This Week’s Product Pick

TabletKiosk (Torrance, CA) unveiled its sleek, streamlined Sahara Slate PC i500. Capable of running 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, the Sahara Slate PC i500 gets powered by an Intel Core i7-640LM vPro processor, making the device the most powerful tablet on the market, according to the company. It comes with 12-inch dual-mode screen that intuitively switches between Wacom Active Digitizer and two different touch options, including resistive and multi-touch capacitive. In addition, users may exploit the precision of Microsoft’s Digital Inking technology for superior handwriting recognition. “We really hit the mark with the Sahara Slate PC i500 by offering an even more enhanced user experience at a price point starting below the previous generation,” declared Martin Smekal, CEO/President of TabletKiosk.

Sahara Slate PC i500 by TabletKiosk

COMPANY BUSINESS

Broader Horizon for SAP and Verizon

SAP America (Newton Square, PA) and Verizon (New York) have expanded their agreement to jointly market and sell key components of Verizon’s Managed Mobility Portfolio, in order to give customers access to their SAP applications. This makes Verizon the first SAP partner to provide end-to-end enterprise cloud and mobility offerings, according to the two parties. As a result, enterprises can simplify and speed the delivery of mobile applications from SAP to smart phones--and now, tablets--for mobile workers in and out of the office.

In separate news, Verizon has announced enhancements to its Managed Mobility Portfolio that will enable stronger security features and enriched capabilities for SAP and Verizon customers, including support for industry-leading iOS and Android OS-based tablets. These new enhancements utilize the Afaria mobile device management solution, and provide enterprise-to-edge security and back-office application extension. All of this falls under Verizon’s Computing-as-a-Service, or CaaS, cloud platform, which SAP has endorsed.

“SAP is consistently looking for simplified and secure ways for customers to use our solutions, while increasing agility and also reducing total cost of ownership,” commented Kaj van de Loo, SVP, Technology Strategy, SAP. “Verizon provides a secure, high-performance cloud infrastructure that’s ideal for the delivery of mobile applications from SAP, and this agreement and co-sell arrangement further accelerates the value companies can gain from our offerings while controlling costs for an immediate business benefit.” For Verizon, Kerry Bailey serves as Group President of Cloud Strategy and Services.

Kaj van de Loo, SVP, Technology Strategy, SAP

Psion: Our EP10 Ready to Go

Psion (London) announced general availability of its newest ruggedized PDA, the EP10, in all major markets. First previewed in December, the EP10 seeks to combine the features and durability of high-end mobile computers with the small, ergonomic form factor of smart-phones. It targets field service, postal and courier delivery, ticketing and event management, as well as transportation and security. In total, value of pre-orders for the EP10 tops $8 million, according to the manufacturer, representing 7,000 devices.

“All the feedback and early orders we’ve received for the EP10 tells us that this is the device our customers and partners have been waiting for,” relayed John Conoley, CEO of Psion PLC. “Furthermore, we’re bringing this product to market on-time and on-budget, which marks another successful launch for Psion.” More than 100,000 hours of pre-launch testing have been conducted by partners and customers, Psion reported.

The EP10 carries the Texas Instruments AM3715 Sitara ARM processor, 3.7-inch high-resolution LDC display with touchscreen, and support for the latest mobile communication standards such as CDMA/GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Incorporated into the device is an omni-directional, two-dimensional imager and 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED flash. In keeping with Psion’s philosophy of modularity, the EP10 supports multiple keyboards, choice of batteries, slot for Micro-SD memory card, and expansion modules for customized hardware such as RFID, DEX, and biometric readers. MSRP starts at $1,850.

EP10 PDA by Psion

Worth Your While

RetailNOW 2011
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 24-27
Orlando

VARTECH 2011
BlueStar
August 15-17
Miami

AIM Expo
Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility
September 26-28
Las Vegas

NACS 2011
National Association of Convenience Stores
October 1-4
Chicago

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Double Shot of Plasma

Panasonic Solutions Company (Secaucus, NJ) debuted its PH30 Series, the newest addition to its family of HD Professional Plasma Displays. These new displays are available in two models: the 42-inch TH-42PH30 and the 50-inch TH-50PH30. In particular, they suit bars and restaurants looking for faithful image reproduction and excellent viewing from all angles, according to the manufacturer, and offer high contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 and wide-range color reproduction surpassing the HDTV standard.

