Our Product Pick

Partner Tech (Irvine, CA) has shipped its EM-300 Enterprise Tablet for Mobile POS. Supporting Windows 8.1, EM-300 features 10" projected capacitive touchscreen, Intel Celeron Braswell N3000 CPU, 2-GB RAM (up to 4-GB), and 32-GB eMMC. Weighing 2 lbs., it offers dust and spill-resistant front bezel, and withstands multiple 4 ft./1.2 m drops. Additional benefits include Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and 4030-mAh rechargeable Li-Ion battery. As options, there's one- and two-dimensional scanners, MSR, NFC, and fingerprint sensor. "Our ruggedized EM-300 has all the power and processing performance needed for today's mobile retail environment," remarked Partner Tech. "It supports all the leading software for POS."

EM-300 Tablet by Partner Tech

COMPANY BUSINESS

HP Revolution No. 9

Each year, HP (Palo Alto, CA) uses the National Retail Federation (NRF) Show in New York City to unveil its newest POS. For this year, that's the RP9. As usual, HP has leveraged its power in computing to bring the newest technologies into the RP9, offering such elements as Intel's 6th generation Core Skylake CPUs, Windows 10 Pro or IoT Enterprise, DDR4 Memory, and M.2 SSD and M.2 Wireless LAN with Bluetooth. In keeping with previous HP POS, there's flexibility in individual configurations and peripherals--see the extensive data sheets--down to the choice of 15" or 18" projected capacitive touchscreens and single- or dual-hinge display stands.

It also addresses, in particular, retail worries about data theft. Here, HP has called upon Intel's Data Protection Technology for Transactions. "The RP9 will be the first retail POS to be shipped with key integrated peripherals enabled with Intel's DPT for Transactions," flourished Jack Van Horn, Global Category Manager for Retail Solutions at HP. In addition, to further "prevent, detect, and repair attacks," in his phrasing, there's HP BIOSphere with Sure Start.

In the company's prelaunch press briefing with Van Horn and Brad Tracy, Global Retail Segment Manager, the HP RP9 was described as filling the gap between all-in-one and more modular terminals, befitting retailers of all sizes and industries. It features the popular look of consumer electronics, in keeping with the current trend, having thin profile and edge-to-edge glass. In tune with the company's philosophy towards retail, it ensures ten-year lifecycle, encompassing five years of purchasing and five years of parts and service. "A step change in aesthetics, performance, and security," said Tracy of the RP9.

HP Steps Forward With RP9

TSYS Ties One On: TransFirst

Another shoe has dropped in payment processing with the purchase of TransFirst (Hauppauge, NY) by TSYS (Columbus, GA). An all-cash transaction with Vista Equity Partners, expected to close in Q2 2016, is valued at $2.3 billion. It makes TSYS the sixth largest U.S. acquirer based on net revenue, supporting more than 645,000 merchant outlets. It follows earlier examples of consolidation in the chase for integrated payments: Mercury to Vantiv, PayPros and Accelerated Payment Technologies to OpenEdge, Precidia to Merchant Link, Heartland to Global Payments. (FYI: Global Payments also happens to own OpenEdge).

"TransFirst significantly increases our scale and opportunity within the highly attractive merchant space, and particularly the profitable and fast-growing small and medium-sized business segment," declared M. Troy Woods, Chairman, CEO, and President of TSYS. "I believe our ability to offer market-leading services through this distribution network and across the payments spectrum will be unmatched." At present, TransFirst has approximately 1,300 partners, including ISVs.

Effective with the closing of this transaction, Mark Pyke, Senior EVP and President of the TSYS Merchant segment, will be leaving TSYS. Subsequently, John Shlonsky, CEO and President of TransFirst, will be responsible for the combined businesses. "We feel the combination of our two organizations will form an even stronger platform for us to grow new sales, provide more robust solutions for our partners and merchants, and expand an already outstanding service model," stated Shlonsky.

M. Troy Woods, Chairman, CEO, and President of TSYS

Worth Your While

Inspire 2016
Retail Solutions Providers Association
Jan. 31 - Feb. 3
San Diego

NGA Show 2016
National Grocers Association
Feb. 28 - March 2
Las Vegas

Transact 16
Electronic Transactions Association
April 19-21
Las Vegas

WERC 2016
Warehousing Education and Research Council
May 15-18
Providence, RI

NRA Show 2016
National Restaurant Association
May 21-24
Chicago

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Full Tilt at Zebra

Zebra Technologies Corporation (Lincolnshire, IL) has unwrapped its newest mobile computer, the TC8000, and it's pretty nifty. Aimed at warehousing, this device has an innovative design that eliminates the need for "tilt and verify" motion by placing the scanner and display screen as vertical opposites. According to the vendor, this configuration increases worker productivity by an average of 14% (based on workflow).

