This Week’s Product Pick

A new entry, Cybernet (Irvine, CA and Taipei, Taiwan) has unveiled its iPOS-G45 POS terminal with the latest Intel G45 Express Chipset for greater power. This new POS carries 8 GB of DDR3 memory, five-wire high-definition resistive touchscreen in 19- and 17-inch sizes, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It features solid reinforced steel construction with 60 degrees tilt for maximum stability during operation. A full suite of ports has been assembled, including USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, LAN, and COM. “When we looked at the POS market, we discovered that these systems had become slow and outdated,” maintained Ali Bagheri, SVP of Cybernet. “On top of that, many POS systems still use legacy parallel and serial ports for their critical peripherals. Finally, end-users were becoming more sophisticated and accustomed to using touchscreen technology, so it has to be robust. So we designed an All-in-One POS that addresses all of these shortcomings.”

Cybernet iPOS-G45

COMPANY BUSINESS

FEC Refocused on U.S.

Firich USA has resumed responsibility for all sales and service for its POS terminals, effective immediately. As RRN.Com readers may remember, Firich commissioned Acrelec Americas, led by Glen Carroll, President, to sell and distribute its products fourteen months ago. At that time, Firich Enterprises Co. (FEC) divided its operations in the U.S. into “Product Distribution” and “Product Life Cycle Services,” with Acrelec Americas responsible for the former. Now that distinction has been erased and both sides of the house will be run out of the Firich USA facility in Fremont, California.

“Our customers required streamlined communications and direct services, and we believe this is the right direction,” RRN.Com was told by Iris Chiang, Senior Sales Director, who has been recruited from FEC Taiwan to head the charge. “With this transition, our resellers can get instant response and have no need to worry about logistic or support issues. Our office in Fremont was established over eight years ago and we’re well suited to provide production, RMA, and sales services to customers.”

AerPOS Terminal Upcoming by Firich USA

Star Light, Star Bright

Star Micronics (Edison, NJ) has furthered its profitable push into Apple iOS and Android for its retail printers. In the first of three announcements, Star will integrate its SM-T300 portable printer with the TazPad from TazTag (Bruz, France), promoted as the world’s first NFC and ZigBee compatible tablet computer for Android. TazPad also carries biometric fingerprint identification technology for maximum security. Introduced in 2010, Star’s SM-T300 features easy drop-in paper loading, print speed of 80 mm/3.15 inches per second, rugged waterproof design, LCD display, magnetic-stripe reader (MSR), and Bluetooth/Serial or WLAN/Serial communications.

“Star’s partnership with a leading-edge company like TazTag is another reason why Star is ‘always leading and always innovating,’” said Christophe Naasz, Director of Marketing for Star Micronics America, quoting the company’s motto. “TazTag is releasing extraordinary products with features that cannot be found on any mobile products today. Like Star, TazTag is really on the edge of the technology and we are proud to be associated with such a leading company.”

Star SM-T300 Portable Receipt Printer

Worth Your While

RetailNOW 2012
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 29-August 1
Las Vegas

VARTECH US/LATAM
BlueStar
October 5-8
Bahamas Cruise

NACS 2012
National Association of Convenience Stores
October 7-9
Las Vegas

Pack Expo 2012
Packaging Manufacturers Machinery Institute
October 28-31
Chicago

Customer Engagement Technology World
JDEvents
November 7-8
New York

IAAPA Expo 2012
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
November 12-16
Orlando

ALL IN THE FAMILY

3M Puts the Touch on Retail

3M Touch Systems (Methuen, MA) has unwrapped two new high-performance multi-touch displays for professional and retail environments. Offered as the 24-inch 3M Multi-Touch Display M2467PW (20 touches) and the 27-inch 3M Multi-Touch Display M2767PW (40 touches), these new subsystems furnish LED backlight, wide viewing angles, and bezel-free front surfaces. With “ultra-fast speed,” the M2767PW suits multi-user environments such as digital signage and product selectors, emphasized 3M, which has stocked its distributors (BlueStar, Ingram Micro DC/POS, ScanSource, and Synnex).