Designed from “an environmentally responsible perspective,” the PH30 Series features energy efficiency 35% higher than its predecessor, the PH20 Series, as well as lead and mercury-free construction. Additionally, the PH30 Series offers 100,000-hour service life compared to the 60,000-hour average of competitive LCD professional displays. Finally, the front glass panel delivers ruggedness ten times that of an LCD. Thus, PH30 plasma displays can be installed without the need for additional protective panels, even in walkways with heavy foot traffic.

“With the PH30 Series, Panasonic can offer its customers top-of-the-line plasma picture quality in an energy-efficient and economically priced package,” reported Rick Albert, VP of Sales, Professional Display Solutions, for Panasonic. “These new displays diversify our product offering, helping to make sure our customers are outfitted with the right solutions to meet their individual needs.” The TH-42PH30 and TH-50PH30 feature two sets of digital input and three sets of analog input connectors and are priced at $880 and $1,200, respectively.

Panasonic’s TH-50PH30 Professional Plasma Display

No Dirty Laundry for Tagsys

Tagsys (King of Prussia, PA) introduced its new RFID tag for the laundry and textile services industry. Designed to withstand harsh industrial laundry processes, while providing industry-leading performance for item-level tracking of flat linens and uniforms, LinTRAK tags are provided as woven labels meeting UHF EPC Gen 2 with 10-foot read range and high data transfer rates. Notably, they can survive temperatures up to 200⁰C/392⁰F, and are guaranteed for 200 wash cycles, or three years.

With this improved visibility, laundries, textile rental companies, and their customers can achieve significant benefits in handling, utilization, and tracking of linen inventories. In addition, laundries may provide new services such as loss prevention and real-time storage management. Tags can be produced in a variety of colors, as well as with customized artwork or text. Fittingly, they couple very small UHF device with secondary antenna made from an innovative and flexible thread-like material.

“Tagsys is a leader in developing RFID solutions for the textile and apparel market, and we have brought this experience to bear, along with input from our customers and partners, in developing the new LinTRAK tag,” stated Alain Fanet, CEO of Tagsys. “Our UHF technology provides greater performance than existing solutions in a flexible, ruggedized format that can be easily and affordably deployed.” Elsewhere, Tagsys has launched three RFID toolkits for challenging environments: KIT-4 Fluid Items, KIT-4 Stacked Items, and KIT-4 Luxury Items.

RFID Tags for Item-Level Tracking of Flat Linens and Uniforms

Join the Party at No Charge

Subscribe Today! Email:

Do you need to reach the POS & Auto ID resellers who really drive business—in the most targeted editorial environment, and on the most cost-effective basis?

E-mail Michael Kachmar for advertising information,
or call 973-270-3284

Did you miss one of our issues and suddenly realize your competitors know more than you do?

Hurry ! Use the links below to catch up :

Week of May 23

Week of May 16

Week of May 9

ALLIANCES

Foxfire Courts GP, SMB

Foxfire (Greenville, SC) now offers standard, out-of-the-box integration between its warehouse management system (WMS) and Microsoft Dynamics GP. Through this new capability, end-users may process transactions seamlessly between their warehouse and accounting department, creating greater insight regarding sales orders, inventory, and labor, as well as furthering automation of the warehouse itself. Dubbed the Foxfire-Dynamics GP Connector, it utilizes Microsoft’s eConnect, a collection of web services and tools designed to promote third-party development to Microsoft Dynamics GP.

In April, Foxfire also announced the launch of its WMS Express, which furnishes an easy-to-install, pre-configured version of its WMS, 90-day implementation, and optional SaaS-based pricing model. With this release, Foxfire has targeted small and midsized warehouses as well as larger operations looking to implement pilot programs. With WMS Express, end-users have the choice to go “paperless,” including all inventory management functions for receiving, put away, cycle counting, picking, packing, and shipping.

