This Week’s Product Pick

Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Ft. Mill, SC) introduced its Stratos 2700 hybrid bioptic in-counter subsystem which combines omnidirectional laser scanning and integrated area imaging. This new platform greatly expands the capacity to read damaged, two-dimensional, and mobile codes, according to the vendor. Moreover, it carries live video-feed capability, through LCD display, for monitoring under-the-cart items. A "single tool" architecture minimizes time and equipment needed for repair with full-text diagnostic messaging. Honeywell's Remote MasterMind allows centralized management, and TotalFreedom 2.0 simplifies customization. "To minimize retail scanning inefficiencies, including costly software and feature upgrades and checkout loss, our hybrid platform provides speed and accuracy, both top priorities for our customers," commented Taylor Smith, Director of Product Management at Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. "The Stratos 2700 enhances the checkout experience and offers add-ons and applications to address future needs."

Stratos 2700 by Honeywell

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Barry Wise Passes Away

Some horrible news over this holiday season must be reported. As some in the industry may have heard, Barry Wise passed away on Friday, December 28, in Dallas, after several weeks of hospitalization for severe health problems. Over the last three decades, I can state with certainty, Barry touched virtually everyone in retail IT with his knowledge, integrity, loyalty, and enthusiasm. He leaves his wife Rhonda, son Lee, daughters Amanda and Natalie, and countless friends.

Following his successful career at Sweda and Innovax, Barry founded Wise Retail Consultants in 1991, where he advised retailers and retail automation companies--most prominently Epson America--in the development of new products and services. His work on behalf of Epson for the National Retail Federation, Retail Solutions Providers Association, and Retail Orphan Initiative needs no recounting. Epson's high standing in the industry may serve to reflect the quality of Barry's work.

Barry was one of the very first people I met when I first joined the industry as an editor and writer in 1995. From the very first, he was unfailingly generous with his time and extremely patient in explaining the workings of the POS world and the unique dynamics of the channel. Indeed, whenever I encountered something new and bewildering, I'd be sure to call Barry for the straight story. Above and beyond, time with Barry became one of the highlights of scores of trade shows and business meetings throughout the years. It's hard to think of our industry without him.

Barry Wise, Visionary and Friend

A Larger Helping of Yellowfin

Yellowfin Distribution (Ellington, CT), upstart distributor for North America for products from Korea-based Bluebird Soft, has added that manufacturer's new line of rugged tablets. Three models will be offered: BP-50, with seven-inch screen, Android OS, and IP-64 rating; BP-70, with ten-inch screen, Android OS, and IP-65 rating; and BP-80, with ten-inch screen, Windows OS, and Bluebird's patented "Eyelluminate" display technology for enhanced performance. All feature Intel Dual Core CPUs at 1 GHz or 1.6 GHz, hot-swappable 15,000 mAh batteries, and choice of 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, and GPS. A full range of accessories include barcode scanner, MSR and NFC readers, and various handles.

"Many analysts say that tablets are already outselling PCs and will outsell laptops in the very near future," observed John Gibson, VP and GM at Yellowfin. "We are committed to making the Pideon brand the leader in rugged tablets by offering more choices of screen size, operating systems, configurations, and accessories than any other brand, all with aggressive value pricing." Yellowfin will unveil the full line of Pideon tablets during the National Retail Federation Show in New York City on January 13 and 14.

New Family of Pideon Tablets From Yellowfin

Worth Your While

NRF 102nd Annual Convention & Expo
National Retail Federation
January 13-16
New York City

INSPIRE
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
January 20-23
Curacao, Lesser Antilles

ETA Annual Meeting & Expo
Electronic Transactions Association
April 30 - May 1
New Orleans

THE Tech EVENT
(Formerly NACStech, National Association of Convenience Stores)
May 6-10
Dallas

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 18-21
Chicago

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Posiflex Sends Out Aura

Posiflex Business Machines (Hayward, CA) has fielded its Aura PP9000 thermal receipt printer, targeted at harsh restaurant environments. Early customers include the Montana Club, with five locations in its namesake state, and placement through Softbridge Technologies, the VAR based in Missoula. In making the choice, Marcus Stenslie, Owner of Softbridge, emphasized the new printer's four-year warranty and imperviousness to spilled foods and liquids.

