, and enforce operational compliance. Version 2.2 includes several key enhancements. Store Calendar provides the calendar-based view of assigned tasks and an event-scheduling solution for store-generated and personal entries. Survey Creator allows the head office to quickly and easily create store surveys that can be targeted to specific locations, groups of stores, or individual roles within stores; formats include CSV, XML, and Web services. Task Attachments allow stores to tack on files such as spreadsheets, documents, and pictures. Location Properties provide an expansion of the retail hierarchy, allowing merchants to target tasks and communications at groups of stores based on store attributes. “Opterus is committed to providing the most feature-rich store communications and task management solution in the retail industry,” declared Rick Peters, Opterus Chief Product Officer. “The Opterus development strategy relies heavily on input from our clients on the features and functionality that are most important to them. As we continue to build out our functionality, other retailers are able to take advantage of these ongoing enhancements.”

Sybase iAnywhere (Dublin, CA) offered the new version of its iAnywhere Blue SDK (Software Developer Kit) that will help developers and product managers to incorporate Bluetooth capabilities into Android devices. With the underlying Bluetooth functionality running on the Linux-based 2.6 x kernel, the Sybase iAnywhere Blue SDK provides necessary application layer support for developers to add increased wireless flexibility to the rich Android framework, according to the company. Specifically, Sybase iAnywhere Blue SDK for Android extends the Android platform by strengthening it with industry-standard application profiles, including: Hands Free (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP), A/V Remote Control (AVRCP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Object Push Protocol (OPP), SIM Access (SAP), Phone Book Access (PBAP), Message Access Profile (MAP), Human Interface (HID), Basic Printing (BPP), and Basic Imaging (BIP). “Our commercial Bluetooth stack is extremely reliable with more qualified application profiles for Android than any other market solution and we offer a high level of technical support for those customers that require it,” indicated Terry Stepien, President, Sybase iAnywhere.

INTEGRATION

Xpient Recommends RBS WorldPay

Xpient Solutions (Charlotte, NC), the hospitality POS developer, has selected RBS WorldPay (Atlanta) as its preferred payments provider. RBS WorldPay, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, describes itself as the fastest-growing top ten payment processor in the U.S. Under terms of the new agreement, Xpient will recommend RBS WorldPay to both current and future clients as its full integrated payments offering. At present, Xpient has 25,000 installed restaurants, including many national brands.

“Over the course of the past few months we identified, together with our resellers and clients, the fundamental need for a single-source relationship with a payments provider--one that could provide excellent service, a full array of processing solutions, and value at a competitive price for Xpient clients,” observed Christopher Sebes, President/CEO of Xpient Solutions. “It became clear that RBS WorldPay fit the bill. In speaking with our joint clients, RBS WorldPay showed clear leadership in providing excellent restaurant-specific service, the widest available range of electronic payments offering, and the fastest funding for our clients. While we will continue to support other providers, we expect to provide a new level of client innovation and support with RBS WorldPay.”

The past few months have been busy for RBS WorldPay. Following successful completion of its Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) assessment, the company recently returned to both Visa’s and MasterCard’s list of PCI DSS Validated Service Providers. Compliance was conducted by Verizon Business/Cybertrust (Basking Ridge, NJ), one of the companies approved by the PCI Security Standards Council as Qualified Security Assessor, or QSA. RBS WorldPay has also adopted the VersaTest Automator platform from Ascert (Sausalito, CA) for its internal and external testing.

IRIS POS Touchscreen Menus from Xpient

BlackBerry Sweetened with Payment Processing

Merchant Warehouse (Boston) has made available its mobile payment processing application for BlackBerry devices, enabling SMBs to accept payment at the point of service. So-called MerchantWARE Mobile runs on BlackBerry’s Pearl, Storm, Curve, or Bold and brings ease of use, lower processing costs, and PCI DSS/PABP security compliance, according to the company. This free application can be downloaded from the Merchant Warehouse Website and soon will be available on BlackBerry App World. No additional gateway or cellular access fees apply.

According to Merchant Warehouse, MerchantWARE Mobile supports robust reporting such as transaction summary, totals by card type, and transaction details. Users simply set the date settings to view the reports. In addition, MerchantWARE Mobile has been made compatible with MagTek’s MagneSafe BT90 Bluetooth MSR for accepting credit card payments. Whether card information is swiped or keyed into the BlackBerry, all data is stored on Merchant Warehouse’s secure servers, not the mobile device, thereby “providing peace of mind to customers, merchants, and salespeople” in the company’s phraseology.

“We are thrilled with the success of our recent iPhone credit card processing application,” remarked Henry Helgeson, President/Co-CEO of Merchant Warehouse. “In the last month alone, we have had many thousands of downloads and terrific feedback from users. I am confident that the increased functionality of the BlackBerry application is going to take mobile payments to the next level. We are excited to offer this innovative processing solution to our current and prospective customers.”