“Foxfire had been successful in Tier 1 warehouse environments for many years,” remarked Dustin Caudell, VP of Sales and Marketing for Foxfire. “We also believe there is an addressable, large market for basic, less-customized WMS. WMS Express comes pre-configured, based on industry standards, straightforward to deploy, and expandable as warehouse needs change.”

Foxfire WMS Ties to Microsoft Dynamics GP

Xpient Wields TransArmor

Xpient Solutions (Charlotte, NC) has incorporated the First Data TransArmor security scheme into its POS restaurant software. “Data security is a top priority at Xpient and this agreement with First Data will ensure that restaurant operators using our POS software will have the most advanced payment card security available today,” indicated Christopher Sebes, CEO/President of Xpient. “We are pleased to be one of the very first POS providers in the restaurant industry to be fully integrated with the TransArmor solution.”

Engineered with the RSA SafeProxy architecture, TransArmor combines tokenization and encryption technologies to protect cardholder data at every stage of the transaction. According to First Data (Atlanta), it represents the most widely deployed payment security methodology in the industry, with 125,000 participating merchants. For its part, Xpient works with some of the largest brands in the foodservice industry, with over 90,000 terminals installed in over 25,000 restaurants.

“Xpient Solutions has a great reputation in the restaurant industry and its advanced POS technology is an ideal fit for our TransArmor solution,” said Tim Horton, VP, Merchant Product Management, at First Data. “With this new agreement, restaurant operators using Xpient technology and First Data will have peace of mind in protecting their customers’ payment card data and will be able to significantly reduce the scope and lower the cost of achieving PCI compliance.”

Christopher Sebes, CEO/President, Xpient

Code Corner

Agilysys (Cleveland) released its next-generation of Mobile POS, dubbed NextPosition, and included in the NextVision suite of solutions for retailers. It helps boost service and profitability by extending the power of fixed POS to handheld devices, according to the vendor, and has legacy roots with leading POS platforms. For instance, NextPosition is tightly integrated with the IBM 4690 and Oracle POS, and may be launched with little modification. “Extensive experience in all phases of wireless infrastructure and integration with POS systems has provided the wherewithal to assemble our world-class mobility team that expertly guides customers in planning, creating, deploying, and managing complete solutions for their needs,” observed Paul Civils, SVP and GM, Retail Services Group. Agilysys also announced that it will sell its $474-million-revenue Technology Solutions Group to OnX Enterprise Solutions (Toronto) for $64 million, subject to approval by shareholders. Moreover, Martin Ellis, CEO/President, and architect of Agilysys’ multi-year restructuring, will be stepping down and current board member James Dennedy will assume the chief executive role on an interim basis. Going forward, the company intends to refocus its efforts on its core retail and hospitality businesses. "With its enormous power and modular expansion capability, the Sahara Slate PC i500 gives an enterprise the flexibility to choose add-on functionality to support highly specialized business applications," declared Martin Smekal, CEO/President of TabletKiosk.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Believing in "Zero" at Xterprise

Xterprise (Dallas) has enhanced RFID Item-Level “Box & Order Auditing” in its Clarity Source Tagging product for apparel and footwear suppliers. This new feature performs an automated audit of case-level contents and validates down to the required item level against the order, then logs results and drives any needed corrective action. It results in several significant business improvements, according to the developer, such as confidence in “zero” serial number duplications across the enterprise, an easily expandable and configurable network of print/encoding node points, reduction of missed shipment claims from the retailer, and overall improved inventory accountability.

“RFID technology alone without item-level software applications to drive process and inventory utilization improvements will not boost quality of shipments but instead just make the existing process errors even more costly,” noted Dean Frew, CEO of Xterprise. “A growing number of apparel suppliers are shipping RFID tagged items to retailers and want to use the technology to close the shipment quality gap. Our Clarity ST Box & Order Auditing enhancement supports high-volume pick, pack, and ship environments where integration with existing order management systems enables customers to achieve 100% accuracy of shipments down to the item level within each box.”

Clarity Source Tagging, along with the new enhancement, currently gets deployed using Motorola and Zebra RFID hardware products, in conjunction with inlays and labels from many manufacturers. For its Clarity Retail Application Suite, Xterprise heavily leverages Microsoft technologies such as .NET, SQL, BizTalk Server and RFID, Windows OS and Mobile, and Windows Azure Cloud. For the past two years, the developer has been recognized as one of Microsoft’s Partners of the Year for SOA and Business Process.

Dean Frew, CEO, Xterprise

Ground Zero for Encryption

ID TECH (Cypress, CA) has released SecureKey M Series keypads with the capacity to encrypt both swiped and manually keyed payment card data. SecureKey M100 and SecureKey M130 (with magnetic-stripe reader) support Triple DES (TDES) and AES encryption algorithms and use Derived Unique Key Per Transaction (DUKPT) key management. Both devices are USB-powered and feature LCD backlight displays with two lines of 20 characters. They offer an operating life of 20 million total keystrokes.

SecureKey M Series provides plug-and-play integration with straightforward XML output format and standard USB keyboard interface. As with all the products in its SL Secure Line, ID TECH offers key-injection services in its ASC X9/TG3-certified facility. With the ability to encrypt both types of transactions--swipe and manually keyed--the SecureKey M100 and M130 keypads significantly improve card holder data security and can help reduce PCI-DSS scope for merchants, according to the manufacturer.

ID TECH also has partnered with TGate Payments (Schaumburg, IL) to offer point-to-point encryption through the combination of its SL Secure Line hardware and TGate’s SecureLINK payment gateway. Further, merchants and resellers can leverage TGate’s PathwayLINK to run their secure transactions through any major processor. “We’re delighted about the synergies that our partnership with ID TECH brings to both companies,” shared Tracy Metzger, President of TGate.

New Hardware From ID TECH

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
ScanSource

POS & Peripherals
Logic Controls
Pioneer POS
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Software - Retail
Tri-Technical Systems

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS Software - Hospitality
Aldelo Systems

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Mobile Marketing & Loyalty
Sundrop Mobile

Pay at Table
Bellatrix Systems

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

INSTALLATIONS

Texting Your Barista

SelbySoft (Puyallup, WA) has joined forces with Zingle (Del Mar, CA) to further use of text message ordering in hospitality. Specifically, Zingle’s popular text platform will tie directly to SelbySoft’s SP-1 POS terminal at coffee shop counters, an area SelbySoft has targeted since 1994. By combining the familiar communications tool of texting with existing hardware, this partnership will expedite customer service and improve order accuracy, according to the two parties.

“This is an exciting opportunity to partner with one of the leading POS services in the coffee industry,” declared Ford Blakely, Founder of Zingle. “We are the leading provider of text message ordering in the coffee industry and combining our two technologies is an incredible opportunity to create an efficient back-office POS system that will provide immediate operational efficiencies for our retailers. In turn, this leads to greater overall customer satisfaction.”

“This powerful alliance will bring together Zingle’s text ordering expertise and the SelbySoft SP-1 POS system to create the most efficient POS device available,” added Mike Spence, VP at SelbySoft. “This integration fulfills an immediate need for customers. For the first time, there is an integrated text messaging interface that will allow customers to easily order product. Research shows that common clerical errors will be reduced and speed of service will be increased.”

SelbySoft SP-1 for Coffee and Tea Adds Zingle Text Messaging

MonkeyMedia Hangs Its Name on Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday, one of the best-known brands in casual dining, has selected MonkeyCatering from MonkeyMedia Software (Vancouver, BC, Canada) to grow its catering business. MonkeyCatering will be configured specifically to meet Ruby Tuesday’s requirements, according to the two parties, and will be integrated into the existing POS system. Additionally, management will gain valuable insight into business intelligence, including up-to-date sales figures, customer ordering behavior, and promotional performance.

“MonkeyCatering has everything we were looking for--from analytics and reporting to order, production, and delivery management,” cited Thomas Hadrys, Director of Customer Relationship Management for Ruby Tuesday. “We look forward to collaborating with them as our catering program continues to grow.” Founded in 1972, Ruby Tuesday has more than 800 restaurants in the U.S. and overseas.