As another significant improvement, incorporating third-party software, the TC8000 automatically updates legacy terminal emulation "green screens" into graphics-based, intuitive "all-touch" screens. Via so-called "SimulScan" it captures multiple barcodes and business forms with one scanning motion. In addition, hands-free proximity scanning accommodates hip holster, shoulder strap, cart, or desktop utilization.

Running Android, the TC8000 reduces weight to 17 oz., with dimensions of 9.2 in. (L) x 3 in. (W) x 2.5 in. (D), and Intel Dual Core CPU at 1.7 GHz, 1-GB RAM, and 4-GB Flash. A 6700-mAh Lithium-Ion battery delivers three-shift power. A full suite of data collection and communications has been included: one- or two-dimensional scanning (either Motorola's SE965 or SE4750), eight-megapixel camera, and optional NFC; Bluetooth, USB, and Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/d/h/i. As ruggedness, there's IP-65 for water and dust and 8 ft./2.4 m drops to concrete.

"I believe the TC8000 is a game changer in the warehouse," volunteered Jim Bonner, GM of third-party logistics leader, Exel (Westerville, OH). "Our IT staff and warehouse operators have been testing the product and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for its lightweight design and ease of use. Our operations managers and supervisors are expecting significant improvements in productivity. The innovative ergonomic design with the heads up display, and ease of use for new workers, will quickly become the industry standard for warehouse mobile computing."

Next-Generation TC8000 Mobile Computer From Zebra

MagTek's Latest Dynamo

Industry stalwart MagTek, Inc. (Seal Beach, CA) has presented its new card reader subsystem, bearing both MSR and EMV L1/L2, and designated eDynamo. With dimensions of 2.5 in. (W) x 1.5 in. (H) x 1 in. (D), it supports iOS, Android, and Windows, with connectivity via USB and Bluetooth Low Energy, allowing stationary or portable configurations. An onboard battery provides 1,000 card swipes between charges.

eDynamo is built on MagTek's MagneSafe Security Architecture, which features encryption, tokenization, dynamic card authentication, and device/host validation. Additional data security is forwarded by MagTek's MagnePrint technology, which checks the unique physical properties of the magnetic stripe, often called the "digital identifier." As integration, of course, there's Software Development Kits (SDKs).

"The EMV liability shift that occurred in October of 2015 creates an ongoing demand for improved payment security across merchants of all sizes," observed John Arato, MagTek's VP and GM for Retail Solutions. "The eDynamo is a powerful solution for enhancing payment security whether the customer presents a traditional magnetic-stripe card or an EMV-ready chip card. Because of its design, merchants can use it almost anywhere and protecting sensitive payment information is immediate."

MagTek's eDynamo Card Reader for EMV

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Channel Chatter

Here's a better photo of the DASH/T3 from Pioneer POS (City of Industry, CA), which was covered in last week's edition of RRN.Com. Preloaded with Windows 8.1, with 10" multi-touch display, it offers several mounting choices: standard "LP" base, advanced "UP" base with two USB ports, and wall-mount kit. With each, the DASH/T3, weighing approximately 2 lbs., can be detached for use on the store floor. The "UP" base allows the DASH/T3 to be rotated to landscape or portrait mode, or to tilt.

ALLIANCES

CipherLab Tools Up

CipherLab USA (Plano, TX) has endorsed TracerPlus, by Portable Technology Solutions (Calverton, NY), as a recommended development tool for three of its handheld mobile computers: the customer service RS30 with Android, the industrial CP60 with Windows, and the heavy-duty 9700 with Windows. A leading software for mobile data collection, TracerPlus facilitates enterprise-class barcoding and RFID. As part of the new TracerPlus Version 9.1, the "Publisher Edition" allows users to fully brand and license their applications.

"We are excited to have TracerPlus 9.1 available to our reseller partner community," shared Luis Wu, VP and GM of CipherLab USA. "This development tool will allow our partners to grow their businesses with their own software brand and generate improved margins with control of the software licensing process. CipherLab hardware combined with software generated by TracerPlus 9.1 will result in total solutions with very high value."

"Pairing CipherLab devices with our TracerPlus software represents an impelling partnership that makes a lot of sense," confirmed Brad Horn, CEO of Portable Technology Solutions. "Every day, devices arrive at PTS for TracerPlus validation testing, and rarely do we see devices so well designed and manufactured, while priced to meet market needs." Founded in 2000, Portable Technology Solutions has approximately 7,000 customers.

