This Week’s Product Pick

Tatung Company of America (Long Beach, CA) has added to its TM Economic Series Commercial Grade CCTV Displays with the TME24. Wide-screen, at 24 inches, this HD display employs LED backlight for slimmer design (depth of 1.8 inches), less weight (total of 10.7 lbs.), and lower power consumption (an estimated $10 savings per month versus LCD). As technical characteristics, TME24 delivers 1920x1080 resolution, 200 cd/m2 brightness, 16:9 aspect ratio, 800:1 contrast ratio, and 8 milliseconds typical response time. Significantly, TME24 includes VGA, HDMI, BNC, Audio, and USB inputs for flexibility. "This particular unit is 24/7," John Sherry, National Sales and Marketing Manager for the USA and Canada, told RRN.Com. "So, if an owner want to advertise, they can do so without worrying about blowing out the unit."

TME24 CCTV Display by Tatung

COMPANY BUSINESS

HP: Move Over, iPad

Come September, HP will offer its new HP ElitePad Mobile POS Solution, thereby radically changing the equation for tablets in our channel. Comprised of the HP ElitePad 900 and so-called "Retail Jacket" of card swipe and scanner, this bundle will be handled through HP's two distributors, BlueStar and Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS, with its own SKU, RRN.Com was told by Joanne Bugos, Director of Product Management, Global Retail Solutions, for HP (Palo Alto, CA). Pricing has not been announced, but HP's ElitePad 900 falls in the $600 range and one wouldn't expect the Retail Jacket to add too much in the way of cost. "It will be competitive," said Bugos.

Comparisons to upstart iPad POS are inevitable. ElitePad 900, of course, runs Windows 8, has 10-inch screen, and carries the full complement of features such as front and rear-facing cameras, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. In her remarks, Bugos emphasized the particular advantages of the Retail Jacket, which, in her words "seamlessly integrates" the three-track encrypted bidirectional magnetic-stripe reader on the right side and one- and two-dimensional scanner on the back of the device. It also includes USB port on the bottom and removable, adjustable hand strap. Of special significance, HP has offered an optional second battery, which extends operating time from 10 to 20 hours.

"It has levels of durability and serviceability that you don't usually see," suggested Bugos of ElitePad Mobile POS, "yet it's more elegant than big, bulky, chunky types of devices." All three retail functions are supported--queue busting, assisted shopping, and manager's workstation--and the mobile platform nicely rounds out HP's family of POS terminals, digital signage, and back-office servers. "We see mobility as one of our key focus areas, and we're looking for other ways to expand in it," Bugos replied when questioned about future plans in this area, including accompanying peripherals.

HP ElitePad Mobile POS

Another Step for Retail Pro

More news from Retail Pro International (Folsom, CA), which this week entered strategic partnership with C&K Systems, one of the leading solution providers on the East Coast. This new agreement enables Retail Pro to extend hosting, security, and data management services to its customers in specialty retail, in addition to its traditional deployment of POS. Based in Chesapeake, Virginia, C&K Systems has offices in eight states and has served as reseller of Counterpoint for many years.

"I'm really excited about the long-term significance of this new partnership," commented Kerry Lemos, CEO of Retail Pro. "C&K Systems' proven track record and scale allow us to bring added services and assurance of world-class support to our customers. This move positions both of our companies to reach our long-term goals, and truly increases value for the industry as a whole."

"Entering our initial discussions, I wanted a long-term strategy for becoming the dominant managed service provider for specialty retailers on the East Coast, and this partnership with Retail Pro International fits that vision precisely," confirmed Kevin Bowden, CEO of C&K Systems. "Our internal investments and recent successes have positioned us for rapid growth over the next several years. Retail Pro's scope, experience, and strategic direction make them an ideal platform for scaling our managed service provisions at a pace that can meet, if not exceed, our original goals." As one first step, C&K recently completed the training and certification program for its staff conducted by Retail Pro University.

