This Week’s Product Pick

Godex Americas (Camarillo, CA) has showcased its RT Series of thermal barcode printers, encompassing several models: RT 200/200i, RT 230/230i, and RT 700/700i. With competitive performance specifications and features, these new printers present several unique benefits, RRN.Com was told by Bruce Glenn, GM for Godex Americas. First, "i" signifies "Intelligent," and describes the inclusion of color TFT LCD display with five-way navigation button. Ethernet and real-time clock come standard, with optional USB. Another advanced characteristic, according to Glenn, resides in the "C" button, which eliminates problems common in calibration for varying label types and sizes. "With 'C,' there's no hassles and no way to change settings in the printer by mistake," noted Glenn. "I believe we may be the only company that offers this auto-function, most certainly in the desktop arena."

RT 200i From Godex

COMPANY BUSINESS

Posiflex Conquers Middle Earth

Posiflex Business Machines (Hayward, CA) has unveiled its newest touchscreen terminal for POS, the KS7500, featuring fan-free, low-power, spill-and-dust-resistant design and 15-inch or 17-inch display (projected capacitive, resistive, or infrared). Priced comfortably in the middle of the company's fan-free product family, according to Posiflex, but with high performance, the KS7500 carries an Intel Dual-Core Celeron CPU at 1.6 GHz, 4 GB DDR3 RAM (upgraded to 8 GB), and POS Ready 7/Windows 7 Professional. Based on the company's pioneering heat-dissipating aluminum chassis, the KS7500 comes in either white or black for the 15-inch model, and an optional universal base may be ordered with power adapter, Powered USB, and backup battery.

"The KS7500 Series touchscreen terminal is designed for heavy-duty commercial use with maximum uptime, reliability, and durability," remarked Doyle Ledford, Posiflex's VP of Sales. "Posiflex's use of embedded technologies to support intelligent systems from both Microsoft and Intel makes the KS7500 powerful, fast, and reliable. This enables maximum uptime, faster transactional processing, minimized maintenance, quiet operation, and energy savings for retail and hospitality point-of-sale applications. The KS7500 is over-built to over-perform."

"The mid-range of our fan-free touchscreen terminal line is significantly strengthened," affirmed Ron Chan, Director of Marketing for Posiflex. "The KS7500, with twice the CPU throughput as our very popular and field-proven KS7200, helps bridge the price performance gap for a powerful client touchscreen terminal, but can also be used as an affordable small server. The combination of the KS7200 for price and performance and KS7500 for power on budget, make these strong options for virtually any hospitality, retail, healthcare, or touchscreen terminal application." Posiflex cited endorsements for the new KS7500 from ISVs such as Focus POS, Menusoft, and Restaurant Software Solutions.

New Posiflex KS7500 Touchscreen Terminal

A River of Mercury

Mercury (Durango, CO) has entered into two new strategic alliances. First, the payment processing channel pioneer has brought its MercuryLoyalty scheme to Action Systems, Inc. (Silver Spring, MD) and its Restaurant Manager POS software package. "This integration means Restaurant Manager users can reach their customers in new ways, using social media, e-mail, and text messaging to drive more new and repeat business," proclaimed Alex Malison, CEO of ASI.

First developed as Sundrop Mobile, purchased by Mercury last year, MercuryLoyalty allows restaurant patrons to give their mobile number to sign up and earn points. An ensuing text message carries instructions on how to fill in the rest of their information at their convenience. Such an easy-to-use, card-less loyalty platform encourages participation by merchants and their customers, reportedly, while furnishing closed-loop measurement of promotional efforts. Mercury has dubbed its effort, "Social POS," and Travis Priest, former CEO of Sundrop Mobile, now serves as VP of Merchant Marketing Services and Loyalty for Mercury.

In the second instance, Mercury has joined with an upstart, uTouchPOS (Vienna, VA), to offer the "Business Starter Bundle." As expected, this delivers cash drawer, thermal receipt printer, barcode scanner, credit card reader, vertical POS software, and payment processing. Without computer or monitor--"easy enough to find, and most businesses already have one on hand," uTouchPOS contends--this package costs $299. First Data Independent Sales also participates in this effort.