Based on 3M’s projected capacitive technology (PCT), these multi-touch displays may recognize and reject the user’s palms or arms resting on the touchscreen to help prevent inadvertent touches while maximizing accuracy. Both displays feature 3M’s proprietary “anti-stiction” surface treatment for smooth gesturing and optimized draw capabilities. These displays are Windows 7 compatible and 3M supplies drivers for Windows XP, Linux, and Mac OS.

“Smartphone and tablet interactivity is now driving users’ expectations for touch, so they expect that any interactive display they encounter will have the same degree of responsiveness,” observed Diego Romeu, Business Operations Manager at 3M Touch Systems. “3M’s high-performance multi-touch displays meet or exceed their touch response expectations and offer an ideal fit for an expanding group of touchscreen users. These new displays join our desktop products--3M Multi-Touch Display M2167PW at 21.5 inches and M1866PW at 18.5 inches--and chassis products--C3266PW at 32 inches and C2254PW at 22 inches.”

3M High-Performance Multi-Touch Display

Perpetual Motion for Tablet PCs

Motion Computing (Austin, TX), one of the pack of vendors pursuing tablet computers from the vantage of vertical markets, has debuted its CL910 with Intel’s Atom N2600 dual-core processor at 1.6 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, and capacity for Windows 8 OS. Additional new features include Bluetooth 4.0 for enhanced peripheral device connectivity, seven hours of battery life to support all-day computing, and state-of-the-art security with Trusted Platform Module. The CL-Series SlateMate expansion sleeve brings barcode scanning and magnetic-stripe reading (MSR) for data acquisition and transaction processing.

Measuring 7 in. (H) x 11 in. (W) x 0.6 in. (D), and weighing 2.1 lbs., the CL910 carries 10.1-inch high-resolution capacitive display with both touch and stylus input and Corning Gorilla Glass for durability. Front and rear-facing cameras support documentation, video conferencing, and collaboration. Communications include optional Gobi with GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11, and wireless SIM, as well as Bluetooth 4.0. A full complement of ports, including USB, SD Card, Audio In/Out, and Video Out, simplify the use of industry standard peripherals. Lastly, the CL910 meets MIL-STD-810G and IP-52 requirements.

Model CL910 Tablet PC by Motion Computing

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ALLIANCES

Playing Video at pcAmerica

Two channel leaders in their respective arenas, pcAmerica for POS and Digiop for surveillance video, have joined forces to provide more value for merchants. With integration through the Digiop Elements management system, users of pcAmerica’s Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express will enjoy all the benefits of video monitoring and associated data analysis at the POS. Business managers will be immediately notified when the software identifies potential fraudulent transactions, for example, and may then access the related video to study the exchange in question.

“We look forward to illustrating the many benefits of video and POS data integration to pcAmerica’s retail customers,” shared Rich Mellott, President of Digiop (Indianapolis, IN). “Digiop Elements is designed to help retailers and small business owners tackle important business challenges, such as preventing inventory loss and deterring theft, reducing liability, improving operational efficiencies, and boosting customer service. With enhanced analytical capabilities and video verification for each POS transaction, retailers gain powerful tools for addressing and solving real business challenges.”

Popular POS Software Tied to Digiop Video Monitoring

Socket Eyes iPad POS

Socket Mobile (Newark, CA) will bundle its Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) Series 7 with Apple iPad POS from leading ISV, LightSpeed (Montreal and Ottawa). This CHS 7Ci--certified for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch--represents the newest in Socket’s line of Bluetooth handheld barcode scanners. Positioned at lower price point than other scanners in the series, the CHS 7Ci reads all common one-dimensional linear and stacked barcodes up to 20 inches away with beep tone and LED indicators of performance.

“The CHS 7Ci is ideal for the retail industry, and Socket Mobile is pleased to partner with LightSpeed to offer a powerful, interactive POS solution for this growing market,” relayed Mike Gifford, EVP at Socket Mobile. “Traditionally, sales associates were tied to POS stations once the transaction required scanning, forcing customers to come to them when ready to make their purchase or ask about inventory. With robust applications like LightSpeed for iPad, the Bluetooth-enabled CHS 7Ci allows retailers to take the transaction to the customer, allowing an increase in customer satisfaction, and ultimately, an increase in sales.”