CipherLab Endorses TracerPlus for Data Collection From Portable Technology Solutions

A Feasible Mobile POS, Testify Partners

A pair of new partners--hardware supplier Koamtac (Princeton, NJ) and software provider eMobilePOS (San Juan, PR)--have joined forces for Mobile POS. As part of this pact, eMobile POS, part of e-Nabler Corporation, has certified Koamtac's payment and scanning companion device for tablets and smartphones, the KDC500. Pocket-sized at 4.5 in. (L) x 2 in. (W) x 1 in. (D), and less than 6 oz., the KDC500 supports Bluetooth, iOS, Android, and Windows. In its configuration with eMobilePOS, card data is protected by point-to-point encryption to the processor, according to the two parties.

"Over the past ten years, Koamtac has provided the highest quality and most compact accessories for smart devices," suggested Hanjin Lee, CEO and President of Koamtac. "Now we have successfully launched the KDC500, the smallest PCI-certified EMV/MSR payment companion with barcode and NFC. The KDC500 is currently being used in retail and transportation companies, who require both scanning and payment solutions. I believe the partnership of eMobilePOS and Koamtac will provide the best Mobile POS solution for retail and transportation companies today."

"The EMV liability shift is upon us and merchants are looking for POS-integrated options," indicated Joel Vazquez, CEO and President of eMobilePOS. "Our customers are assured that EMV compliance is achieved feasibly by simply adding the certified KDC500 Chip-and-PIN terminal to their existing eMobilePOS system." A cloud-based platform, emphasizing Android, eMobilePOS was launched in 2001; it sells through VARs.

Koamtac's KDC500 Mobile POS Payment/Scanner Device, Now With eMobilePOS

Code Corner

FreedomPay (Radnor, PA) has released its "Pay-At-Table" solution for restaurants, with MSR, EMV, and NFC. It employs Ingenico's iWL 258 wireless payment terminal, powered by FreedomPay's payment gateway, and ties into the merchant's POS (including Micros, Agilysys, and Digital Dining). Significantly, Pay-At-Table has PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption (PCI P2PE), which includes full tokenization where necessary, taking the transaction out-of-scope for PCI-DSS. Merchants are also able to leverage FreedomPay to deliver a range of value-added services such as loyalty rewards and incentives, dynamic currency conversion, interactive tablets at the POS, and business intelligence applications with SKU-level transaction data. Its capacity in NFC supports mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay. Throughout 2016, FreedomPay will be rolling out Pay-At-Table with fast-growing restaurant chain, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. "A secure and flexible solution to pay-at-the-table with their chip card or mobile wallet is critically important," noted John Fowley, VP of Information Technology of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.

INTEGRATION

Elo Expanded (With OEMs & ISVs)

A busy time for Elo (Milpitas, CA), which has embraced new partners, both hardware and software. First, in the area of self-service, it has offered integration of Honeywell's N5680 OEM scan engine for its touch displays, including the I-Series and X-Series. With two-dimensional imaging, this integration supports price check, promotion, and product finder functionality, according to the vendor. In particular, it enables barcode reading from mobile phone displays and challenging retail labels. "Expanding needs for interactive capabilities," in the words of Dan Ludwick, VP and GM of Elo.

In the second case, Elo has addressed payments. Here, it has offered integration of the Verifone e355 payment terminal, which supports MSR, EMV, NFC, Loyalty, and Mobile Wallets. In protecting sensitive customer data, this solution runs Verifone's Secure Commerce Architecture. "An ability to seamlessly integrate Verifone's offering with Elo's All-in-One digital touchscreen solutions brings this capability to Elo's more than 20 million installations," enthused Jerry Hamrock, Senior Director of Global Product Management for Mobile Products at Verifone.

In 2014, Elo entered the fray in POS for the SMB with its "ECR for the Cloud," entitled PayPoint. It integrates flip-to-sign touchscreen, receipt printer, cash drawer, barcode scanner, card swipe, and customer-facing display. Originally, Elo intended to provide its own software for PayPoint, but that effort has been discontinued in favor of ISVs. Announced this month: iMobile3 (Jacksonville, FL) and Talech (Palo Alto, CA).

Elo's "ECR for the Cloud": PayPoint

Bluebird Sighted in the Channel

Stratix Corporation (Norcross, GA) will pursue so-called "Mobility-as-a-Service," or MaaS, in conjunction with South Korean vendor, Bluebird. Through Stratix, qualifying customers can acquire the Bluebird EF500R or EF400--two new touch-based handheld computers--as bundles carrying managed services capability. This includes mobile device provisioning and deployment, spare pool management with overnight device replacements, 24x7 mobile support desk, and real-time asset visibility and reporting (via the "itrac360" web portal).

