This Week’s Product Pick

Adesso, Inc. (Walnut, CA) has stocked its NuScan 4000B Wireless Barcode Scanner. Equipped with Class 2.1+EDR Bluetooth with range reaching 150 ft., and compatible with Windows 8/7/Vista/XP/2000 and Mac OS X, the NuScan 4000B targets warehouses, repair shops, and factories. Carrying lightweight, durable construction, it employs 650-nm laser diode with operating distance of eight-and-a-half inches from the barcode and rate of 100 scans per second. Over 20 symbologies are supported. NuScan 4000B comes with patented cradle that helps extend battery life, providing enough power to perform 25,000 scans between recharges. "Whether it is a hard-to-reach barcode or meeting the challenges of a continually changing workplace, the NuScan 4000B is designed to simplify the job," stated the company spokesperson.

Adesso NuScan 4000B Scanner

COMPANY BUSINESS

Wavelink: Suite Dreams

Wavelink (Salt Lake City), now part of LANDesk Software, has launched its Wavelink Mobile Enterprise Productivity Suite, an over-arching, unified solution for the management of an enterprise's diverse mobile devices. This new approach allows companies to make the critical move past the "break-fix" IT model to the "business process enablement" IT model, according to the vendor. As such, all of Wavelink's products in their most recent versions have been included in the Mobile Enterprise Productivity Suite: Avalanche, Terminal Emulation, Speakeasy, Velocity, Industrial Browser, and Studio.

"We took this family of products, essentially wrapped one console around it, and can now deliver this holistic approach across all their needs," RRN.Com was told by Mike Temple, Director of Product Management for LANDesk Software. By shifting focus "up-the-stack," in Temple's phrasing, common stumbling blocks for mobility across the enterprise will be eliminated, due to reduced complexity, inherent integration, and broadened control. As part of this "same sandbox" of capabilities, the company's most recent security features and support for iOS and Android have been added to the Mobile Enterprise Productivity Suite, noted Temple. It offers cloud, on-premise, or hybrid delivery, as well as rebranding opportunities.

"We want to change the conversation," stated Temple."This lets our channel partners really focus on delivering technology solutions that help drive the bottom line of their customers. And they've got one partner to do it, they don't have to piece something together. 'I can increase your pick accuracy by 3%, and that translates into x millions of dollars for you,' they can tell their customer. 'Let me show you how to do it.' Then that becomes an easier way to achieve margin for that partner."

Inventory Function on Avalanche Console

API Unlocks ScanSource

ScanSource (Greenville, SC) has introduced new "e-tools" to help make doing business easier for its reseller partners. Officially entitled "All-Access ScanSource," this program provides entry to the distributor's XML Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that streamline typical requisition-through-deployment processes. A flexible technology platform, enabling real-time data integration for functions such as price and availability, order creation, and order status, it may be customized to meet the reseller's specific supply chain requirements, according to the distributor.

"We are always looking for ways to help our customers be more efficient and responsive to their end-user customers," explained Paul Constantine, President of U.S. and Canada for ScanSource POS & Barcode. "By delivering new and enhanced e-business tools, resellers can more quickly connect with ScanSource to find the ordering and product information necessary to grow their business." Reportedly, these APIs are the first in an upcoming series of electronic integration tools planned by ScanSource.

"Removing time and effort from the sales and ordering process is important for resellers that need real-time information, right now," added Tony Sorrentino, President of ScanSource Security. "Our leading-edge tools provide an efficiency and flexibility that resellers are looking for." A snapshot of channel health comes courtesy of ScanSource: sales results for its quarter ended September 30, 2013 are expected to be in the range of $725 million to $735 million, compared to $734 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2012.

Paul Constantine, President, U.S. and Canada, ScanSource POS & Barcode

Worth Your While

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

IAAPA Expo 2013
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
November 19-22
Orlando

NRF 103rd Annual Conference & Expo
National Retail Federation
January 12-15, 2014
New York City

ETA Annual Meeting & Expo
Electronic Transactions Association
April 8-10, 2014
Las Vegas

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Archer 2, Armed and Ready

Juniper Systems (Logan, UT) has unveiled its newest rugged handheld computer, dubbed Archer 2. Measuring 7.3 in. (L) x 3.6 in. (W) x 1.5 in. (D), and weighing 1.3 lbs., this device features ARM Cortex CPU at 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB Flash, and Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5.3. As special characteristics, the company includes 4.3-inch "Illumiview" high-visibility display, projected capacitive touchscreen, and "Overtime Technology" Lithium-Ion battery lasting 20 hours on one charge.