Measuring 5.8 in. (W) x 8 in. (D) x 5.7 in. (H), and weighing 2 lbs., 10 oz., Aura PP9000 delivers three-inch/80-mm maximum print width, speed of 11.8 inches/300 mm per second, and high resolution of 640 dots per line. It features multi-interface capability with default USB plus choice of Serial, Parallel, LAN, or Wireless. Additional benefits include drop-in paper replacement, auto-feed functionality, partial or full auto-cut capability, and dual control for cash drawers.

Aura PP9000 Receipt Printer by Posiflex

Playing With Fire at IEE

IEE, Inc. has claimed an industry first with its all-aluminum POS pole display. Developed to comply with U.S. Fire, Smoke, and Toxicity (FST) regulations, this new 2x20, 9-mm vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) replaces molded plastic poles with those made from flame-resistant aluminum, matching the head. This allows use in mass transit applications such as ferries, trains, and buses, noted the vendor.

The new VFD pole display communicates through Serial or USB and comes in selectable pole lengths from 2 to 22 inches. It can be finished with the end-user's choice of lens and paint colors. Pricing and delivery for an aluminum pole display is dependent upon configuration.

"As a U.S. small business, we take pride in the IEE culture of listening and responding to our customers' needs," declared Steve Motter, VP at IEE. "We're uniquely positioned to efficiently manufacture our displays in high volume, yet dynamic enough to offer design customization for our customers. Everything we do, from conceptual design to full rate manufacturing, is done from our headquarters in Van Nuys, California."

New Aluminum Pole Display for Mass Transit

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INTEGRATION

Epson Caps Its Bluetooth

Epson America (Long Beach, CA) has armed its Mobilink P60 thermal printer with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR wireless support for Apple's iOS. Available in both receipt and label versions, Mobilink P60 devices now work in conjunction with iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone, as well as Android, Windows, and BlackBerry (through the Bluetooth Serial Port Profile, or SPP, protocol). Debuted in 2003, Mobilink is based on Epson's best-selling TM-T88 series, with two-inch print width, auto-cutter or label peeler, and ruggedized construction. It measures 4 in. (W) x 6.25 in. (D) x 2.5 in. (H) and weighs 1 lb., 8 oz. with battery.

Launched simultaneously, Epson's ePOS-Print SDK for iOS Bluetooth shortens the time to develop mobile applications, according to the vendor. In addition, Epson has simplified the process to receive Apple's approval for applications through the Epson website and help-desk. It should be noted that Mobilink P60 furnishes Wi-Fi 802.11 wireless connectivity and comes CPCL-compatible for easy drop-in Zebra replacement.

"As a market leader in POS printing, Epson is at the forefront of mobile and wireless retail printing technologies," remarked Gregg Brunnick, Director of Marketing for Epson's Business Systems Division. "We were first to the market with our mobile POS printer, and now we've added Bluetooth connectivity to this product. It's an ideal printing solution, because you can produce receipts or labels from i-Devices, and you can take the printer wherever the customer is. It's the best of both worlds for mobile POS printing."

Epson America's Mobilink P60 Gets iOS Via Bluetooth

Presto Gizmo for NCR's Aloha

A partnership has developed between NCR (Duluth, GA) and E la Carte, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA), developer of the Presto tablet tableside ordering system. Now, with full integration to NCR Aloha, customer orders from Presto may be sent directly to the kitchen through the restaurant's POS system. As with similar tableside ordering schemes, Presto allows guests to browse the menu, place orders, make payments, split checks, and play interactive games, all without assistance from wait staff.

Unlike iPads, Presto has been specifically designed for demanding restaurant environments, stressed E la Carte. Additional dedicated features include seven-inch touchscreen with zero bezel, 20-hour battery life, enhanced Wi-Fi reception, embedded credit card reader, and table status visual notification via multi-color LED. Reportedly, Presto has been shown to boost restaurant sales by 10% through impulse orders, upsells, and personalized recommendations.

E la Carte was founded in 2008 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Investors include participants in Groupon, Dropbox, Farmville & Reddit, plus Skip Sack, former Chairman of the National Restaurant Association. "NCR is an industry leader in providing cutting-edge technology to restaurants," stated Rajat Suri, CEO of E la Carte. "Our integration with NCR Aloha offers restaurants a solution that will truly satisfy their guests' needs."

Presto Tableside Ordering System by E la Carte

Code Corner

Invatron Systems Corporation (Toronto) has released Version 2.12 of ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager, its multi-vendor, multilingual, web-enabled solution that provides retailers with centralized control of weight scales and printers. This new software package adds store-level batch maintenance and creation to facilitate PLU and related item management, allowing retailers to run their scales with fewer resources, according to the developer. Described as full-featured and easily implemented, ePLUM helps eliminate data errors and meets legislated requirements in areas such as trans fats, allergens, and country of origin labeling (COOL). In addition, ePLUM offers complete scale resource management, including label formats, preset keys, and graphics. In addition to batch management, Version 2.12 furnishes advanced features such as an ability to remotely reset scales, identify problem scales, perform offline scale status checks, and display store scales sorted by IP address or port number, regardless of department. "Invatron has the most widely installed suite of applications of its kind with well over 15,000 store deployments, and counts many of the largest and most respected chains among its customers, including Safeway, Kroger, Giant Eagle, H-E-B Grocery Co., Wegmans, A&P, Whole Foods, and Loblaws," proclaimed Tom Barclay, Director of Sales at Invatron Systems Corporation.

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

No Wind in VeriFone's SAIL?

Maybe it's not so easy after all. After eight months of trying, VeriFone Systems (San Jose, CA) will pull back from its commitment to SAIL, its answer to so-called micro-merchant payment processing. Similar to Square, SAIL employs dongle-based card reading and free mobile app for Apple's iOS and Google's Android. It sought to leverage VeriFone's enormous footprint in payments, with links to the company's countertop POS terminals, software development kits (SDKs) for integrators, and support from an established end-to-end merchant processing platform.

"Our experience through 2012 with tens of thousands of these micro-merchants tells us that the standalone economics of micro-merchant acquiring is fundamentally unprofitable and destined to be a negative gross-margin business," Doug Bergeron, CEO, asserted in the company's recent quarterly conference call. "Customer acquisition costs, either through search engines or TV advertising, cannot and will never justify the razor-thin margins produced by merchants with infrequent volumes and extremely high attrition." Referring to Square, EBay's PayPal, and Intuit's GoPayment, Bergeron continued, "I think you can see evidence of other competitors' similar experience as they shift their own business models to wallets."

 "We have decided to focus exclusively on an indirect distribution channel strategy for providing mobile payment solutions to micro-merchants," Bergeron revealed during his call. In particular, this means reselling SAIL through bank partners, processors, ISOs, and perhaps VARs. In addition, VeriFone said it will unload its customer acquisition, risk management, and customer billing efforts for SAIL.

SAIL Payment Processing Solution

R-Stream Takes Granbury Upstream

Granbury Restaurant Solutions (Grapevine, TX) has snapped up R-Stream, LLC (St. Petersburg, FL), supplier of enterprise management and POS systems for hospitality. R-Stream was established in 2002 with "the primary focus of gathering and analyzing data for large restaurant organizations," according to its principals. Products include RS-POS (store management), R-Cam (surveillance), R-Tunes (streaming music), and RNS (network monitoring).