Director Ket Venethongkham Conducts Class at Retail Pro University

Worth Your While

HITEC 2013
Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals
June 24-27
Minneapolis

RetailNow 2013
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
August 4-7
Las Vegas

VARTECH US/LATAM 2013
BlueStar
September 9-11
San Antonio, TX

Pack Expo 2013
Packaging Manufacturers Machinery Institute
September 23-25
Las Vegas

Customer Engagement Technology World
JD Events
November 6-7
New York City

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A New Image for Datalogic

Datalogic ADC (Eugene, OR) has shipped its new QuickScan QD2400 Area Imager, with rapid reading of linear, two-dimensional, and PDF-417 codes, whether printed or displayed onscreen. Designed for retail environments, with cord, QuickScan QD2400 features an ergonomic, lightweight form factor, measuring about six inches in length, weighing about five ounces, and bearing an IP-42 rating for water and dust. Technical characteristics such as omnidirectional reading, advanced motion tolerance, and host download capability are provided in this new device.

Datalogic also has added an innovative aiming system, whereby the QuickScan QD2400 projects two blue LED triangles on the target code with soft red background illumination. This eases eye fatigue while boosting operator efficiency and overall comfort. In addition, QuickScan QD2400 carries the company's patented "Green Spot" technology for good-read feedback. Available in white or black casing, QuickScan QD2400 offers keyboard wedge, RS-232, and USB interfaces.

"The stylish and ergonomic design of the QuickScan QD2400 2D Imager complements its durability, resulting in this reliable device that ensures excellent performance for general purpose scanning operations," indicated Giulio Berzuini, GM and VP of Hand-Held Scanners for Datalogic ADC. "With this solution, the user can rely on the versatility of imaging technology, coupled with Datalogic's unique features, all at an attractive price." In addition to retail, the company lists post offices, banks, and public administration as suitable markets.

QuickScan QD2400 2D Imager

Many Touches Through 3M

3M Touch Systems (Methuen, MA) has debuted its newest high-performance, multi-touch display, the 46-inch Model C4667PW. With the capacity to track up to 60 simultaneous touches, this commercial-grade chassis display allows two or more users to work simultaneously in both interactive table or wall-mount configurations. It employs projected capacitive technology, which remains unaffected by environmental lighting conditions, according to the vendor.

For performance, the C4667PW delivers 12-millisecond touch response rate, 1920x1080 resolution, and 178 degree viewing angles. It meets the requirements of high-use environments with robust all-metal housing and chemically strengthened 1.9-mm glass with an anti-glare finish to help ensure product longevity and premium image quality. In addition, C4667PW chassis display furnishes stylish flat front surface design to complement professional or business installations.

"The 46-inch C4667PW chassis display is our largest multi-touch display to date and helps redefine on-screen collaboration possibilities," declared Diego Romeu, Global Business Unit Manager, 3M Electronic Business Solutions. "This new display is an ideal solution for companies developing multi-user applications that are looking for the reliability, robustness, and touch performance needed for commercial environments." 3M Touch Systems distributes to the channel through BlueStar, Ingram Micro, ScanSource, Synnex, and Tech Data.

Large 3M Multi-Touch Chassis Display

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PARTNER PROGRAMS

Shift4's Shortcut to Micros

Shift4 Corporation (Las Vegas), which describes itself as "the world's largest independent payment gateway," has now promoted plug-and-play for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) of Micros POS. By leveraging Shift4's "4Go" driver-based firewall, along with its Dollars-on-the-Net payment gateway, merchants using Micros 3700, 9700, or Simphony reportedly may gain "near instant access" to their P2PE solution. All they have to do is plug in and configure an accompanying compliant encrypted swipe device from ID Tech (Cypress, CA), noted Shift4.

With this solution in place, the Micros POS remains free of sensitive cardholder data and therefore out of scope of PCI. This means merchants with legacy Micros systems which may no longer be PA-DSS validated can maintain PCI compliance without the need to update. Merchants using current, compliant, Micros terminals gain an added layer of security and reduced card data environments. Only the swipe device itself remains in scope for PCI assessments.