Versatile Dashboard for MercuryLoyalty

Worth Your While

Field Service USA 2013
Worldwide Business Research
April 22-25
Indian Wells, CA

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

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

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

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

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Wi-Fi at Work for Code

Code Corporation (Bluffdale, UT) will bring Wi-Fi to its popular Code Reader 2600 image-based barcode scanner, with delivery planned for this spring. Debuted last year, Code Reader 2600 furnishes high-speed omnidirectional reading of one and two-dimensional barcodes, compact form factor (five inches long, two inches wide, and four-and-a-half ounces for palm configuration), and Bluetooth Class II. Several user-friendly features have been incorporated, such as quick-release battery cartridge with fuel gauge indicators, multiple programmable buttons, read confirmation with vibration, audible tones, and LED, and disinfectant-ready IP-65 housing.

By adding Wi-Fi, Code has extended communication range and increased mobility, naturally. The new Code Reader 2600 may be tied directly into an enterprise's Wi-Fi infrastructure through an individual device address. Data integrity will not be compromised since companies employ existing Wi-Fi network security protocols. Finally, operating range may be boosted even further with multiple connection points.

"We are thrilled to bring Wi-Fi to the market," relayed Garrett Russell, VP of Marketing at Code Corporation. "Our vendors, clients, and distributors have expressed interest in Wi-Fi and we found the CR 2600 to be the perfect barcode reading platform to integrate this technology. With the introduction of Code Wi-Fi readers, companies now have a long range option for added mobility, increased security, and greater profitability." For the CR 2600, Code supplies its Quad-Bay Battery Charging Station.

Code Reader 2600 Extends Range

Sato's Value Line Hits Our Beaches

Sato America (Charlotte, NC) has launched its "Value Line" of thermal label printers, comprised of three models from Argox, which Sato purchased in 2011, RRN.Com readers will recall. All four major markets--retail, manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare--will be addressed by the CP-2140Z, the OS Series, and the X Series, according to the vendor. "Introduction of our new Argox brand of desktop and industrial tabletop thermal printers to the Americas demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bring our customers products with exceptional value," stated Bob Linse, President of Sato America.

Targeting low-volume labeling for mailing stations, shipping/receiving, retail tagging, and healthcare, the CP-2140Z prints at four inch maximum width and speed of four inch/second at 203 dpi from its compact, desktop footprint. Moving up the ladder somewhat, the OS Series can accommodate the needs of transportation, warehouse/distribution, and hospitality, with two versions, OS-2140DZ and OS-214Plus, with four inch direct thermal and thermal transfer technology, three and four inch/second print speed at 203 dpi, and more barcode capabilities. Lastly, the X Series, with X-2000V and X-2300ZE, represents an affordable industrial printer for retail, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and distribution, with four inch print width, six inch/second print speed at 203 dpi, and more of the endurance, characteristics, and features required in high-volume environments.

"Our Value Line is priced very aggressively, from $349 for a desktop model to $1,000 for an industrial model with all-metal housing, while maintaining the uncomplicated serviceability that's featured in every Sato printer," RRN.Com was told by Laurel Ciliberti, Channel Marketing Manager for Sato America. "Argox is part of Sato, and the new Value Line gets supported by the same Quality Assurance, Integration, and Technical Support teams here in Charlotte. For VARs, our new Value Line gives greater breadth of offerings to their existing customers. Equally important, it will provide an entry into new accounts who may have previously had price point sensitivities."

Desktop CP-2140Z From Sato America

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INTEGRATION

Pounding the Drums at Datamax-O'Neil

Datamax-O'Neil (Orlando) has rolled out ChemShield, an extensive portfolio of labels for marking hazardous materials. Drums and containers used to transport petroleum, paint, liquid, and power chemicals must be constructed to meet extreme conditions, the vendor noted, and the labels which identify content, warnings, and safety instructions must meet similar requirements. In anticipation, the ChemShield family satisfies internationally recognized standards for endurance and environmental resistance.

