Our Product Pick

Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (Fort Mill, SC) has added two-dimensional imaging to one of its most popular scanners for retail, with the shipment of the new Orbit 7190g. Accommodating mobile coupons on the customer smartphone, as well as pass-through scanning of linear barcodes by the store cashier, the presentation-mode Orbit 7190g measures 4.1 in. (W) x 4.3 in. (D) x 5.8 in. (H) and weighs 14.5 oz. Its unique shape enables handheld scanning of bulky, large items, and for added flexibility, its scanning head can be tilted 30 degrees. As additional benefits, Orbit 7190g has plug-and-play functionality, multiple on-board interfaces (USB, RS-232, RS-485, and Keyboard Wedge), and integrated EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance). Automatic interface detection enables the Orbit 7190g to configure itself, with power drawn directly through the USB. Applications include convenience stores, RRN.Com was told.

Orbit 7190g, With Imaging, by Honeywell

COMPANY BUSINESS

Xenial Blossoms at Heartland

Heartland Commerce, operating under Global Payments (Atlanta, GA), has launched its next-generation cloud-based restaurant management platform, entitled "Xenial." Via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), it supports Apple, Android, and Windows, with deployment on unlimited numbers of devices (without per terminal fee). It touches every point of the restaurant ecosystem, according to Heartland Commerce, encompassing payment processing, mobile order, customer engagement, kitchen management, and back-office reporting/analytics. It addresses customers from single stores ranging to enterprise levels.

"Today's restaurant operator wants a more dependable, intuitive, and modern management platform," observed Christopher Sebes, President of Heartland Commerce. "In a high-tech, self-serve world, the complete platform can be used at many customer points of interaction, including counter, drive-thru, kiosk, and in app on mobile and tablet. It is quite remarkable how simple Xenial is to install and operate."

A natural evolution for Heartland Commerce, it would seem, is Xenial. Acknowledging the key role played by VARs and ISVs in POS, Global Payments bought Heartland Payment Systems, now renamed as Heartland Commerce, in April of 2016. In doing so, it gained the reseller networks of four key ISVs in hospitality POS that were previously merged into Heartland Payment Systems: Dinerware, Digital Dining, PC America, and Xpient Solutions (where Christopher Sebes was CEO). It plans additional restaurant value-added feature enhancements to Xenial in 2017, reportedly, as well as expansion into the liquor and retail sectors as well as further geographic areas.

Heartland Commerce Launches Its Next-Generation Xenial Restaurant Management Platform

Connecting the IoTs at Honeywell

Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (Fort Mill, SC) has unveiled its new supply chain technology for perishable and high-value goods, dubbed "Connected Freight." Engineered in collaboration with Intel and third party logistics companies DHL, Expeditors, and Kuehne + Nagel, it provides real-time information about the location and condition of such critical freight while in transit. A major step into IoT for Honeywell, it customizes Intel's Connected Logistics Platform, which is led by Chet Hullum, GM for Industrial Solutions at Intel (Santa Clara, CA).

Honeywell's Connected Freight employs sensor tags affixed to individual packages or pallets in order to track critical environmental conditions such as temperature, shock, tilt, pressure, and intrusion detection. A gateway device inside the container or truck aggregates data via NFC and transits this data via cellular WAN to the cloud-based command-and-control center. Additional benefits of the system include user-specified alerts, audit and compliance rules, and predictive and reactive analysis (such as identification of routes to avoid).

"Honeywell is developing a range of 'Connected' solutions that leverage technology and data to make supply chains more efficient and better able to adapt to rapid change," reported Taylor Smith, President of Honeywell's Workflow Solutions. As end-users, he cites "shippers, logistics providers, retailers, and others faced with a host of costly freight challenges, such as theft, damage, spoilage, and delays." A prime example would be pharmaceuticals and healthcare, according to Martin Kolbe, CIO at Kuehne + Nagel International AG, which currently has several ongoing trials in such lucrative areas on Connected Freight.