Encased in hardened plastic to IP-68 and MIL-STD-810G for environmental resistance, Archer 2 furnishes easy-to-grip, impact-absorbing bumpers and glove-friendly numeric keypad with backlight. Data collection includes one and two-dimensional barcode scanner, five megapixel camera, and connectivity via Serial and USB. As communications, Archer carries Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3.75G cellular modem, and GPS. In all, five different versions are offered: Standard, Geo, Geo Cell, Geo Barcode, and Geo Cell Barcode.

"We have been looking forward to the release of the Archer 2 for some time," indicated Rob Campbell, CEO at Juniper Systems. "We have taken special care in addressing the needs of customers in the design of the Archer 2. It is a product of utmost quality, and the excellent reviews we have received on our beta units have made us very optimistic that the Archer 2 is going to meet our customers' needs exceptionally well."

Archer 2 Rugged Handheld From Juniper

A Pretty Face at Socket

Socket Mobile (Newark, CA) has presented its Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) 7Qi for iOS and Android, as well as Windows. The new 7Qi has similar performance standards and features of the company's current ruggedized two-dimensional barcode scanner, Model 7Xi, but utilizes the same colorful housing of other CHS models (red, yellow, blue, gray, and white). Besides enhancing retail branding, these new colors make the scanners easier to find in busy work environments, enable developers to build cohesive hardware and software solutions, and allow personalization of devices among users, according to the vendor.

"As retailers transition from traditional cash registers to Mobile POS, there is increasing demand for smaller, more stylish barcode scanners for employees to use while interacting with customers on the sales floor," related Vince Coli, Product Manager at Socket Mobile. "We wanted to offer a product which was competitively priced yet maintained a rich feature set. In addition, retailers invest a lot into creating attractive shopping environments that complement their corporate identity, and Socket Mobile's colorful new barcode scanners not only improve customer service and store operations, but also reinforce the hip, modern, in-store experience."

An MSRP of $429 has been set for the 7Qi. Also, the 7Qi is fully compatible with the company's current Software Development Kit (SDK), so any customers who developed for the 7Xi can move to the 7Qi without changing any software and benefit from the brighter colors and lower prices. A longtime supplier of scanners to the channel, Socket Mobile has aggressively pursued the opportunities driven by consumer smartphones and tablets.

Socket Mobile's CHS 7Qi Scanners

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ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Aldelo Gets Around

On the heels of its recent 2013 Dealer Conference in San Diego, Aldelo has several things to report. First, its EDC 6.5 payment processing solution has been released, with PA-DSS 2.0 Validation, 128 bit user tokens, Aldelo DRM Activation, and touchscreen entry for all data fields. A second announcement reveals that Aldelo's Enterprise Cloud will be launched on January 1, 2014. Benefits include Management, Financial, and POS Sync Access; upgrade to the latest Aldelo POS or XERA POS; and call center-based 24/7 live technical services. Monthly pricing is $39 per month per store, with annual pricing of $390, and one-time set-up fee of $295, according to the ISV.

In the channel, Compass Point of Sale (Las Vegas) has selected Sterling Payment (Tampa, FL) as its preferred payment processing partner for Aldelo. Under this arrangement, Sterling's services will be bundled with Aldelo's Restaurant POS. Earlier this year, RRN.Com readers may recall, Aldelo recommended Sterling Payment for its POS VARs, while sustaining its relationships with Discover, Merchant Warehouse, Mercury, and PayPros.

"Sterling has competitive processing rates and great customer support," testified Vincent Mills, Founder of Compass Point of Sale. "They also offer an aggressive array of financial products, including a cash advance program for restaurant owners who want to purchase point of sale systems, as well as cost-effective POS hardware and software bundles available for a monthly fee. Sterling also provides resellers with free gift cards to offer new merchants."

Aldelo's 2013 Dealer Show in San Diego

3x Mobility for Motion

Motion Computing (Austin, TX) has expanded its mobile technology platform on several fronts. Enhancements include new image sharing and documentation software, an asset and inventory management UHF RFID reader, and workflow-enabling accessories for its rugged tablets. Motion also has announced the latest generations of its C5 and F5 Series, with Intel's Core i3, i5 or i7 CPUs, ten-point touch panel, and Windows 8 Pro.