"Merchants have been looking forward to the security and PCI-scope reduction promised by P2PE for quite some time. Unfortunately, the complexity of development and implementation has been a barrier to entry for many," observed Dave Oder, Shift4's CEO. "This solution solves that issue by using our proprietary technologies, along with an existing integration to Micros, to make adoption easy for merchants."

SecureMag Encrypted Reader by ID Tech

Sterling Buffs Up Channel

Sterling Payment Technologies (Tampa, FL) has energized its channel efforts with the hiring of Alan Gartner as Executive Director of Dealer Solutions. Gartner and his team will specifically focus on referral partnerships with VARs and ISVs in POS, according to the payment processor. Gartner's experience spans executive sales management positions with United TranzActions, Settlement One, American Bancard, and PPG Industries.

"Alan will play a major role in Sterling's growth by expanding our POS reseller sales channel," predicted Gary Staub, Sterling's Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. "He's had great results in highly competitive markets, and we're looking forward to having him on Sterling's team." Reflected Gartner, "With Sterling's focus on technology and its wide range of products and services, I believe the company is well positioned for outstanding growth in this expanding market."

Indeed, Sterling has forged ahead with relationships in the ISV community. In retail, for example, it recently partnered with Tri-Technical Systems (Dubuque, IA), provider of AIMsi for specialty shops. Earlier this year, Aldelo (Modesto, CA) named Sterling as its preferred payment processor for its dealers and customers in hospitality. Just this week, NuRol Point of Sale (Atlanta), an Aldelo Diamond Level distributor, endorsed Sterling.

Alan Gartner, Executive Director of Dealer Solutions, Sterling Payment Technologies

Code Corner

Loftware, Inc. (Portsmouth, NH) has launched Loftware Print Server (LPS) Version 10.1 and Loftware Label Manager (LMV) Version 10.1. This release adds several new features such as "label versioning," which affords customers new control and traceability for label changes. It enables customers to both view and print different label versions and promote labels from non-production to production environments all while logging the essential information about label changes. Other features specifically introduced, based on customer feedback, include the capacity to embed images in label templates, expanded SMTP, and ease-of-use enhancements. Loftware will provide Version 10.1 at no charge to all customers with current annual software support and maintenance agreements. "This release underscores Loftware's commitment to continually enhance our enterprise labeling solutions as we help our customers address evolving business needs," proposed Scott Johnson, Loftware's Director of Product Management.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Mercury Gives Something Back

Mercury (Durango, CO) announced donations of $250,000 to 33 Colorado charities through its community outreach program, MercuryGives. Started in 2011, this program focuses on health and human services, education, arts and culture, environment, and animal welfare, and overall has delivered $650,000 in monetary donations and more than 14,000 volunteer hours. As policy, Mercury provides each employee with 20 paid hours per year to volunteer, in addition to encouraging contributions.

"Of all the great things we do at our company, MercuryGives is the program of which I'm most proud and is closest to my heart," shared Matt Taylor, CEO of Mercury. "We're glad to see so many non-profits that want to be affiliated with Mercury and we're proud to support vital community organizations." As an example, the Brent Eley Foundation, funded in part by MercuryGives, has created "Brent's Place," which provides medically-approved housing for "immune-compromised" patients and their families. Mercury became involved with Brent's Place after two staff members needed such services while their family members underwent cancer treatment.

Elsewhere, Mercury announced that Andromeda POS (Seattle) has adopted its payment processing and gift card services. "We know that restaurants offering gift cards see big profits, with consumers spending an average of 46% more at businesses that use them. One company with Mercury's system sold tens of thousands of dollars in gift cards in just a few hours, and that's a big boost to anyone's bottom line," reported Dave Hick, VP of Americas for Andromeda POS. Hick also cited benefits from increased customer data security, both in the store and online.

Matt Taylor, CEO, Mercury

Working the Clock With Agilysys

That didn't take long. Last week Agilysys disclosed sale of its Retail Solutions Group to Clearlake Capital for $35 million, in an effort to bring resources to bear in the hospitality arena. Now it has purchased Time Management Corporation (Minneapolis), which provides time and attendance for just such purposes. Terms of the transaction, funded with cash on hand, were not disclosed.