Honeywell's Sensor-Based Supply Chain Tracking Technology, "Connected Freight"

Worth Your While

NRA
National Restaurant Association
May 20-23
Chicago, IL

NRFtech
National Retail Federation (NRF)
July 23-25
San Diego, CA

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
August 6-9
Las Vegas, NV

VARTECH
BlueStar
September 18-19
Orlando, FL

Pack Expo
PMMI
September 25-27
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

With "U" at Star Micronics

Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ) has unwrapped its new thermal receipt printer, the 3" TSP100IIIU. It adds simple connectivity via USB to the popular TSP100III Series (already offered with Bluetooth, LAN, and WLAN). Notable upgrades for the TSP100III Series include print speed of 9.8 in./250 mm per second at 203 dpi and paper roll de-curl mechanism that ensures flat receipts. Also, in the TSP100IIIU, Star has brought back the power switch for shutting down the printer, and has added display of the product serial number for easier asset management.

In dimensions of 5.6 in. (W) x 8 in. (D) x 5.2 in. (H), weighing 3.7 lbs. without paper roll, the TSP100IIIU features "drop-in & print" paper loading and guillotine auto-cutter. Sensors include "paper end" and "cover open" (with optional "buzzer"). Emphasizing mobile POS, the USB Type A supports iOS with charging Lightning Cable. Similarly, the USB Type B supports Windows or Android (with auto-detection by PC).

"With internal power supply, power cables, complete mounting kits, and sample thermal paper roll, the TSP100IIIU is the perfect printer for any mobile POS," stated Star Micronics America. A set-up guide and link to manual is provided by QR Code. An ultra-white casing, in keeping with the look of mobile POS, has been added to the standard gray color. As expected, the new TSP100IIIU supports the company's app marketplace, Star Cloud Services, as well as its digital receipt delivery and management bureau, All Receipts.

Star's TSP100IIIU (for USB) Thermal Receipt Printer

CipherLab in Harmony (the RS50)

CipherLab USA (Plano, TX) has unboxed its new rugged touch computer with Android 6.0, designated as the RS50. Measuring 6.4 in. (L) x 3.1 in. (W) x 1 in. (D), and weighing about 12 oz., the RS50 carries 4.7" capacitive touchscreen, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy, GPS, and both AT&T and Verizon 4G LTE. Users in the field may access Gmail and Google Maps through Google Mobile Services (GMS).

As technical specifications, CipherLab's RS50 has ARM Cortex A53 Octa-Core CPU at 2 GHz, 2-GB RAM, 16-GB Flash, and 32-GB Micro-SD. As data collection, there's two-dimensional imager, eight-megapixel camera, and HF RFID/NFC. It meets IP-65/67 ratings for water and dust and has 6-ft./1.8-m drop resistance with 4000-mAh (12-hr.) or 5300-mAh (16-hr.) 3.8-V Li-Ion battery. As supporting software, there's application development, device management, and browser/terminal emulation available through CipherLab.

"The RS50 Series combines industrial device powers and commercial smartphone operations in perfect harmony," declared Steven Liau, Chairman and President of CipherLab (Taipei, Taiwan). "The design of the RS50 puts together durability, quality performance, and power efficiency that will undoubtedly maximize productivity." With one-year warranty, pricing starts at $1,550, RRN.Com was told.

CipherLab's RS50 Rugged Android Touch Computer

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Week of May 8

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Week of April 17

ALLIANCES

ISVs Shine at Sterling

Sterling Payment Technologies (Tampa, FL) has offered an EMV solution for the Infinity Retail Management System by Biztracker POS (Seminole, FL). It allows end-users to accept transactions in a semi-integrated mode using popular NETePay middleware from Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA) and VX 805 terminals from Verifone (San Jose, CA). Earlier, in March, Sterling announced similar plans with leading foodservice ISV, RPower Point of Sale (Scottsdale, AZ). It also has partnered for wireless EMV with hardware maker, ExaDigm (Santa Ana, CA).

"Our priority at Biztracker is to make sure our systems and software are as secure as possible," explained Jim Eldred, President of Biztracker. "Sterling's EMV solution provides that extra assurance, is affordable, and requires minimal installation time. It's a great value." Significantly, Sterling and Biztracker are very active in the channel for POS.

"Biztracker is a growing company serving small to medium-sized retailers, and we're glad that our partnership results in an EMV solution," expressed Rich Peterson, President of the Integrated Point of Sale Division for Sterling Payment Technologies. In January of 2017, Sterling Payment Technologies was acquired by another aggressive payment processor, EVO Payments (Melville, NY), as consolidation speeds in the payment processing arena. Each week brings such news.