MerchantWARE Mobile from Merchant Warehouse

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
ScanSource

POS & Peripherals
Aures Technologies
FEC USA
Logic Controls
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

Barcode & Mobile Printers
Datamax-O'Neil

Cash Drawers
MMF Cash Drawer

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Honeywell Scanning & Mobility
Janam Technologies
Motorola

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Star Micronics

Retail Software
InfoTouch
Logivision

Screen Protection
3M Optical Filters

Video Surveillance & Access Control
ScanSource Security

STARTS & STOPS

HP’s Access Ramp for SMB

Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, CA) has dropped the charge for its HP Access package of business products and services for the SMB world. Previously offered at the list price of $49, HP Access is now free with the purchase of any HP product. Customers wanting to participate simply request an access code and they will receive an e-mail from HP with the information and link to the HP Access Website. New customers, as well as those who purchased an HP product in the last 12 months, can take advantage of offers on the site. HP also has expanded the program for its channel partners, allowing them to pass along benefits to their customers. In the case of customers purchasing product from channel partners, an e-mail containing the access code will come from the partner.

HP Access falls under the HP Total Care program, which seeks to help businesses get more value from their HP purchases. Access delivers more than $1,000 worth of offers and discounts in areas such as Web design and domain hosting, credit card processing, remote access, security, software virtualization, and even marketing and public relations. Credit card processing comes courtesy of Intuit.

HP Access members are also eligible to receive rebates of $50 to $200 on select server, storage, and software products purchased between July 1 and October 31, 2009. This month, HP also refreshed its 2009 Trade-In and Save Program. In addition to getting the full HP Access benefits, businesses will receive up to $1,000 cash back when purchasing qualifying HP printers and trading in an old printer. Free recycling and shipping of the old printer are included.

HP Access Brings Bundle of SMB Business Goodies

Atomic-Level POS Data

AfterBOT, Inc. (Norcross, GA) has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,552,087, entitled “Electronic Transaction Receipt System and Method,” for its system for generating and storing digital sales receipts from multiple retailers in one central repository. With this invention, consumers gain access to their individual electronic receipts using their computer or mobile device. In addition, because AfterBOT’s design allows the digital receipt data to be securely parsed, stored, and de-identified from individual consumers, the same system can use data from aggregated sales transactions across multiple retailers to perform detailed market performance analysis for retailers and their suppliers.

“While this type of detailed consumer data has historically been available to leading retailers through their internal systems, our patented system is the first to allow the secure aggregation of this data across retailers,” declared John Simon, CEO at AfterBOT. “We believe that this will revolutionize the way consumers view receipts and interact with retailers. By converting paper receipts into digital ones, we empower the customer and provide the retailers with a much more timely and targeted system to merchandise to, reach, and promote goods to their customers.”

AfterBOT said this patent will strengthen its TransAccess solution, which extends the NRF ARTS XML Digital Receipt schema to provide “real-time retailing” inclusive of both customers and suppliers. TransAccess leverages an atomic-level POS post-sale transaction management database to deliver unique views of POS data that can be used to improve operational efficiency, increase marketing effectiveness, and enhance collaboration across an extended retail enterprise. AfterBOT plans to test market the system with consumers, retailers, suppliers, and selected third-party solution providers this fall by working with an unidentified consumer software and services company.

John Simon, CEO at AfterBOT

Channel Factoid

Less than 20% of consumers trust food companies to develop and sell products that are safe and healthy for themselves and their families, according to new research of grocery shoppers by IBM. These consumers are proving to be extra cautious in purchasing food products after recalls, such as those for peanut butter and spinach. Almost half (49%) of respondents would be less likely to purchase the food product again if it was recalled due to contamination. Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents confirmed they would not buy the food until the source of contamination had been found and addressed. Meanwhile, 8% of respondents said they would never purchase the food again. Overall, the IBM research found striking indications of new preferences: 63% of respondents report they have purposefully changed their grocery shopping behavior in the past two years because they wanted better value for their money. And almost half have changed shopping behavior to access fresher foods (45%) or better quality foods (43%). Finally, more than three-quarters (77%) of consumers want more information about the content of the food products they purchase--with all attendant implications for labeling.

INSTALLATIONS

ZigBee Holds the Key

TimeLox (Richardson, TX), part of the ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Group, recently completed the installation of its wireless RF online locking system at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC. Built on the low-power ZigBee Standard 802.15.4 platform, TimeLox DC-One ONLINE provides two-way communication between the property’s host security system and the stand-alone electronic locks installed throughout the hotel, which has 222 guestrooms, extensive facilities, and an outstanding 2,000-piece art collection. The system communicates with multiple rooms at once, reducing the number of network components required for installation, and enables integration with other online devices such as safes, energy management systems, and even mini-bars. Since its introduction in 2004, TimeLox DC-One ONLINE has been deployed in approximately 20,000 guestrooms worldwide.

“Exceptional service and security are our top priorities,” explained Tony Savage, Director of Engineering at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC. “Our hotel needs the most efficient and reliable system in order to maintain our reputation for providing the ultimate guest experience. With the online locking solution from TimeLox, we were able to increase employee productivity and ultimately our guest’s satisfaction, by utilizing this centralized system.”

“The greatest feature of the wireless online system is the ability of our staff to stay mobile and connected to key events at the property,” Savage continued. “Whether it’s a door that’s left open for a certain time period, or a conference room that needs to be opened for a meeting, the system can automatically send SMS/e-mail task messages alerting the security staff to investigate and take care of the event on his or her PDA, or be dispatched to the exact location.”

Even Better Service at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC