Our Product Pick

Panasonic (Newark, NJ) has enhanced its Toughpad FZ-G1. It now features an Intel Core i5-6300U vPro CPU, Intel HD Graphics 520 (built into the CPU), and SSD of 256/512 GB, along with Windows 10 (in Toughpad FZ-G1 W). As wireless, Wi-Fi has been boosted to Intel Dual-Band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. As power, Toughpad FZ-G1 now provides up to 14 hours of continuous use, and up to 28 hours with its optional long-life battery. In addition, Panasonic has added its new water-proof digitizer pen. A fully rugged tablet (meeting IP-65 and MIL-STD-810G), with glove-sensitive 10" touchscreen, the Toughpad FZ-G1 has an MSRP, starting, of $2,800. "The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 remains the world's best-selling 10" fully rugged tablet because of its proven performance, portable design, and reliability," commented Brian Rowley, VP of Marketing and Product Management, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America.

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 Tablet

COMPANY BUSINESS

Seiko Flies With Phoenix

A new distributor for the Thermal Printer Division of Seiko Instruments USA, in the form of The Phoenix Group. Under this new agreement, TPG will offer Seiko's flagship Qaliber Series receipt printers, the newly launched MP-A40 Series mobile printers, and the desktop Smart Label Printer 600 Series (SLP 600). Founded in 2001, The Phoenix Group focuses on the payments arena, with an array of PIN Pads from major vendors and encryption keys for processors.

"We are very pleased to enter into this distribution agreement with The Phoenix Group who are clear industry leaders when it comes to POS products and services," expressed Kaz Onishi, VP at Seiko Instruments USA (Torrance, CA). "We look forward to working with The Phoenix Group on expanding our respective industry reaches, and we admire their mission statement of providing their customers with a personal, turnkey solution that goes beyond the bottom line." Debuted in August, the MP-A40 has weight of 1.5 lbs., print speed of 3.9 in./100 mm per second, and 6.6-ft./ 2-m drop resistance. With cubic design of 5 in. x 5 in. x 5 in., the Qaliber has print speed of 13.8 in./350 mm per second, and top or front receipt presentation configurations.

"TPG is proud to be partnered with Seiko Instruments, one of the most respected and powerful names in the world, known for their expertise in engineering and manufacturing," expounded Wally Sebastian, VP of Sales for The Phoenix Group (O'Fallon, MO). "As we evaluate potential partners, Seiko Instruments stood above the crowd with their product offering and partner support, and we are truly excited about our new partnership with them." The Phoenix Group serves the U.S. and Canada.

Seiko's Qaliber Receipt Printer

Vantiv Multiplies triPOS

Vantiv Integrated Payments (Durango, CO) has extended its payment processing middleware with two new products, triPOS Mobile and triPOS Cloud. Rolled out two years ago, as an onsite solution, triPOS seeks to ease the complexity of the "payment piece" for ISVs. Befitting its name, it addresses three concerns: interface to the business management solution, support of the hardware, and integration to the processor. Currently, it links to the Vantiv Express Platform.

Since its inception, triPOS has been built out with additional capabilities, Coy Christensen, Senior Leader Product at Vantiv Integrated Payments, told RRN.Com. "It will not only enable the latest payment technologies, including emerging payments like Apple Pay and Android Pay, but it protects customer data with validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE), Tokenization, and EMV," relayed Christensen. "triPOS evolves with your business and works for most merchant industries operating in-store or on-the-go." As an early adopter, Vantiv presented pharmacy POS ISV, Emporos (Charlotte, NC).

Beginning this month, developers may integrate to triPOS Mobile for iOS and Android. An obvious target will be tablet-based POS. Simultaneously, Vantiv has piloted triPOS Cloud, with launch in 2017. At the recent Money 20/20 Show in Las Vegas, Christensen found great interest in triPOS Cloud, "since it requires none of the typically complex installation in the merchant environment." Developers may integrate to triPOS at Vantiv O.N.E. It is offered for free to partners of Vantiv.

Coy Christensen, Senior Leader Product, Vantiv Integrated Payments

Worth Your While

NRF's Big Show
National Retail Federation
January 15-17
New York, NY

Inspire
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
Jan. 29-Feb. 1
St. Kitts, West Indies

Transact
Electronic Transactions Association
May 10-12
Las Vegas, NV

NRA
National Restaurant Association
May 20-23
Chicago, IL

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Lovely RIDA at Datalogic

Datalogic (Eugene, OR) has unwrapped its pocket-sized, wireless scanner, the RIDA DBT6400. In versions for retail and healthcare (with disinfectant-ready and anti-bacterial enclosure), the RIDA DBT6400 reads one- and two-dimensional symbologies. Aimed for use with mobile devices (in particular, tablets), it supports iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile, with Bluetooth 4.0.

Weighing 3 oz. with 700-mAh Li-Ion battery, the RIDA DBT6400 measures 4.4 in. (L) x 1.6 in. (W) x 1 in. (D). It features motion tolerance of 25 inches per second, 3,000 reads or 5 hours per charge, and 2,000 linear codes for batch mode. As read ranges, the RIDA DBT6400 has: 2.6 to 8.2 in./6.5 to 21 cm for 5 mil; 2.2 to 15.2 in./5.5 to 39 cm for 13 mil; and 1.6 to 9.8 in./4 to 25 cm for Data Matrix. With image capture capability, it handles "codes that are low contrast, damaged, poorly printed, or displayed with low back lighting on mobile phone screens," according to Datalogic.

In terms of operation, the RIDA DBT6400 has three buttons—Scan, Undo/Keyboard, and Bluetooth. As user feedback, there's vibration, programmable polyphonic speakers, and device illumination. Also, targeted scanning with 4-Dot, Center Cross Aimer, and "Green Spot." It comes in coloring of black and silver for retail and green and white for healthcare. "The RIDA DBT6400 imager is unique with its combination of style, ergonomics, and technology," suggested Pietro Todescato, CTO of Datalogic.

Datalogic's RIDA DBT6400 Bluetooth Scanner

An EMV Kernel in Common (Datacap & ID TECH)

A path to easy EMV has been cleared by Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA) and ID TECH (Cypress, CA). It combines payment middleware from Datacap (starting with NETePay, and extended to the company's other platforms via DatacapConnect) and card readers from ID TECH (including the Augusta for fixed POS and MiniSmartII for mobile POS). As processor, "Vantiv is first in line, with others to follow shortly after via subsequent re-certifications," RRN.Com was told by Justin Zeigler, Director of Product Strategy for Datacap Systems. (Editor's Note: As readers know, each EMV certification is processor-specific.)

"Datacap certification with Vantiv of the ID TECH Augusta reader and common EMV kernel will be a tremendous benefit to our partner base," predicted Justin Ning, VP of Product Management for ID TECH. "Datacap is one of the industry leaders in delivering integrated payments and we are excited to begin working with them to enable this full EMV solution package for our customers and distribution channels." A long-time supplier of card readers to the channel, ID TECH employs the roster of major national and regional distributors in POS.

"Our hardware- and processor-agnostic approach means that we communicate to all devices in the same manner, leading to less work and more device options for our partners," reflected Zeigler. "We support existing non-EMV readers as part of our out-of-scope controls today--and have for many years--and now these new devices from ID TECH support EMV in the U.S. Once certified, we'll announce compatibility with these new devices to our integration partners in POS, who can then immediately source units and begin testing and installations."

Augusta MSR/EMV Hybrid Reader by ID TECH

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CHANNEL PROGRAMS

European Tour for NCR and BlueStar

NCR Corporation (Duluth, GA) has tapped BlueStar Europe for two-tier distribution. This new relationship spans NCR's product portfolio of point-of-sale, scanners, printers, and peripherals (under RealPOS and RealSCAN). It includes the provision of credit facilities, marketing assistance, and technical support. It covers the U.K., France, Germany, Benelux, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and the Nordics.