Rich Peterson, President of the Integrated Point of Sale Division, Sterling Payment Technologies

A Modest Proposal by Net Element

In rolling out its latest, enhanced version of Aptito POS Software, Net Element (North Miami Beach, FL) has simultaneously debuted its new sales campaign, which promises POS VARs "up to $1,200 per placement." A cloud-based platform employing iOS, Aptito furnishes both front counter and mobile POS for retail and hospitality. It was purchased by Net Element in 2013. A dealer program soon followed.

In addition to checkout, Aptito addresses digital menus, mobile ordering, social media collaboration, and business management tools such as reservation, scheduling, and payroll. Some new features of its latest release include: bartending and self-service; advanced printing, inventory, and monitoring capabilities; import and export of menus; modification of partially paid orders; improved gift card functionality; and more sophisticated security. As differentiating characteristics, in large part, Aptito promotes its visual and omni-channel properties.

"A vast majority of restaurants are still using old legacy POS systems that fail to accommodate consumer demands for convenience, speed, accuracy, and security when dining or shopping," contended Oleg Firer, CEO of Net Element. "With its suite of new enhancements, Aptito offers the most complete package of features to bring an establishment into the digital age." In addition to Aptito, Net Element, under the umbrella of its TOT Group, runs the payment processor, Unified Payments; messaging and mobile billing service, Digital Provider; and e-commerce platform, Payonline.

"Up to $1,200 Per Placement" for POS VARs

Code Corner

Squirrel Systems (Burnaby, BC, Canada) has released its Squirrel Professional 10 for POS. Along with refreshed user interface, and enhanced EMV and mobile POS, Squirrel cited several differentiating strengths of Professional 10. Providing "one-touch automation," its remote management tools handle unattended end-of-day and start-up processes, 24-hour operations, and emergency fail-over. Improved front-of-house control brings focus on specific areas of responsibility, such as revenue center or group of employees. In addition, several built-in reports for transfers, payroll, and voids have been enriched with more data. Squirrel Professional 10 is proactively supported by the firm's 24/7 Solution Center, including Squirrel SmartWatch, which automatically detects (and in some cases, self-heals) technical issues, while notifying the customer service representative at Squirrel and the restaurant's IT. Finally, Squirrel Professional 10 has additional integration to the kitchen display system (ConnectSmart) and table management solution (DineTime) from strategic partner, QSR Automations (Louisville, KY). "For over 30 years, restaurants have been leveraging Squirrel's POS solutions to streamline operations and elevate the customer experience," proclaimed Mike Devine, VP of Sales and Marketing at Squirrel Systems. "Squirrel Professional 10 represents the latest advancement of our proven restaurant management platform."

INTEGRATION

Oracle's Eigen Counter

An under-the-radar player, Eigen Development Ltd. (Vancouver, BC, Canada), has validated its payment solution, MiraServ, for the Oracle Payments Interface (OPI). As such, it enables secure credit-card transactions with Oracle Hospitality/Micros. According to Eigen, MiraServ supports both wired and wireless pay-at-the-table devices. It accepts MSR, EMV, and NFC, with tokenization and point-to-point encryption (P2PE), as well as approval "to the highest level" by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC).

OPI is the standard payments interface for all current products by Oracle Hospitality. It includes Simphony (First Edition, Standard, and Premier), RES 3700, and Micros 9700 and e7. Vendor neutral, naturally, Eigen supports major payment processors in the U.S. and Canada. Focusing on restaurants, airports, and entertainment venues, it extends its payments platform to gift card, e-commerce, and online order.

"This marks the latest achievement in our long history with Micros, now Oracle," reflected Joseph Tabenkin, Product Manager at Eigen. "We have been providing best-of-breed integrated payments to Micros systems for over a decade and the OPI validation is another step in the evolution of our partnership." A Gold Member of the Oracle Partner Network, Eigen Development started in payments in 1992.