"The addition of R-Stream to our growing stable of solutions adds a tremendously powerful enterprise management product, as well as significant expertise in working with large quick-service restaurant (QSR) franchise organizations," explained Tom Bronson, Granbury's CEO. "We are thrilled to welcome their clients to Granbury and look forward to integrating their solutions with our current offerings." Granbury, RRN.Com readers may recall, resulted from the combination of six hospitality providers--DiamondTouch, FireFly Technologies, Vital Link, Let's Get.net, Pizzeria Sales Builder, and POS Core Technologies.

"All of us on team R-Stream are excited to be joining forces with GRS, such a dynamic restaurant technology company," relayed R-Stream President Lisa Bertrand. "This strategic venture creates great opportunities to expand our user base while adding more value-driven services to the entire GRS customer base. Our combined technological teams will forge bigger and better products that will provide the business intelligence tools that are vital to the success of today's business owners." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Another Acquisition for Granbury Restaurant Solutions

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Metropolitan Sales
Wasp Barcode Technologies

POS & Peripherals
J2 Retail Systems
Pioneer POS
Posiflex
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS & Processing
RedFin Network

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC
Janam Technologies
Trimble

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Scanners
Bar Codes Unlimited
Code Corporation
Honeywell

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo TouchSystems

INSTALLATIONS

The Big Salad Chef - SaaS

WhenToManage (Ann Arbor, MI) has deployed its web-based inventory management software for its neighbor, The Big Salad restaurant chain. This new technology provides the merchant with superior, scalable operational capabilities for national expansion, according to the two parties, even in the face of disparate POS systems. Functionality spans: vendor and product databases; purchasing and invoice management; tracking of usage, variance, waste, and store-to-store transfers; yield management of items used in batch recipes or butchering; ingredient profiles for each menu item and recipe; and breakdown of usage trends and ordering suggestions. It works in tandem with the developer's POS intelligence and employee scheduling solutions.

"Many of the inventory management solutions in the marketplace do a good job at addressing one or two of our needs, but WhenToManage stood out for doing a great job at delivering all of our requirements--specifically integration with our vendors, compatibility with our POS system from Halo, and comprehensive data gathering and analysis," reported John Bornoty, CEO and Founder of The Big Salad, LLC. "While I've noticed that many franchisors fall short when it comes to providing franchisees with operational support, at The Big Salad we feel it's critical to provide owners with turnkey operational tools to ensure they achieve the best possible margins. I'm also excited about the opportunity to view operational data from all of our locations on one dashboard, enabling our team to identify and collaborate on issues and successes."

"It's very cool to see how easily our software can be deployed by franchises once they decide to focus on integrating their operations," added Walker Thompson, Director of Sales and Marketing with WhenToManage. "Kudos to The Big Salad for having the foresight to get it right before their national roll-out." Just recently, WhenToManage partnered with longtime channel ISV, CAP Software (Fort Worth, TX), to market an integrated package of store management and POS through the channel.

Cloud-Based Dashboard by WhenToManage

Security Cameras Whip Up Sales

IQinVision (San Juan Capistrano, CA) has provided its high-definition megapixel IP cameras, in conjunction with controller software from Prism Skylabs, for The Creamery in San Francisco. In this interesting example of SMB adoption, use of the cameras goes well beyond standard security concerns, and carries the trendy food and drink stand into examination of shopper movement and behaviors. Freeing merchants from viewing hours of footage, this new software produces "video summaries, powerful analytics, and big data-powered reports," according to Steve Russell, CEO and Founder of Prism Skylabs, also based in San Francisco.

Ivor Bradley, Owner of The Creamery, keeps an eye on customers and staff using his smartphone to view real-time images from the cafe's several cameras. During the breakfast rush, he noticed that people reaching the front of the line would lean across the counter display and cut off other customers to get cups of orange juice. It happened again and again, and the busy staff didn't notice. When Bradley himself worked at the counter, he hadn't noticed either. Once he moved the cups of orange juice closer to his customers, sales of the item doubled and the line moved noticeably faster.