Socket also supplies the CHS 7Xi two-dimensional barcode scanner in similar pocket-sized, lightweight form factor. In addition to Apple iOS, the CHS 7Ci and 7Xi are compatible with Android, BlackBerry, and Windows. SocketScan SDK Version 10 may be provided for developers who want to customize an iOS application for the CHS 7Ci or 7Xi. LightSpeed for iPad is downloadable for free on the iTunes App Store, naturally, and requires LightSpeed Server with one user license per iPad client, which gets marketed direct and through the developer’s reseller network.

CHS 7Ci Scanner From Socket Mobile

Code Corner

Here’s a switch. HighJump Software (Minneapolis, MN) has released Mobile Sales Advantage Version 5.0, which extends the program from handheld devices to full-screen Windows-based platforms such as laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. Aimed at direct store delivery (DSD), HighJump Mobile Sales Advantage empowers salespeople with accurate information on route and delivery schedules, customer details, and accounts receivable and order histories, so they can process more deals in less time and cover more territory, all without need of paper records. This expanded display size enables the application to provide much more information on one screen, according to the developer, such as the capacity to see weekly and monthly sales records during order entry. Because HighJump Mobile Sales Advantage will run on regular desktop computers, DSD workers also may use this same application for sales entry back at the office and for telesales operations. Other new features in Version 5 include route book sequencing, which allows sales to be entered according to how each customer has products organized, as well as more thorough integration with promotions from suppliers. “HighJump Software is committed to being a leader in mobile software solutions for route-based sales and delivery,” volunteered Russell Fleischer, CEO. “We listen to customer and market demands so that the improvements we make to our comprehensive product suite drive bottom line results to our customers.”

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Aldelo: Posiq Is Unique

An advanced customer relationship management platform, PosiqCRM, has been certified for use with the popular Aldelo For Restaurants POS system. Debuted in 2010, PosiqCRM has been designed to leverage state-of-the-art web and mobility technologies for promotions and rewards, including social networking, with powerful tracking and analytic tools. Delivered through the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model, it supports both single independent restaurants or multi-unit enterprises with thousands of locations, according to its developer.

“This certification will provide eating places using the Aldelo For Restaurants POS platform with the ability to better gauge customer trends, build cross-selling campaigns, and generally improve overall customer engagement across multiple channels, such as web, mobile, and at the register,” commented Harry Tu, CEO of Aldelo (Modesto, CA) “There are many loyalty card and group discount companies entering the market, but Posiq delivers true value for restaurateurs in its integration of comprehensive CRM and digital marketing with our POS system.” In particular, PosiqCRM engages customers with instant on-site targeted promotions, Aldelo noted, making it suitable for restaurants that rely heavily on POS.

“Running a restaurant business without a deep understanding of guest analytics is like flying an airplane without gauges. By the time you know you have a problem, it may well be too late,” suggested Rick Onyon, CEO and Founder of Posiq (San Jose, CA). “The one-two punch of Aldelo’s POS platform and PosiqCRM represents an invaluable combination of intelligent, nimble technologies that allows restaurants to monitor and truly understand guest behavior so they can anticipate trends, manage customer preferences, and respond to sales opportunities in real time.”

Restaurant Guest Behavior Analytics Displayed by Posiq

Heartland Eats Your Lunch

Heartland Payment Systems (Princeton, NJ) continues to feast on K-12 software providers. Its most recent purchase, LunchByte Systems (Rochester, NY), best known for its Nutrikids suite of menu planning, inventory management, and POS software, joins four previous providers brought into the fold in 2011. All together, Heartland School Solutions now serves more than 29,000 K-12 educational facilities across the U.S., or nearly 30% market share, according to the company’s figures.

Previously, Heartland Payment Systems snapped up School-Link Technologies (Tempe, AZ), LunchBox (Auburn, AL), and Comalex (Van Buren, AR), all purveyors of school nutrition and POS. It also added My SchoolBucks.com, an online service that allows parents to pay for their children’s school meals and student activity fees. Heartland School Solutions also holds SeeMyPlate, which allows parents to view photos of individual meal purchases, no doubt leading to spirited discussions about healthy eating decisions.