Notably, Datamax-O'Neil's line of chemical drum labels are provided for both thermal transfer and laser-printed applications. All labels carry BS5609 Section 2 and Section 3 Certification, following the British Maritime standard for abrasion resistance, permanence of printing, and overall image durability. Beyond the new labels, of course, Datamax-O'Neil offers compatible printers, both stationary and portable, that meet the various chemical drum labeling requirements.

"Our drum label materials have been extensively tested for print image acceptance, durability, and retention so that customers can be assured they will meet the rigorous compliance standards that are required of labels used to transport chemical drums and containers," reported Ann Iten, Senior Product Manager for Datamax-O'Neil. "Non-compliance can result in hefty fines, and more importantly, can be extremely dangerous due to toxicity factors. Labels for these drums and containers must be resilient to extreme environmental conditions and be readable for many years."

New ChemShield Labels for Hazardous Material Handling by Datamax-O'Neil

[Editor's Note: Datamax-O'Neil also unwrapped its MPU-4000 lithium polymer battery pack that attaches to the bottom of the E-Class Mark III desktop barcode printer, delivering enough power for the device to operate for days without charging. "Many of our customers need the high duty cycles and thermal transfer capabilities of a desktop printer, but they also need the ability to be mobile, particularly for in-vehicle or on-cart applications," explained Raul Palacios, Senior Product Manager for Datamax-O'Neil. "We've already run successful trials in the agricultural sectors where labels are printed in the field to track time, location, and plot number of produce being harvested."]

A Case of the Common Barcode

A single standard for case labeling information for finished products has been recommended by companies in consumer packaged goods, fresh foods, grocery, and foodservice across North America. Assimilating results of this collaboration, GS1 US and GS1 Canada have released their publication, entitled (rather prosaically), "North American Industry Guidance for Standard Case Code Labeling for Extended Product Attributes," which may be downloaded from their respective websites. Voluntary implementation, according to the standards group, will enable trading partners to share dynamic information about their food products, such as Batch and Lot Numbers, "Best By" and "Use By" dates, and other critical details.

This document outlines basic definitions in product case labeling, specific guidelines for using human readable information, and techniques for capturing multiple product attributes in one scan of the GS1-128 barcode. Additionally, the document explains how adoption of GS1-128 can streamline business processes and improve product traceability and food safety in the supply chain. Industry stakeholders also will find category-specific requirements and technical considerations for the application of case labels, including printing specifications and placement of symbols on the container.

"This document has far-reaching benefits for food manufacturers, retailers, and distributors in Canada and the United States. It represents North American industries coming together to define the foundation for the deployment of the new business-to-business applications that are needed to power more efficient and visible supply chains," suggested Mike Sadiwnyk, SVP for Global Relations and Chief Standards Officer at GS1 Canada. Remarked Greg Buckley, Senior Director for Customer Supply Chain & Logistics with PepsiCo, "These GS1-128 standards allow us to employ one common barcode on product that is produced for multiple channels of trade."

GS1 Publishes Guidelines for Standard Case Code Labeling

Code Corner

Micros Systems (Columbia, MD) has released its certified interface for Google, which was first deployed by the Louvre Hotels Group for its worldwide properties. This new connection displays price and inventory information next to hotel listings in Google Search, Google Maps and Places, and Google Hotel Finder. It ties directly with Louvre's Micros Opera booking engine, resulting in increased business from user search results. "We are pleased that one of our long-term hotel clients has successfully launched this innovative connection to Google," stated Peter Agel, SVP of eCommerce and Strategic Solutions for EMEA at Micros. "By enabling hotel search services such as Google, Micros can better support customer behavior that is leaning heavily towards such means. We are happy to contribute to the success of Louvre by allowing these hotels to generate more business directly from consumers." An interface with Google will be offered for all Micros hotel customers, the company noted.

Autotask Corporation (East Greenbush, NY), one of the leading providers of hosted IT business management software, has joined forces with Novera Payment Solutions (Atlanta) to help solution providers accept credit and debit card payments. As part of this new partnership, Novera will offer flat, fixed monthly fee structure and QuickBooks plug-in. Additionally, Novera will educate Autotask customers on tools such as virtual terminals and specialized mobile payment technologies, according to the two parties. "Our partnership with Novera is another example of our commitment to providing innovative technology solutions to help our customers in turn provide superior service to their clients," declared Len DiCostanzo, SVP of Community and Business Development for Autotask. "We know how critical it is for our customers to process secure payments in real time."