"This acquisition provides a new source of revenue for Agilysys with only modest customer overlap while simultaneously offering opportunities to expand the distribution of the TMx solution into our existing installed base of InfoGenesis and Eatec customers," explained James Dennedy, CEO/President of Agilysys (Alpharetta, GA). "Integrating the TMx human capital management solution with our point-of-sale solution eliminates the need for a separate time clock; it can be done from InfoGenesis. Equally important, the integration with Eatec offers a comprehensive back of house solution that provides hospitality operators with improved management of the most expensive factors in guest service delivery: labor and material."

TMx modules include performance-based scheduling, dynamic labor forecasting, embedded workflows for human resources, and employee self-service. In addition to InfoGenesis and Eatec, the software integrates to numerous POS, PMS, inventory, and payroll schemes. "The hospitality industry recognizes TMx as one of the preferred workforce management solutions," Dennedy continued. "This acquisition reflects the company's strategic emphasis on pursuing opportunities to grow our market share in the hospitality industry by offering an increasing suite of market leading, integrated technology platforms that help our customers improve guest recruitment, enhance the guest experience, and help capture an increasing share of guest spend."

Bearing Down on Hospitality, Agilysys Purchases Time Management Corporation

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
Synnex
Wasp Barcode Technologies

POS & Peripherals
AZT POS
Partner Tech
Pioneer POS
POS BANK USA
Posiflex
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS Systems - Apple Based
LightSpeed Retail
ShopKeep POS

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
Sato America
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse
Mercury

Keyboards
PrehKeyTec USA

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Scanners
Code Corporation
Honeywell

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo TouchSystems

INSTALLATIONS

First Call to Janam's XM66

Elliott Data Systems (Chesterfield, MO), developer of identification, tracking, and accountability solutions, has designated the Windows Mobile XM66 handheld computer from Janam Technologies (Woodbury, NY) as its recommended hardware. Elliott Data Systems provides software packages such as Emergency Event Manager, Accountability Manager, Construction Site Manager, and Asset Manager, addressing vertical markets such as first responders, schools, general contractors, and healthcare. EPIC Track, one of Elliott's most recent products, represents an off-the-shelf package that allows end-users to build customized tracking scenarios and generate reports of activity using Janam's XM66 and the EPIC cloud server.

"Elliott's Mobile Solutions are complete identification and accountability platforms that satisfy critical needs for many types of businesses," stated Josh Dunbar, President of Elliott Data Systems. "Janam's mobile computers are an ideal device for Elliott's applications because they are small, light, and rugged. An RFID reader provides users the ability to read multiple card technologies ranging from barcode to MiFare. The devices are also sealed against windblown rain and dust and certified for use in hazardous environments so the solution can be extended to pretty much anywhere."

"Complete mobility is an essential ingredient of end-to-end identification and tracking," added Harry Lerner, Janam's CEO. "Janam's rugged mobile computers deliver the processing power, screen-to-screen speed, enterprise-grade security, and reliability Elliott's customers require. It's a powerful solution, and we are pleased Elliott Data Systems selected the XM66."

Janam's XM66 Mobile Computer

SAP Speeds Things Up

SAP's POS has been deployed by Bealls, Inc., the discount merchandiser based in Bradenton, Florida, as part of an overall system upgrade. In all, 450 locations of Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet made the switch to SAP POS Version 2.3. This new system lowers total cost of ownership while improving the customer experience through faster transactions and new marketing and customer relationship management capabilities, according to Bealls.

"We feel that it is important to have a technology infrastructure that can carry us through the future," related Dave Massey, SVP and CIO for Bealls. "SAP POS allowed us to upgrade to a more effective system while supporting both EMV and point-to-point encryption for PCI. In addition, SAP POS provides a number of new user exit and extension capabilities that will enable us to expand the solution going forward."

Massey also cited the new system's GUI, which "allows store associates clear guidance throughout the transaction," versus his previous system's two-line text display. With browser and touchscreen, store associates more easily modify pricing rules, apply new discounts, add promotions, calculate sales tax, and process returns. Following successful deployment at Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet, the company plans to update its Bealls Department Stores in the near future.