“This acquisition enhances Heartland School Solutions’ robust suite for K-12 nutrition programs across the country,” stated Michael Lawler, President of the Strategic Markets Group at Heartland. “We plan to continue the strategic acquisition of premier K-12 service providers to further enable us to offer schools more unique and innovative services to help them streamline foodservice operations, as well as create and deliver best-in-class school nutrition programs.” Preston Todd Advisors, an M&A firm specializing in payment technologies, functions as advisor to Heartland Payment Systems in such matters.

Payment Processor Buys Another Provider of K-12 Meal Technology

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Synnex Corporation
Wasp Barcode Technologies
Yellowfin Distribution

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

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC
Janam Technologies

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

Repair & Refurbishment
AMCOR Tech Solutions

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo TouchSystems

INSTALLATIONS

Across the Lagoons of Gaylord

Anyone wandering the vast expanse of Gaylord Hotels will appreciate the problem of food and beverage service. With pool areas measured in acres, Gaylord recently evaluated wireless food and drink sales for its five resort and convention centers across the U.S., seeking to eliminate the need for staff to endlessly rush between customers, bar, and kitchen. As its solution, it selected the iAPS retail cradle from Daily Systems (Paso Robles, CA) in conjunction with mobile commerce capability from SkyWire Media (Las Vegas).

Provided to outdoor servers, this mobile POS cradle accommodates the Apple iPod Touch and adds barcode scanning, credit card swiping, and receipt printing in its hard shell. Employing SkyWire’s Instant Guest Response, it fully integrates with Gaylord’s existing POS system, enabling real-time tracking of orders and open checks. “The solution has all the features of your stationary POS system but fits in the palm of one hand,” emphasized Rene Oliver, CEO/President of Daily Systems, an unfamiliar vendor for many RRN.Com readers.

“Poolside ordering and payment significantly enhances the productivity of the servers, and guests spend less time waiting,” indicated Thomas Castleberry, COO at SkyWire Media. “A cutting-edge mobile POS solution is also a factor in creating the impression that Gaylord is a technologically savvy and modern company.” SkyWire Media addresses SMS text marketing, mobile content, and mobile application development for vertical markets, among them hospitality, retail, education, and banking. Castleberry formerly worked as GM of Micros Systems, and CEO Shawn Harris was Director of Business Development at InfoGenesis.

Handheld Payment Cradle From Daily Systems

Many Bottles of SOTI

SOTI Inc. (Mississauga, ON, Canada) has deployed its MobiControl mobile device management (MDM) platform for Andrews Distributing, which allocates several hundred varieties of beer and beverages to thousands of retail accounts throughout Texas. Andrews has outfitted its large mobile workforce with Motorola PDTs linked by SOTI MobiControl, thereby gaining real-time remote configuration, device lockdown, and other advanced management capabilities. At the same time, SOTI has announced its support for Android-based tablets from two manufacturers, Samsung and ZTE Optik.

“SOTI MobiControl empowers the IT team at Andrews Distributing to provide timely support, accelerate resolution of software issues, push updates, and access critical information on the location of deliveries,” summarized Carl Rodrigues, CEO/President of SOTI Inc. “This enhances efficiency and reduces time spent on support calls, maximizing the speed of delivery and improving customer satisfaction. Another heavily relied upon feature is MobiControl’s kiosk/lockdown capability, which allows the IT team to easily control which applications users are allowed to access on the mobile devices.”

“MobiControl folders are one fantastic feature for Andrews Distributing,” remarked Scott Jenkins, Information Systems Administrator with the beverage wholesaler. “Simply drop the device into an appropriate group folder and the device is instantly wiped, cleaned, and freshly installed to ‘Andrews factory-specified’ functionality. To retain our position as one of the top beverage distributors in the U.S., we plan to continue leveraging SOTI MobiControl as an instrumental component of our mobility strategy.”