"BlueStar Europe has vast experience and deep presence across Europe," noted Matt Thatcher, Global Distribution Channel Leader for NCR. "For NCR, BlueStar Europe will provide the opportunity to scale and offer in-depth localized service, allowing us to keep regional inventory readily accessible for our partners and reduce shipping time for forecasted projects. It's the ideal partner in helping to deliver and build on NCR's technology for VARs across Europe."

"The POS market in the E.U. is very different, and we were able to provide them the resources they need in the region," Steve Cuntz, President of BlueStar told RRN.Com. "In a similar way, the government channel in the U.S. was another situation where strategic support [for NCR] was lacking, so BlueStar was appointed as a U.S. distributor for government sales only. At this time there is no talk about BlueStar serving as a North American POS distributor." BlueStar is headquartered in Hebron, KY.

NCR's RealPOS 72XRT

Elavon Makes Its Poynt

With its eye on the SMB, Elavon (Atlanta, GA) has embraced Poynt (Palo Alto, CA). This suite includes the Poynt Smart Terminal, Poynt O/S, and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Software Development Kits (SDKs). As readers will recall, Poynt was established several years ago, in 2013, to be exact, by CEO Osama Bedier, former VP of Wallets and Payments for Google and VP of Product Development for PayPal.

The Poynt Smart Terminal fashions the necessary elements for front-counter checkout, including 7" touchscreen, 2" thermal receipt printer, 4.3" customer-facing PIN Pad, Quad-Core CPU, and Li-Ion battery—all in the swoopy molded casing. All payment types are accommodated—MSR, EMV, NFC, Bluetooth, and QR Code—with suitable certifications. As part of this agreement, Elavon will add its Safe-T security technology, which covers encryption, tokenization, and PCI. An app store for functions such as inventory management will be coming.

"I'm thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with Elavon, a global leader in payments," contributed Bedier. "Poynt has advanced the payment terminal by giving it the intelligence of a smartphone. Connected to Elavon's advanced processing services, businesses get unparalleled technology access to help them grow." In his remarks, Wally Mlynarski, Elavon's Head of Global Product and Innovation, emphasized "growing restaurant chains" as targets.

Greater Distribution for Poynt Smart Terminal

Code Corner

William Frick & Company (Libertyville, IL) has released its SmartCAT Asset Tracking Android App. It allows end-users to create digitized and automated custom forms, while addressing secure data collection via barcode, RFID, and NFC. Also, data may be collected using GPS, pull-down menus, the device's touchscreen, or camera through the app. All collected data is sent to the cloud storage database where it can be downloaded by administrators or accessed by other users with appropriate permissions. In addition, SmartCAT works online, making it suitable for asset management in remote areas. A free 30-day trial is offered. "Integrating all the power and benefits of smartphones, cloud storage access/storage, and RFID/NFC, our customers can manage their assets and workflows with streamlined efficiency and quick return on their investment (ROI)," stated Jeff Brandt, President of William Frick & Company, which has been active in product identification since 1975.

INTEGRATION

Hey, BarTender App

Seagull Scientific (Bellevue, WA) has opened its Print Portal App for BarTender Software. It allows end-users to input print-time data or select options through customizable forms, from their mobile devices, and subsequently print their labels in BarTender. App is available for download from the Apple App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android.

"The BarTender Print Portal App is the first to let you quickly and securely print labels, barcodes, RFID tags, and cards from BarTender anywhere you have a network connection," enthused Harold Boe, President and CEO of Seagull Scientific. "Building on the powerful capabilities of BarTender 2016, our new app is just the latest example of how we are delivering industry-leading tools that improve our customers' efficiency and agility." The BarTender Print Portal App works exclusively with the BarTender Enterprise Automation Edition.