ALLIANCES

BlueStar and Archelon, Enclosed

With an eye towards fast-spreading adoption of iPad and Android for business computing, BlueStar (Hebron, KY) will handle tablet stands from Archelon Enclosures (San Diego) throughout North America and Europe. A division of Motivational Systems, Inc., Archelon supplies its EXO and XTR families of tablet mounts and holders with features such as swivel joints, flip capacity, and detachable frames for mobility. It has enlisted several dozen VARs and ISVs in POS, with BlueStar marking its first foray into two-tier distribution.

"Consumer devices need constant intermingling with rugged business-to-business solutions to stand up to the tough demand of enterprise deployments," commented Mark Fraker, VP of Marketing for BlueStar. "Archelon Enclosures' extensive product line will enable BlueStar to deliver best-of-breed support for these popular consumer devices." A wide range of vertical markets for tablets--retail, hospitality, education, medical, and government--was cited as an important factor driving the two parties.

Archelon's EVO Table Mount Stand for Consumer Tablets

Dejavoo, All Over Again

Cynergy Data (Alpharetta, GA) has granted Class A Certification to the Vega Series of payment processing terminals from Dejavoo, which, significantly, carry EMV Chip-and-PIN compatibility. Included in this product family are the V5 (Dial), V8 (Dual Comm), V9 (Wireless GPRS), and V9 Plus (Wireless GPRS with Contactless RFID). In addition, an interface to Dejavoo has been completed, allowing partners to board their merchants directly through the Virtual Management Application System, or VIMAS, run by Cynergy Data.

"We're thrilled to offer the Dejavoo V Series to Cynergy Data customers," shared Mony Zenou, CEO of Dejavoo (Manhasset, NY). "Our V Series, which are powered by Castles Technology, are the best choice for merchants and acquirers because of their flexibility, ease-of-use, and ability to process both existing and emerging payments. Our new software application supports multi-merchant functionality, with up to 10 Merchant IDs supported in each terminal, plus enhanced communication, including LED indicators and on-screen icon indicators. The V Series is ready for new payment schemes such as contactless and EMV, is well secured, and most importantly, proven and supported locally by our experienced team as well as by several processors."

Cynergy Data Certifies Dejavoo's V Series With EMV Chip-and-PIN

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
Metropolitan Sales
Wasp Barcode Technologies

POS & Peripherals
Harbortouch
Partner Tech
Pioneer POS
Posiflex
POS-X

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS Systems - Retail
LightSpeed Retail

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC
Trimble

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse
Mercury

Keyboards
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

Givex Tackles Herschel Walker (and POS)

Back in the day, all of ten or fifteen years ago, you could easily count the number of companies pursuing independent gift and loyalty programs, whether for retail or hospitality. Prominent among them was Givex, based in Toronto, which set about to link its customer relationship management with providers and developers of POS. Now the firm has heard the siren call of tablets and the cloud and has developed its own system for POS, dubbed Vexilor, promoted on its website along with accompanying reseller program.

Following an initial deployment by GB Chocolates, franchisee of Fannie May, Vexilor has scored another win, this time in the restaurant business. Herschel's Famous 34 Pub & Grill, fronted by football legend Herschel Walker, bearing his jersey number and located in his home state of Georgia, has opened with Vexilor to serve its 110 seats. In making the announcement, J.C. Hoopes, Director of Business Development for Givex, emphasized the system's extensive loyalty program, which, naturally enough, now extends into digital marketing, real-time reporting, and payment gateway services.

"We had our grand opening in conjunction with the Super Bowl and Vexilor performed incredibly," stated George Fiorile, VP of Business Development for DD Leisure Management Corporation, which owns Herschel Famous. "Servers place orders right at the table, move on to the next table, and engage with the customers, instead of walking back to their station to enter orders. Servers with bar orders especially love it because the drinks are ready when they get back to the bar. I can easily see it cutting down on table turn time by five or ten minutes."