"Today's mobile technology is evolving faster than enterprises can economically sustain," cautioned Calvin Cho, Market Development Manager for Bluebird. "With Stratix MaaS, customers can get into the latest technology quicker without incurring the cost of equipment ownership and adding new support resources." At the recent National Retail Federation (NRF) Show in New York City, Bluebird revealed its full line of handheld computers and ruggedized tablets with multi-O/S support. This includes Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise.

Also at NRF, Bluebird revealed its new partnership with Reflexis Systems (Dedham, MA), one of the leaders in store operation and workforce management software. "[With Bluebird], we can now offer retailers uniform access to StorePulse from any type of Windows 10 device, enabling real-time store execution and more efficient handling of unplanned events," exclaimed Brett Walker, VP of Global Alliances and Solutions Consulting at Reflexis. Here, too, the EF500R and EF400 from Bluebird--as well as Bluebird's ST100 and RT100 Tablets.

Bluebird's EF500R Handheld Computer

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
AnywhereCommerce
Bematech
Elo Touch Solutions
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Partner Tech
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
PowaPOS

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
Citizen
CognitiveTPG

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Datalogic

Integrated Payment Solutions
Cayan
Datacap Systems
Discover
iPayment Inc.
Mercury/Vantiv
Moneris

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo Touch Solutions

INSTALLATIONS

Pita Pit Hooks Stingray

Panasonic Corporation of North America (Newark, NJ) has deployed its flagship Stingray III POS for Pita Pit USA. Earlier this year, Pita Pit, one of the fastest-growing fast-casual restaurant franchises, with more than 250 sites in the U.S., entered vendor evaluation to replace end-of-lifecycle terminals. About the same time, Panasonic debuted Stingray III in January 2015. It offers modular design, choice of CPUs (Intel Core i5, Intel Pentium, or Intel Celeron), two touchscreens (15" XGA or 17" SXGA), and the full slate of regular and powered COM and USB ports. In addition, the workstation delivers 4-GB RAM (up to 16-GB), SSD or HDD, and Intel HD Graphics.

"We required a solution that allowed us to modify how and where staff engage the POS in order to better serve our customers without any additional construction," reflected Mick Gray, Director of IT Services at Pita Pit. "The Stingray III's mounting flexibility enabled us to implement a new configuration: one POS terminal in front of the restaurant for walk-ins and one POS terminal in the back of the restaurant for pick-up and payment. Also, the Stingray III's slim and sleek design frees up valuable countertop space, giving each restaurant an overall cleaner feeling."

A rollout of Stingray III at Pita Pit has been managed by Restaurant Service Solutions (Louisville, KY), one of the nationwide providers of Panasonic POS. RSS provides the hardware, staging, and installation services, and will also serve as a central point of contact for technical support. Also, RSS will support franchisee legacy hardware during the transition to Stingray III. "A seamless transition," according to Jeff Pinc, Director of Food Services and Retail at Panasonic.

Panasonic's Stingray III Chosen for Fast-Growing Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain

Digimarc Marks Its Territory

A boutique regional grocery chain, New Seasons Market, has adopted the Digimarc Barcode for its private-label products. As we've all seen demonstrated, the Digimarc Barcode, based on patented digital watermarking technology, comprises an imperceptible pattern that gets repeatedly encoded into the images and graphics on consumer packaged goods. This novel approach makes the entire package scannable--not just the traditional UPC symbol. It results in increased checkout speed.

"New Seasons is a leader in creating neighborhood gathering places, delivering trademark customer service, and partnering with farmers and producers to bring their customers the best in the region," related Bruce Davis, CEO at Digimarc (Beaverton, OR). "We are happy for the role our Digimarc Barcode will play in further enhancing consumer engagement with their brands at retail and making greater product information accessible in a simple and easy way [e.g., through in-aisle mobile shopping]." Currently, New Seasons has two dozen stores in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

Additionally, Digimarc and GS1 US (Lawrenceville, NJ) will collaborate to speed industry adoption of the Digimarc Barcode. GS1, of course, maintains the global standards for barcodes; it has 300,000 member businesses in the U.S. "GS1 US is an ideal vehicle for creating awareness, providing education and training, and enabling efficient acquisition of relevant services," acknowledged Davis. "This collaboration represents a seminal event for Digimarc Barcode, fostering better understanding and effective use of this innovation by retailers, brands, and other users of barcodes."