MiraServ by Eigen Development Offers Credit Card Processing for Oracle Hospitality/Micros

Electronic Payments: Let's Nosh

A savvy move by Electronic Payments (Calverton, NY), with the purchase of mobile order app, MobileNosh. It will be tied at no charge into the Exatouch Point of Sale by Electronic Payments. Online and mobile orders will automatically generate within Exatouch POS and include delivery or pickup instructions. As expected, MobileNosh will be optimized amongst numerous browsers and support iOS (via Apple App Store) and Android (via Google Play Store).

"We want to drill down to the user experience and offer technologies that fundamentally make orders and payments fast and simple," emphasized Michael Nardy, Founder and CEO of Electronic Payments. "Integrating customer-engaging technologies such as MobileNosh with the merchant's POS will not only decrease customer wait time, but increase overall orders. Payment technologies are rapidly evolving, and Exatouch, along with MobileNosh, are changing the game."

Also, MobileNosh will be offered to end-users of the company's eGiftSolutions. It adds to existing features such as gift card processing, loyalty and rewards programs, e-mail reminders, floor plan, and customizations for retail and restaurants with Exatouch. Customers may reload their eGiftSolutions balance in addition to paying via MobileNosh at the POS. In Exatouch, there's three versions--PC-on-Cash Drawer, 10" Tablet, and Restaurant Server Station--all with cloud.

Electronic Payments Add Mobile Order App, Called MobileNosh, to Its Exatouch POS

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Aures
Bematech
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Tailwind Solutions

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Godex Americas
Honeywell

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
AML
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Denso ADC
Honeywell
Janam Technologies

Distribution
Ingram Micro

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
iPayment
Sterling Payment

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry Americas, LLC
TG3 Electronics

Mounts for POS
Innovative
SpacePole

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Lavu Flows (to Inventory, Reports)

Showing persistence, Lavu (Albuquerque, NM) has ungraded its inventory system and remote reporting capabilities. Previewed at this week's National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, these twin functions further the cause of "all-in-one" functionality, suggested the purveyor of iPad POS. Additional enhancements to Lavu are planned for release in Summer 2017. Appearing in 2010, Lavu was the first iPad POS to be listed in the Apple App Store.

As features, "Lavu Inventory" has consolidated management of vendor relationships, real-time updates, creation of purchase orders, manual or automated receivership of inventory, and item transferal among locations. A companion app to Lavu Point of Sale, the new remote management app, dubbed "Lavu Pilot," supports iOS. It has quick-look dashboard with gross sales, guest count, total orders, and average order; color-coded charts for easy visibility; multi-location single sign-on; aggregated reports for multi-locations; and details by chosen time period (i.e., day, week, month, or year).

"I couldn't be prouder of the product and development teams at Lavu," shared Ohad Jehassi, President. "In close collaboration with our customer care team, they have developed features that directly result from listening to our customers. We know that common restaurant pain points include comprehensive inventory tracking and lucid, mobile reporting systems. Our new product releases meet those needs and eliminate those pain points." In 2015, Lavu received $15 million in Series A funding from Aldrich Capital Partners.

New Remote Management App: "Lavu Pilot"

Go West, Barcoding, Inc.

Leading Auto ID VAR, Barcoding, Inc. (Baltimore, MD), has snapped up mobile solutions provider, Versatile Mobile Systems (Lynwood, WA). With this move, Barcoding, Inc. adds staff of 30 and so-called "follow the sun" expansion of support hours--extending from 8 AM EST to 5 PM PST. Both firms are well-established, with deep ties to major vendors such as Zebra and Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions. Versatile has been in business since 1992; Barcoding, Inc. since 1998.

"We're excited to expand our company footprint and technical expertise through Barcoding," volunteered Andrew Lynch, Director of Versatile Mobile Systems. "Barcoding is just as passionate as we are about barcoding and innovative mobile solutions and this opportunity will allow us to provide our offerings to more customers and partners globally." In his remarks, Shane Snyder, President of Barcoding, Inc., cited professional services and software development resources as particular strengths of Versatile Mobile Systems.

Elsewhere, Barcoding, Inc. will now equip and support the subscription-based online ordering platform from MunchOn (Mountain Lakes, NJ). "We're thrilled to be partnering with Barcoding because they not only have the industry expertise, but they have the willingness and innovation to think outside-of-the-box," enthused James Russo, Co-Founder of MunchOn. "We've worked with other resellers and partners in the past and Barcoding far exceeds our expectations." In March, MunchOn adopted the TSP650IIcloudPRNT thermal receipt printer by Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ) for its tablet-based Samsung POS.