Vexilor POS Comes to Herschel's Famous 34 Pub & Grill

Penny Wise for pcAmerica

A recent decision in Canada to eliminate use of the penny has spurred pcAmerica (Pearl River, NY) to add cash rounding to its popular POS software packages. Both Cash Register Express (CRE) for retail and Restaurant Pro Express (RPE) for hospitality will now carry this feature. If the cash transaction totals $1.03, for example, CRE and RPE will swiftly refigure to $1.05, removing the need to pay or make change with pennies.

"We keep a constant pulse on our customers' needs, and the rules and regulations that affect their businesses," remarked David Gosman, CEO of pcAmerica. "Automating the rounding within our software eliminates the need to manually round transactions. This makes it easy and helps our Canadian retail and restaurant customers easily adjust to the absence of the penny."

Canada follows countries such as Sweden, the Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and China's Hong Kong in getting rid of the historic coin, pcAmerica noted. Politicians in the U.S. have discussed the possibility of making the move because it currently costs 2.4 cents to produce one penny. In Canada, that price was 1.5 cents, resulting in savings of $11 million per year, and much less fumbling around.

Cash Rounding Added to Popular POS Software Packages

Channel Factoid

While consumers continue to rely heavily on their mobile devices, businesses are still not prepared to exploit the technology, according to the "2013 Mobile Sophistication and Strategy Study" from Kontagent. Companies have responded to the growth in mobility with ad hoc development instead of considered strategies, according to this survey. As an example, more than two-thirds of companies lacked any defined way to determine if mobile experiences were truly effective and only one-third actually track and report specific performance of their "must-have" apps. Approximately 65% of respondents plan to increase spending in this area in 2013, yet they also acknowledge that they are building apps without any plan or idea of how to integrate the data they've already collected. The study also finds that only one-quarter of brands have well-defined mobile strategies and less than half have thought beyond the calendar year. For companies who are deemed mobile leaders, senior management or product teams drive strategies, interestingly, while mainstream companies still rely on marketing. "Mobile now outpaces any historical adoption," observed Jeff Tseng, CEO and Co-Founder of Kontagent. "Businesses that will succeed on this next wave need to understand how to not only build outstanding experiences on mobile platforms, but also leverage user data rigorously in order to best measure and improve their mobile offerings."

HELLO GOODBYE

Hodge Podge at TSYS

TSYS (Columbus, GA) has promoted Tony Hodge to EVP of Application Systems for North America. Hodge has been with the payment services provider since its founding in 1983, holding titles such as Manager of the Department of Education Development Team and Group Executive for the Technology Services Division. During his tenure, he has received numerous honors, including the James H. Blanchard Leadership Award and the Georgia Trend Top 40 Under 40 Award.

"There is no better example of a hard working IT professional than Tony Hodge," indicated Bill Pruett, President of TSYS North America. "His dedication to his work, and to TSYS, has proved invaluable over the years. Under his leadership and guidance, we expect to see great things from our North American IT group." Hodge currently oversees more than 1,000 IT employees.

 Tony Hodge, EVP, Application Systems, TSYS North America

APG "Nets" Innovator Award

APG Cash Drawer (Minneapolis), and its NetPRO Wi-Fi Cash Drawer, has been named as one of five finalists for the 2013 Innovator Award in the category of "Best Cash." Final voting for the Innovator Awards took place this week, with overall category winners to be announced at the Innovation Project, run by PYMNTS.com, later this month. This two-day program seeks to draw together senior business executives and technology providers to discuss the payments industry and broader commerce ecosystem, according to its organizers.

"We are honored to be recognized," acknowledged Mark Olson, President of APG Cash Drawer. "Retailers are looking for the latest technologies that can improve the overall customer experience--mobile POS is just such technology. Our Wireless NetPRO cash drawer is the first of its kind and it's able to communicate with any of today's tablet-based systems. Going mobile doesn't eliminate the cash transaction; it introduces security concerns. NetPRO cash drawers have the ability to help retailers solve these issues through proximity claiming and alert features, which can activate security cameras, time and date stamp security video recordings, and broadcast warning messages to the store manager's mobile device."

NetPRO Wi-Fi Cash Drawer Honored for "Best Cash" Category