Entitled SnapWorks by Motion, the new software utilizes the tablet's camera to capture, annotate, and share images. With features such as date and time stamp, virtual keyboard, and brightness, contrast, and crop, it supports inspection in field service, insurance adjustment, and crime scene investigation for public safety. The new EasyConnect RFID Long Range Reader measures 10 in. (L) x 3.8 in. (W) x 1.2 in. (D), and weighs 11.9 oz. It requires no external power supply, has range up to ten feet, and comes with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for custom software development. Finally, the just-released Multi-Bay Battery Charger handles up to five batteries at the same time for the C5/F5. A continuous stream of batteries helps team productivity, according to the vendor.

"With this launch, Motion continues to fulfill the mission we set forth 12 years ago," declared Peter Poulin, VP of Marketing for Motion Computing. "Provide the mobile workforce tools to complete their work easier, faster, and more accurately. As we strive to deliver innovative technology, we never lose sight of our customers--the mobile workers. Their needs remain at the forefront of all our offerings."

UHF RFID Module Clips to Bottom of C5/F5 Tablets

Sparks Fly at NCR

Sparkfly, Inc. has partnered with neighboring NCR Corporation (Greater Atlanta) to deliver mobile offer redemption for Aloha POS. With such integration, restaurants may engage with customers by distributing any form of offer from mobile media destinations, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, mobile advertising, in-game rewards, SMS, and e-mail. A combined system allows restaurants to precisely measure the return on their digital marketing investment by tracking individual customer redemptions down to the item level, according to the two parties.

"NCR is deeply committed to enabling our customers to engage consumers and drive growth through innovative technologies," remarked Kim Eaton, SVP and GM for NCR Hospitality. "This relationship with Sparkfly can bring value to our customers, as they seek unique and differentiating ways to engage with consumers and measure the results of that engagement activity." This new mobile marketing capability has been offered to NCR Aloha customers across the U.S., with global rollout forthcoming.

"Sparkfly's relationship with NCR will provide NCR Aloha customers with the option to track and measure the entire customer experience, from offer redemption to purchase, supplying deep consumer insights and increased sales," suggested Catherine Tabor, Founder and CEO of Sparkfly. "We are thrilled to be working so closely with NCR, whose innovative technology, vision, and practice consistently creates value for its customers. We're confident that the integration of Sparkfly's technology with the NCR Aloha POS solution will drive immediate results and consumer intelligence for customers." In addition to NCR's Aloha and Radiant, Sparkfly supports Micros, VeriFone, and POSitouch.

Mobile Offer Redemption by Sparkfly

Code Corner

Just in case, SoftTouch, LLC (Coconut Creek, FL) has announced support for Bitcoin payments in its main product for hospitality, SoftTouch POS. Often referred to as "digital cash," Bitcoin represents an independent currency in cyberspace, outside control of any central bank or government. Carried on the consumer's mobile device or stored in the cloud, with peer-to-peer transactions, this scheme has advocates and detractors, with several stops and starts in adoption. Equivalent value of this monetary measure, for example, has bounced from $1 to $266 over the past three years. In its announcement, SoftTouch pointed to potential advantages for merchants, such as reduced, or eliminated, transaction fees; no chargebacks, obviously; and suitability for e-commerce marketplaces and worldwide travelers. A traditional third-party payment gateway facilitates the transfer of Bitcoin from the consumer to the merchant for SoftTouch POS. Acceptance encompasses every touch point--counter sales, bars, drive-thru, dining, and delivery--according to the ISV, who sells through its partner network in the U.S. and Canada. And you thought PayPal was trendy.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

It's PADie, Not iPad

An assault on iPad has been mounted by XTT, LLC (Pompano Beach, FL), suppliers of Exatouch Atom and Exatouch Atom Classic POS stations. A Lenovo Business Partner, Exatouch has now debuted its PADie Tablet POS for the small to midsized merchant. PADie runs on Lenovo's ThinkPad, as one might guess, and PADie Mini also will be offered.

Exatouch is not an app," the company stressed. "Mobile broadband untethers complete POS features, including customer management, inventory, staffing, purchasing, reporting, transactions with e-mailed receipts, scheduling, and messaging." As additional benefits, Exatouch pointed to cloud back-up, remote monitoring and support, and PCI PA-DSS Validation with TSYS and First Data.