Andrews Distributing Taps Into Mobile Device Management

Channel Factoid

Almost three-quarters (72%) of retailers surveyed rate technology as important to their business, according to CompTIA’s “Retail Sector Technology Adoption Trends Study.” That figure is expected to increase to 83% by 2014. But the study also shows that large numbers of retailers have not yet succeeded in using technology as well as they could or should. Just 7% of retailers report being exactly where they want to be in this regard, while 29% rate themselves as being very close. Overall, 63% of retailers expect to increase IT spending in 2012 with the remaining 37% planning to cut back or hold the line. Large retailers expect to boost IT spending the most--4.8%, on average. For all firms, planned increase tallies slightly lower, at 4.2%. In terms of specific technologies, one in three retailers currently employ digital signage, with an additional one in five intending to do so soon, according to the CompTIA survey. Further, 13% of retailers say they are running mobile payments, and another 19% plan to deploy such systems over the next 12 months. Finally, geo-location also ranks high among emerging technologies for retail. About one in five now leverage such solutions to reach customers, with many hoping to defend against so-called show-rooming, in which customers comparison shop on the store floor through their smartphones. “Reaching an optimal state of technology utilization is a high bar for almost any business to clear,” observed Tim Herbert, VP of Research at CompTIA. “But the vast majority of retailers clearly want to pursue this goal. For some, this will involve adoption of new technologies; for others, improving the use of what they have in place.”

HELLO GOODBYE

An Eastward Frontier for Pioneer

Pioneer POS (City of Industry, CA) has enlisted industry veteran Nancy Smith as its Director of Sales-East Region for the U.S. Smith brings over 20 years of experience in the POS industry, most recently as the East Coast U.S. Sales Manager for Posiflex USA. Her extensive resume also includes time in the field at SSP North America, Panasonic, Datasym, Micros, and Marriott International.

“In her new role, Nancy is primarily responsible for developing new partnering opportunities while enhancing existing business relationships,” stated Gee Singgih, VP at Pioneer POS. “With an established record of continuous success in senior level sales, channel management, and business development positions, Nancy brings tremendous experience and breadth of POS knowledge, as well as familiarity with her geographic region. Her focus working with distributors, ISVs, and resellers in the POS and allied solutions market will truly broaden the footprint of Pioneer POS.”

Pioneer POS also announced approval for its Stealth S-Line All-in-One POS terminal, which features built-in Epson receipt printer, by RPower Restaurant. “Having the S-Line certified for use with RPower hospitality software is an enormous benefit to us, and I can’t say enough about what Pioneer POS brings to the table in our industry,” testified James Interdonato, Channel Manager for RPower (Scottsdale, AZ). Finally, addressing the overseas market, Pioneer POS will address distribution in the Middle East and North Africa through Integrated Solutions System Center, or ISSC, which is based in Saudi Arabia.

Nancy Smith, Director of Sales-East Region, U.S., Pioneer POS

Infor’s New Cloud Master

Infor (Alpharetta, GA) has engaged Ali Shadman as its SVP for Global Updates and Business Cloud, where he will help customers more rapidly upgrade and embrace the company’s latest technologies, including its Infor10 next-generation ERP. Prior to joining Infor, Shadman served as VP and CTO for HP’s Technology Consulting Division. Earlier, he worked in various consulting, strategic, and leadership positions at companies such as Oracle, Unisys, and Microsoft, as well as private equity funded start-ups.

“Infor has introduced a wealth of new technologies and now we are proactively helping customers take advantage of these innovations by upgrading to current releases more easily,” remarked Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor. “Ali’s new organization will assess customizations with the goal of retiring or productizing them, facilitating upgrades directly to the cloud, and exploiting virtualization to allow hybrid cloud on-premise deployments.” Infor purports to be the world’s third largest supplier of enterprise applications and services, with more than 70,000 large and mid-sized companies across vertical industry sectors as its customers.

Infor also pushed further into hospitality with the release of Infor10 HMS Hotel Check-In for the Apple iPad. This new build allows room assignments, entry keys, customized maps and itineraries, guest bill folios, and staff reports to be produced straight from the tablet. “Since deploying the Infor10 HMS Hotel Check-In application, our front of house staff has been able to connect with our customers the minute they walk through the door, making the check-in process run smoother than ever,” reported Michelle Reuther, GM of the French Quarter Hotel Group in New Orleans. “In addition, our housekeeping process has never been more efficient. We’re turning our rooms much more quickly, allowing the supervisor to focus on other logistical tasks.”

Ali Shadman, SVP, Global Upgrades and Business Cloud, Infor