“Ruby Tuesday is an icon in the multi-unit restaurant community, and it’s an honor that they chose MonkeyMedia Software to help manage their catering business,” commented Erle Dardick, CEO of MonkeyMedia, which sells through the channel. It calls our community “The Barrel,” as in “Barrel of Monkeys,” and includes MonkeyResellers (POS VARs), MonkeyAgents (foodservice consultants), and MonkeyPartners (POS vendors) In addition to fast casual, the company targets supermarket deli’s, bakeries, food manufacturers, and commissaries.

Fast Casual Leader Looks to Catering Growth

Channel Factoid

According to NRF’s Father’s Day Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, Americans will shell out an average of $106.49 on dad, up from $94.32 last year and totaling $11.1 billion. (By comparison, Mother’s Day spending averaged $140.73, but the gap appears to be narrowing.) This year, more people will be taking dad out, spending $2.1 billion on activities like golf, dining, or heading to the movies. Dads will receive more gift cards ($1.4 billion), sporting goods ($653 million), and automotive accessories ($593 million). Traditional Father’s Day gifts like electronics ($1.3 billion), clothing ($1.4 billion), home improvement or gardening tools ($1.4 billion), and books or CDs ($598 million) also will remain popular. To purchase their gifts, more than one-third of shoppers, 35.2%, will rely on their favorite department store, and nearly as many, 32.2%, will cruise the aisles of discount stores. Additionally, 26.9% will frequent specialty stores and 22.1% will find their present online. “Dad has always been content spending Father’s Day grilling in the backyard or shooting hoops in the driveway, but this year kids have bigger plans for him,” disclosed Phil Rist, EVP, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “Shoppers are putting more thought into their Father’s Day gifts.”

HELLO GOODBYE

Sundrop Shines With Kinsella

Sundrop Mobile (Maitland, FL), the mobile marketing and loyalty solutions provider, has engaged industry veteran Tim Kinsella as its EVP of Sales. Kinsella comes to Sundrop from Merchant Link, where he served as EVP of Sales and Marketing for four years and led dramatic growth. He began his career in the food and beverage industry two decades ago, before moving into technology at Newmarket International as Director of Sales and Marketing for Destination Products. During his six-year run at MICROS Systems, he held positions of GM for OPUS 2 Revenue Technologies and President/COO for Hospitality Solutions International.

“The need for merchants to go beyond traditional card-based loyalty programs and find more effective ways to engage their customers is growing at an astronomical pace,” Kinsella told RRN.Com. “With mobile platforms and social media taking over, I’m excited to join Sundrop Mobile, the thought leader in the mobile and social loyalty space.” As reported exclusively in RRN.Com, Sundrop plans to market through the POS reseller channel, first by establishing links with leading ISVs in hospitality, and then dealing directly with their partners.

The addition of Kinsella rounds out the Sundrop management team, which includes Lee Harville, VP of Channel Sales, and Travis Priest, CEO. Well-known in the POS industry, Harville has worked as POS reseller and in the sales and marketing divisions of Aloha Technologies, Radiant Systems, Sharp Electronics, and BlueStar. Priest, an experienced entrepreneur, previously co-founded URLabs, which Symantec Corporation purchased in 1999.

Tim Kinsella, EVP of Sales, Sundrop Mobile

Big Paychex for Bernson

Paychex, Inc. (Rochester, NY), one of the leading suppliers of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing for the SMB segment, has appointed Rebecca F. Bernson as SVP of Sales. Bernson has more than 30 years of experience leading Fortune 500 sales teams, specializing in business process outsourcing. The Paychex Board of Directors also has named her an officer of the company.

“I am very excited to have Rebecca join our executive team as the leader of our sales organization--a very important role for us,” stated Martin Mucci, CEO/President of Paychex. “She comes to Paychex with a record of success in delivering sales and revenue growth and a wealth of sales leadership experience, including many years in our industry.”

Most recently, Bernson was SVP of Sales for National Account Services at Automatic Data Processing. At ADP, she had responsibility for $1.5 billion in U.S.-based business, including over $300 million of new annualized revenue, for outsourced payroll and human resource services. Prior to joining ADP, Bernson held numerous sales leadership roles with Xerox Corporation, including national leadership of the company’s supply sales organization.

Rebecca Bernson, SVP of Sales, Paychex