In making this announcement, BarTender cited several use cases. In the warehouse, workers equipped with a mobile "belt printer" can enter label data via the app to generate supply chain and shipping labels, without the need of returning to the central printing station. Healthcare workers can access and print accurate patient labeling at the bedside. And in field service applications, where drivers increasingly travel with small footprint portable printers, the most up-to-date labels can be printed on-demand at remote locations. A global network of partners supports Seagull Scientific.

Seagull Scientific Offers BarTender Print Portal App

Telit: All Together Now

An engineering firm, Telit, has debuted its hybrid communications module encompassing the big four: Cellular (3G), Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth (4.0), and GPS/GNSS. Designated HE922-3GR and WE922-3GR, these new modules, inevitably portrayed as "smart," also employ Intel's Quad-Core Atom x3 SoC CPU. Combined with the company's services, dubbed IoT Portal and IoT Connectivity, they deliver an end-to-end solution across vertical markets, including POS, said Telit.

In footprint of 1.3 inch x 1.6 inch (34 mm x 40 mm), and 441-pin package, HE922-3GR and WE922-3GR furnish 8-GB RAM, sensor inputs, battery charger logic, analog speaker and microphone audio connections, interface for primary and secondary cameras, and direct support for high-resolution display with touchscreen and/or keyboard. Application development is based on Android and Yocto Linux. With two environmental grades, the modules can be connected to an SD Card and provide connections via USB 2.0.

"The xE922-3GR products are game changers. When you look at how complexity of designing devices with multiple chipsets is impacting cost and time to market, you can appreciate the power of these all-in-one hybrid modules," elaborated Ronen Ben-Hamou, EVP of Products and Solutions with Telit. "It would take a good engineering team months to develop an IoT device prototype using disparate chips." Based in the U.K., Telit Communications has offices in Raleigh, NC.

Telit's Smart Module Encompasses Cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS/GNSS (At Right in Developer’s Kit)

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
AnywhereCommerce
Bematech
CRS, Inc.
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Pioneer POS
Poindus America
POSBANK USA
Posiflex

POS Software
Action Systems Inc.

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
Citizen
CognitiveTPG
Godex Americas
Honeywell

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
AML
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Honeywell
Janam Technologies
Unitech America

Distributors
Ingram Micro

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Moneris
Payment Logistics
Vantiv IP

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry Americas, LLC
TG3 Electronics

Mounts for POS
Tailwind Solutions

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

A Bluefin in the Amazon

Via Amazon Web Services (AWS), Bluefin Payment Systems (Atlanta, GA) has introduced cloud-based hosting for its PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE). This means that merchants can connect directly to Bluefin's "Decryption-as-a-Service," entitled "Decryptx," through AWS—regardless of whether their payment processor supports Bluefin. (In particular, Bluefin cited end-users in Tiers 1 and 2.) For partners, Decryptx can be white-labeled, or co-branded with Bluefin.

"Bluefin is the only provider in the world to offer PCI-Validated P2PE through DaaS. To date, more than 15 major gateways and processors have connected to Decryptx and are serving thousands of merchant locations," stressed Ruston Miles, Bluefin's Chief Innovation Officer. "Bluefin has fully redundant date centers in the United States and service providers and merchants have requested that we extend our high availability and low latency decryption service worldwide. Our solution using AWS extends our reach globally."

Also, Bluefin has been issued two patents this year related to P2PE. The first, "Systems and Methods for Creating Fingerprints of Encryption Devices," issued in June, concerns the connection of the payment terminal to the device management system, and so, Bluefin's P2PE Manager. The second, "Systems and Methods for Decryption as a Service," issued in October, relates to the company's Decryptx P2PE architecture as well as payment device and chain of custody management. Bluefin serves on the PCI Security Standards Council.