Digimarc Barcoded Packages, with Honeywell Scanner, at the Recent NRF Show in NYC

Channel Factoid

A survey conducted by ACI Worldwide at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Show in New York City took the temperature of retailers. Although four months have passed since October 1, the vast majority of respondents are not compliant with EMV. Of the retailers surveyed, only 8.5% indicated they had achieved this. Another 48% have started preparations for EMV. In another area, payment security (72%), integrated loyalty (71%), and seamless ordering (55%) were highlighted as the top three features that all respondents want their mobile apps to deliver. A full 75% of respondents prioritize payment security as the most important feature of any mobile wallet offering, similarly, followed by integrated loyalty (55%) and seamless ordering (46%). In the case of digital channels, not surprisingly, 70% cited online/domestic as their top choice. Online shopping in-store (via tablet or other device) ranked as the second most popular digital channel (45%), followed by online/international and cross border (44%), mobile/in-store app (38%), and social media (11%). "Regardless of the channel, our survey results demonstrate that payment security is one core area of concern," summarized Lynn Holland, VP, Product Line Manager, ACI Worldwide.

HELLO GOODBYE

Seasoned at Seiko

Seiko Instruments USA, Thermal Printer Division (Torrance, CA), has enlisted Steve Zbin as Regional Sales Manager, Eastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. Most recently, Zbin served as Field Sales Engineer for Electro-Reps, where he handled business development for the company's electronic components products. Prior to that, he spent more than ten years at FutureLogic, mainly focusing on casinos and OEMs. From 1998 to 2004, he was Regional Sales Manager at Seiko Instruments. "I'm looking forward to being part of an already successful and innovative team that has a constant vision of always taking hold of the next big opportunity when it comes to technology," affirmed Zbin, who will be based in Cleveland, OH.

"Addition of Steve is a positive and smart move for Seiko Instruments," commented Kaz Onishi, VP of Seiko Instruments USA. "Steve's technical sales background, as well as his industry and company knowledge and relationships, are a natural fit for him to take our thermal printer business to even higher levels in the Eastern U.S. and Eastern Canada." A wide range of thermal printers are offered for Seiko's channel partners, including point-of-sale, smart label, panel mount, and mobile.

Seiko Instruments USA, Thermal Printer Division, also now offers Bluetooth capability and iOS Software Development Kit (SDK) compatibility as part of its RP-D10 Lite Model Qaliber POS Printer. These join Android and Windows. Introduced in 2013, the direct-thermal RP-D10 Lite features cubic design of 5 in. x 5 in. x 5 in., both top load and front load access for flexibility, and USB, Serial, Powered USB, or Ethernet. It prints at 8 inch/200 mm per second at 203 dpi, weighs just 1 lb., 14 oz., and accommodates standard paper sizes from 58 mm to 80 mm. A minimum of 62 miles of printing and 1.5 million cuts are rated, with "onyx" black or "ice" white cases.

Steve Zbin, Regional Sales Manager, Eastern U.S. and Eastern Canada, for the Thermal Printer Division of Seiko Instruments USA

Cate in Charge

Zebra Technologies Corporation (Lincolnshire, IL) has appointed Bill Cate as its VP of Channel Strategy, Programs, and Operations. Since 2011, Cate has served as Senior Director, Global Sales and Channel Operations, for Motorola Solutions. Earlier, he spent two decades at Sun Microsystems, culminating in the position of Head of Global Marketing. In his new role, he will be instrumental in the launch and ongoing management of Zebra's new channel effort, dubbed PartnerConnect, scheduled to launch officially in Q2 2016.

"Bill Cate is an experienced channel executive who has consistently achieved impressive results in setting and executing global marketing, sales, and program strategies through large-scale channel ecosystems," relayed Mike Cho, SVP of Corporate Development and Interim CMO at Zebra Technologies. "He has extensive experience in developing effective, efficient processes and systems to operate and grow the business while increasing the value for everyone in the channel." Juliann Larimer, in case you're wondering, now serves as GM and VP of North American Sales for Zebra, not CMO.

"I am honored to join Zebra Technologies," remarked Cate. "Zebra is a great company known for its world-class capabilities in working with channel partners and delivering innovative solutions that make enterprises more connected. This role represents an incredible opportunity to continue to enhance and execute a comprehensive channel strategy worldwide using what I have learned and practiced with enterprise technology ecosystems." In 2014, Cate was named one of the "Channel Chiefs" by CRN.

Bill Cate, VP of Channel Strategy, Programs, and Operations, Zebra Technology Corporation