Channel Factoid

All card payments in the U.S for goods and services--credit, debit, prepaid general purpose, and private label--totaled $5.936 trillion in 2016, according to The Nilson Report. In turn, processing fees--which include interchange--that were paid by U.S. merchants totaled $88.39 billion. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, as well as private label (store, gasoline, medical, etc.) credit cards accounted for a combined $3.347 trillion in purchasing volume. This amounted to 56.38% of all card spending, including debit and prepaid. Credit cards accounted for $69.79 billion in processing fees, equal to 78.96% of total processing fees paid by merchants. Visa, Mastercard, and PIN-based EFT system debit card payments generated $2.589 trillion in 2016 and accounted for 43.62% of all spending for goods and services. Such debit cards generated $18.60 billion or 21.04% of total processing fees paid. The weighted average of processing fees paid as a percentage of purchase volume from all credit, debit, and prepaid general purpose and private label cards was 1.49% in 2016. "When you add up all of the spending and divide by the fees merchants pay, the average is $1.49 for every $100 in card sales," concluded David Robertson, Publisher of The Nilson Report.

HELLO GOODBYE

Kiosk King at KIS/Posiflex

Kiosk Information Systems (Louisville, CO), now part of Posiflex, has elevated Bill Butler, former CFO, to the office of CEO. He follows Tom Weaver, CEO since 2012, who has transitioned into the role of Executive Consultant. Prior to joining Kiosk Information Systems in 2014, Butler served as Senior Director of Finance for Crocs (2006 to 2014), Group Controller/GM for Eaton Aerospace (2005 to 2006), Corporate Controller for SpectraLink (2004 to 2005), and Director of Finance for Flextronics (1998 to 2003).

"Investments we've made in acquiring staff talent to support a full solution strategy have been substantial," indicated Tom Weaver. "Simultaneously adding professional resources in software development, engineering, managed services, supply chain, and other support roles required Bill's expert financial planning and management. Bill provides essential leadership in financial strategy, systems, and process management that make or break change of this caliber. He was the obvious choice for Kiosk's next CEO."

Added Butler, "As I transition into the CEO role, I'm very encouraged that Kiosk is in a solid position and our professional teams are executing on projects that represent significant strategic long-term growth. Going forward, we're all very fortunate to have Tom's industry expertise and strategic leadership skills at our continued disposal." As readers will recall, in August of 2016, Kiosk Information Systems was purchased by Posiflex, one of the leaders in POS. Purchase price was $105 million. "Bill will be very instrumental in our success as we introduce new self-service solutions into Posiflex's global distribution channels," predicted Owen Chen, CEO of Posiflex (Taipei, Taiwan and Hayward, CA).

Bill Butler, CEO, Kiosk Information Systems, Now Part of Posiflex

A Lally Rally at iPayment

Aggressive processor iPayment, Inc. (Westlake Village, CA) has enlisted Shawn Lally as its Director of Business Development. Most recently, Lally served as Division Manager for SMB Sales (2015 to 2017) at Heartland Payments, now part of Global Payments. In 2016, his performance earned Heartland Chairman's Club. Previous roles include Director of Enterprise Clients for First Data (2012 to 2015), VP of Sales for TransFirst (2009 to 2012), and VP of Sales for First Data (2004 to 2009).

"Shawn is a proven sales leader and overachiever, consistently meeting or exceeding his annual goals throughout his sales career," testified Denise Tahali, SVP, Agent and ISO Sales, iPayment, Inc. "We are thrilled to add someone with Shawn's experience and skillset to our business development team and to the organization." A former VP of Partner Solutions at First Data Corporation, Tahali joined iPayment in March of 2017.

"I am excited to join the iPayment team where I can leverage my skills, experience, and passion to drive incremental new business for the company," contributed Lally. "iPayment is committed to continued growth through new technology investments and product expansion and providing unparalleled support and training for their partners, which is what made this the perfect opportunity for me at this point in my career." As President and CEO, iPayment has O.B. Rawls, IV, former SVP and GM for Partner Solutions at First Data Corporation.

Shawn Lally, Director of Business Development, iPayment