Bealls Chain Rolls Out SAP POS Version 2.3

Channel Factoid

According to the recent survey conducted by Intermec, transport and logistics companies believe that arming their mobile workforce with new technology could cut their pick-up times by 30% and their delivery times by 29%. This study finds that 38% of such firms view operational efficiency as the area of most strategic importance for their business. More than three-quarters (77%) report their customers now demand same-day delivery services, and nine out of ten (92%) claim that meeting these expectations poses significant challenges. Survey respondents believe broadband mobile communications (60%), integrated vehicle telematics (44%), and RFID (38%) offer the most promising return on their investment. Efficiency gains from new technology could extend to the back office as well, apparently. Surveyed companies said they receive 6,677 calls per day from customers asking for order status updates. By providing pro-active shipment updates, enabled by location-based and mobile technologies, these same companies believe they could eliminate 1,602 (24%) of these calls immediately. "Investing the time to review current processes may seem daunting, but the benefits show this is more than worthwhile," counseled Jeff Sibio, Industry Marketing Director for Transport and Logistics at Intermec.

HELLO GOODBYE

No Time Out for Tabbedout

Tabbedout (Austin, TX) has recruited two senior members for its engineering team: Lance Obermeyer as CTO, and Tom Bernhardt as EVP of Product and Strategy. Obermeyer has co-founded multiple technology companies, most recently the mobile commerce innovator, Digby. Bernhardt, the 2000 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, established Mission Critical Software, and subsequently served as CTO for three companies, NetIQ, Tidal Software, and Digilife. "We are honored to welcome Lance and Tom to Tabbedout," relayed CEO Alex Broeker. "Their years of experience and leadership will be an enormous advantage in building and recruiting Tabbedout's world-class engineering team."

Tabbedout has been equally busy establishing relationships with providers of POS for its customer loyalty and marketing platform. Its integrated solution will be deployed for all existing and future Harbortouch POS systems, for example. "Through this unique initiative, we expect to add nearly 50,000 hospitality locations to the program over the next 18 months while collaborating on additional technology development," commented Jared Isaacman, CEO Of Harbortouch (Allentown, PA). Harbortouch, of course, shook up our industry with its offer of "free" POS systems in exchange for payment processing and service fees.

Further, Tabbedout has extended its partnership agreement with restaurant ISV, Future POS (Butler, PA). This includes "Periscope," Tabbedout's new marketing service. "Merchants are already spending money on things like advertising, food and drink specials, and daily deal sites in an effort to grow their business," observed Tabbedout's Broeker. "But trying to figure out what's working, and tracking the ROI on those investments, remains difficult at best. With Periscope, merchants can see which programs are effective, can target and segment offers to the guests they want to bring into their location, and can personalize the guest experience like never before."

New Execs: Lance Obermeyer and Tom Bernhardt

A Pivot to the North

Pivotal Payments (Montreal) has enlisted industry veteran Ross Haider as SVP of Canadian Sales. Haider brings two decades of experience in technology and merchant acquiring services for the Canadian market. Previous posts have included VP of National Sales, Independent Businesses, at Moneris Solutions; VP of Sales for Canada at Experian; EVP of Givex; and VP of Business Development, Canada, with Chase Paymentech.

"We are delighted to have Ross on board as an important part of our executive team," commented Philip Fayer, CEO/President of Pivotal Payments. "Pivotal is steadfast in its commitment to providing business owners with valued payment processing solutions. We are confident that Ross's track record of success, collaboration, and leadership will help us continue to deliver meaningful results and success to our clients, partners, employees, and shareholders."

"It is exciting to join an organization so focused on its mission to improve the business of its stakeholders," proclaimed Haider. "Merchants and payment industry partners are looking for innovative leaders and exceptional service providers that are dedicated to their growth. I believe Pivotal can deliver on both fronts." Earlier this year, Don Anderson, formerly of TSYS, joined Pivotal Payments as VP of North American Sales.

Ross Haider, SVP, Canadian Sales, Pivotal Payments