"Talk about 'pilot test,'" quipped Terry Glatt, Founder and CEO at XTT, LLC, "Delta Airlines jettisoned its iPads in favor of mission-critical Windows tablets. The iPad is great fun, but it's easy to understand Delta's business decision. Partnering with Lenovo for PADie will make business owners happy." At present, Exatouch seems to be focusing on Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) in bringing its products to market. Interestingly, Glatt's comments about the failings of iPad have been echoed in several recent conversations held by RRN.Com.

Lenovo ThinkPad Becomes "PADie" with Exatouch Software

Of E-Commerce, POS, and QuickBooks

A highway between e-commerce, POS, and QuickBooks has been paved by nChannel (Columbus, OH). A new product, designated QuickBooks Connector, automates and coordinates four key functions: item management, order processing, shipping data, and inventory synchronization (which extends to third-party warehouses and suppliers). It eliminates labor intensive manual data entry, improving the ability to rapidly list items and fulfill orders, thereby increasing revenues, trumpets its developer.

Unlike point-to-point integration solutions, nChannel operates as an independent platform, managed by business rules, workflow engine, and exception management, and delivered under subscription to end-users. In addition to QuickBooks, it offers connectors for sales channels such as Microsoft Dynamics RMS, Magento, Shopify, Amazon, and eBay. A reseller program has been established by nChannel, with both finder's fees and recurring revenue, as well as demand generation and sponsoring web content.

"Adding new sales channels can be very difficult, especially for small businesses with only a few employees," remarked Steve Weber, CEO of nChannel. "Growth becomes difficult when you can't take advantage of new revenue opportunities like Amazon or eBay because you can't manage the additional orders or because tracking inventory across multiple sales channels becomes unruly. With our new connector, nChannel simplifies that process for the entire QuickBooks community."

New QuickBooks Connector by nChannel

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
Synnex
Wasp Barcode Technologies

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

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS Systems - Apple Based
LightSpeed Retail

POS & Inventory Software
New West Technologies

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
Printronix
Sato America
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
Bluebird/Pidion
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse
Mercury

Keyboards
PrehKeyTec USA

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Fujitsu Components
Star Micronics

Scanners
Code Corporation
Ingenico
Motorola Solutions

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo TouchSystems

INSTALLATIONS

A Foot Long Mobile Wallet

Paydiant (Wellesley, MA) has been selected by Subway to provide mobile wallet capabilities, thereby transforming the vendor into one of the front-runners in this emerging, overcrowded space. Paydiant's cloud-based, white-label approach allows retailers to add payments, offers, loyalty, and other capabilities into their own mobile apps. It works in concert with existing consumer smartphones and retailer POS systems, and reads QR Codes displayed at the front counter on terminal or monitor. Users choose which offer to redeem and which card type to use to complete the transaction.

This solution will begin rolling out nationally to stores later this year. As benefits, Paydiant cited superior customer experience, brand enhancement, improved security for customer data, and perhaps most importantly in this particular deployment, rich data mining. Before Subway, Paydiant's largest customer was Harris Tweeter, which has piloted the app for drive-through pickup of groceries. Most recently, Paydiant announced its integration with ISV Future POS (Butler, PA), as well as $15 million in Series C funding.

"Paydiant offers the mobile platform that makes the most sense for our franchisees and our customers," concluded Carman Wenkoff, Chief Information Officer for Subway. "Their mobile capabilities will be a key factor towards providing our customers with innovative services and an exceptional experience." Widely regarded as the world's largest restaurant chain, Subway, based in Milford, Connecticut (this editor's home town), has 40,000 stores, with about 27,000 in the U.S.

Paydiant Mobile Wallet Chosen for Subway

Slicing the Pie at SpeedLine

Sales of pizza POS continue to bubble for SpeedLine Solutions (Lynden, WA) which has signed two significant customers. At the annual meeting of Pizza Factory franchise operators, the West Coast-based chain announced SpeedLine as its exclusive POS partner. Pizza Factory will roll out SpeedLine POS systems to all new locations, and into all existing franchise locations as they upgrade software. Pizza Factory now operates 110 restaurants in five states.

Secondly, Cottage Inn Pizza in the Midwest has picked SpeedLine as its exclusive POS provider for 56 existing locations and all new franchises. "We chose SpeedLine because of their proven track record with pizza chains," reported Deborah Masse, VP of Operations with Cottage Inn Pizza. "After considerable research, we found that SpeedLine offered us more than any other system, from polling and accessing our data to improving operations."