"We see a very bright future in working together with Prism Skylabs," shared Rob Ledenko, EVP at IQinVision. "The potential market just in retail alone is huge for translating clear video images of customer behavior into improved customer service and higher profits. Prism Skylabs' software is highly sophisticated and effective, but it is dependent on reliable, durable cameras with HD megapixel quality images so that the software can deliver the best, most actionable intelligence."

The Creamery in San Francisco's SoMa District

Channel Factoid

Total restaurant industry sales are expected to exceed $660 billion in 2013, up 3.8% over 2012, according to the National Restaurant Association. This marks the fourth consecutive year of real growth for the 980,000 foodservice locations in the U.S. Over the next year, restaurants will employ 13.1 million individuals, representing the nation's second-largest private-sector employer with 10% of the total U.S. workforce. Fortunately for the IT channel, the public's interest in technology continues unabated. At table-service restaurants, more than half of consumers said they would use tableside electronic payment options and 44% would welcome tableside ordering. Nearly one-third would use mobile payment options, four in ten would use tablet-based menus, and exactly half would use smartphone apps for viewing menus, ordering, or making reservations. Less than one in ten table-service restaurants currently offer these options, but 54% said they will invest more resources in customer-facing technology in 2013. At quick-service restaurants 44% of consumers said they would use self-order terminals, two in five would use smartphone apps to place orders or view menus, and more than one-quarter would use mobile payment schemes. Currently, less than 2% of quick-service restaurants offer these options, although 48% said they plan on investing more in customer-facing technology in 2013. "Restaurant operators will continue to explore ways of navigating the rocky economic landscape to find the road to success," reflected Dawn Sweeney, CEO/President of the NRF.

HELLO GOODBYE

Buck Goes to Belgium

ScanSource, Inc. (Greenville, SC) has designated Glen "Buck" Baker as President of ScanSource Europe, including the POS & Barcoding and Communications business units, on an interim basis. In Europe, Baker replaces Xavier Cartiaux, who had responsibility for ScanSource's international operations and recently left the company. A familiar face in the channel, Baker will report to Scott Benbenek, President of Worldwide Operations, ScanSource, Inc., and will be based in Brussels, Belgium.

"Buck has been instrumental in leading ScanSource Communications North America, which achieved record sales results for our last fiscal year," commented Benbenek. "Buck brings to his new position in Europe a wealth of experience in successfully leading a business unit and strong skills in building vendor and customer relationships."

Baker joined ScanSource in 1995 and has over 23 years of experience in technology distribution. He has served as President of ScanSource Communications North America since 2008. He previously led the merchandising teams for both Catalyst Telecom and ScanSource POS & Barcoding North America as VP of Merchandising.

Buck Baker, Interim President, ScanSource Europe

Intronis Turns to Bradbury (Again)

Intronis, Inc. (Boston), an aggressive provider of cloud back-up solutions for the IT channel, has named Neal Bradbury as VP of Channel Development, taking the reins from Ted Roller. Since helping to launch the company in 2003, Bradbury has held many leaderships posts, including partner support, product management, and, most recently, operations. He was highly influential in developing the company's channel strategy back in 2009, according to Intronis.

"As co-founder of Intronis and an industry luminary, Neal is uniquely positioned to lead our channel development efforts and knows what it takes to generate even greater business value for our managed service provider (MSP) community and alliance partners," stated Jay Bolgatz, Interim CEO and VP of Engineering and Development. "We're celebrating another great year of success and double-digit partner growth, and want to thank Ted for his contributions to Intronis and welcome Neal back into the field."

"I am passionate about making our partners prosper and working directly with them again is exactly where I want to be," Bradbury said. "This is an exciting time in our company's history and together with our partners we will set new standards in services excellence and capitalize on the growing market demand for cloud back-up solutions." In November, Intronis received $12 million in funding led by new investor, Greenspring Associates, with participation from OpenView Venture Partners and the company's executive management team.

 Neal Bradbury, VP of Channel Development, Intronis