Bluefin's Decryptx Point-to-Point Encryption Offered Via Amazon Web Services

A Sign of the Times in Boston

Another example of convergence, with merchant service provider East Commerce Solutions (East Providence, RI) buying Boston Cash Register Exchange (Boston, MA). A true old-timer in POS, Boston Cash Register Exchange was founded in 1932. That’s not a typo: it has been in business for 84 years. No financial terms were disclosed by the two parties.

"Our acquisition of Boston Cash Register Exchange complements our efforts to expand our product offerings with increased point-of-sale technology," relayed Ed Medeiros, CEO at East Commerce Solutions. "Our customers will benefit from a larger organization with a stronger focus on point-of-sale systems, cash registers, and the added benefit of working with one company that will manage all of their merchant service needs." It plans to expand its customer base in New England.

For existing customers of Boston Cash Register Exchange, this move brings low-cost credit-card processing and access to additional products such as gift and loyalty card programs and payroll services, according to East Commerce Solutions. Started in 1994, East Commerce Solutions is an ISO/MSP for Elavon. It handles terminals from SAM4S and ProTech, printers from Star Micronics America, and Restaurant Manager Software by Action Systems, Inc. (ASI).

East Commerce Solutions Takes Boston Cash Register Exchange

Channel Factoid

A new study by Tripwire, Inc. evaluates the confidence of IT professionals in vertical markets, including retail, when it comes to endpoint devices. It finds 84% of respondents said they could isolate and remove an unauthorized device on their networks within hours, yet only 51% know exactly how long this process would take. Similarly, only 43% of the respondents know exactly how long it would take for their vulnerability scanning systems to generate an alert if an unauthorized device was detected on their networks, but 81% believe it would happen within hours. About half of the respondents, 51%, believe their automated tools do not pick up all the necessary information, such as the locations and departments, needed to identify unauthorized configuration changes to endpoint devices. Over one-third of the respondents, 36%, reported that fewer than 80% of patches initially succeed. Finally, 38% of the respondents reported that all detected vulnerabilities are not fixed within 15 to 30 days. "Increased scrutiny of retail cyber security in the wake of major breaches has forced organizations to focus on securing their environments, yet these survey results show that there's still a lot of room for improvement," noted Tim Erlin, Senior Director of IT Security and Risk Management, Tripwire.

HELLO GOODBYE

Moneris Banks COO

Moneris Solutions Corporation (Toronto, ON, Canada) has engaged payments veteran Nick Samurkas as its COO. His two decades of experience includes the role of President for Chase Paymentech Canada. Prior to Chase, he was SVP and COO at Global Payments.

"Nick's background in both domestic and global markets is a tremendous asset to our organization," remarked Angela Brown, President and CEO of Moneris. "His experience will further enhance the delivery of new payment innovation and help to maintain our position as a market leader." Moneris currently employs more than 1,800 people across Canada and the U.S., serving more than 350,000 merchant locations.

Nick Samurkas, COO, Moneris

Of Channel and Cybercrime

Cybercrime fighter Trustwave (Chicago, IL) has enlisted Jim Ritchings as its SVP of Worldwide Channel Sales. He joins the firm from another network security provider, F5 Networks, where he most recently held the position of SVP of Worldwide Channels, preceded by SVP of Business Development. At present, Trustwave has more than 1,000 channel partners worldwide and 3 million businesses enrolled in its cloud platform, TrustKeeper.

"Jim brings to Trustwave a strong background characterized by driving incremental revenue through partnerships on a global basis," commented Dave Feringa, EVP of Global Sales at Trustwave. "With Jim at the helm as our channel chief, he will help Trustwave expand its leadership in cybersecurity and managed security services among our channel partners. He's a strong channel advocate who will forge stronger relationships with key channel partners including value-added resellers, distributors, and telecommunications providers."

Jim Ritchings, SVP, Worldwide Channel Sales, Trustwave