"We are in the business of developing POS and restaurant management solutions to drive profits for multi-unit restaurant companies, and we look forward to playing a part in a new phase of growth for Cottage Inn," observed John de Wolde, SpeedLine President. Of Pizza Factory, he added, "Although we have served some franchise locations for many years, this new partnership will allow us to work more strategically to achieve their growth goals." As vendor partners, SpeedLine Solutions draws upon CRS Inc., Posiflex, Epson America, and QSR Automations.

SpeedLine POS for Pizza

Channel Factoid

Chain stores in the U.S. posted a gain of 4.0% for the fiscal month of September on a year-over-year basis, according to the tally compiled by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Excluding gasoline sales, this gain would actually be +5.1%. "The biggest story line here is that the September performance was led by the drugstore segment, posting its strongest monthly showing since April 2007," stated Michael Niemira, VP of Research and Chief Economist for ICSC. "This seemingly heralds the full recovery of this segment after an extended period of weakness due to several mitigating factors." For September, drugstore sales rose by 6.0%; for April 2007 that segment increased +6.7%. In contrast, apparel was the weakest performing segment in September, posting only 0.1% gain. Looking to October, ICSC predicted that comparable-store sales should increase between 3% and 4.0%, but the recent political morass might have dampened those results. In its research, the National Retail Federation found that 29% of shoppers said political gridlock would "somewhat" or "very likely" reduce their spending. Nearly one-third (32.7%) of those between the ages of 55 and 64 said political gridlock was "somewhat" or "very likely" to have such negative impact, the highest percentage among age groups surveyed.

HELLO GOODBYE

VeriFone's New Citi-Wise CEO

VeriFone (San Jose, CA) has chosen Paul Galant, formerly of Citigroup, as its new CEO. Galant has filled exalted positions at Citigroup for 13 years, most recently as CEO of Citigroup's Enterprise Payments Business. Before that, he held titles of CEO of Citi Cards and CEO of Citi Transactions Services. "Paul was deemed unanimously by the board to have the best combination of professional experience and leadership skills to continue to capitalize on the solid progress we have made in recent months," recounted Leslie Denend, VeriFone's Interim Non-Executive Chairman. "His experience in guiding businesses through industry change and his track record in multi-channel payment innovation will position the company strategically for continued growth and long-term value creation."

Upon his hiring, Galant immediately reached out to VeriFone's customers. "For many years, we have been the leader in our industry, by providing our clients in 150 countries with a superior product platform, a growing managed services offering, and software and data analytics capabilities, all of which have continued to benefit from our ongoing investment and commitment to quality and innovation," Galant wrote in his memo. "Having said that, it is clear to us that we have had challenges and must do better to earn your continued partnership and business. VeriFone must excel at the hardware business and leverage this platform to provide you with powerful commerce and payments solutions designed to delight your consumers and help you grow your sales and profits."

"From what I have seen, I am confident that the path and execution laid out by our Interim CEO Rich McGinn is absolutely the right start," his letter continued. "It is clear to all of us at VeriFone that we have a lot of heavy lifting ahead of us to live up to our potential. We must get closer to you, our clients. We must execute with far greater consistency, quality, and nimbleness. Our products and services must meet your current and future needs, and must help you to navigate and capture the upside from the rapidly evolving digital economy."

Paul Galant, CEO, VeriFone

A Commission for Commissaris

Vend (San Francisco) has named Anton Commissaris as its U.S. President. A veteran of Silicon Valley, Commissaris most recently worked as SVP of Revenue and Business Development for Mint.com, the web-based personal financial management service sold to Intuit for $170 million. Launched in late 2010, in New Zealand, Vend now counts 8,000 store owners in 100 countries as customers for its HTML5, iPad-based POS.

"Vend is loved by retailers all over the world. I'm excited about leading Vend's U.S. operations to work more directly with our existing customers and partners and to develop many more new relationships," relayed Commissaris. "U.S. retailers in particular are looking for a solution that allows them to work on any device--Mac, iPad, or PC--use their preferred payment providers, and offer a marketplace of integrated apps to help their business do even better. Vend checks all those boxes."

"The U.S. is Vend's largest and fastest growing market, and we're delighted to have Anton join us to develop it further," commented Vaughan Rowsell, CEO and Founder of Vend. "Cloud and mobile software is helping drive a retail revolution in the U.S., led by independent store owners. Vend is giving small and medium businesses the kind of sophisticated retail management tools that were once only affordable by the big players, at a fraction of the cost. It's an invigorating time to be a small business retailer."

Anton Commissaris, U.S. President, Vend