Our Product Pick

Unitech America (Cypress, CA) has unboxed its wearable ring scanner, the MS650. Weighing 0.5 oz., in dimensions of 1.8 in. (L) x 1.1 in. (W) x 1.1 in. (H), bearing Velcro strap, the MS650 has red laser/enhanced white LED. It reads one-dimensional codes printed out or displayed on-screen at maximum speed of 400 scans per second and 41-degree scan angle. Additional features include one-touch operation, beeper/LED confirmation, 8-hour battery life, IP-42 rating, and 5-ft./1.5-m drop resistance. With support for iOS and Android, there's data transfer via Bluetooth and USB. An MSRP of $325, with one-year warranty, has been quoted for Unitech America's MS650.

Unitech's MS650 Ring Scanner

COMPANY BUSINESS

It's Captain Kirk for RSPA

A voyage is over for the Retail Solutions Providers Association (Charlotte, NC) with the hiring of John T. Kirk as President and CEO. A channel veteran of POS, Kirk has worked as VP of the North American Distribution Channel at NCR Corporation, and, most recently, as Group VP of Hospitality SMB in North America for the Oracle Corporation. RSPA has been seeking to fill this role since July, when Kelly Funk, President and CEO, stepped down.

"We are thrilled to have Mr. Kirk join the RSPA as President and CEO," commented Mark Fraker, Chairman of the Board of Directors at RSPA (and VP of Marketing at BlueStar). "He possesses all the qualities we have been searching for in a new leader, coupled with many years of experience within the channel. He has successfully championed new initiatives, increased sales, and accelerated growth in many of his previous professional endeavors, and we're looking forward to working with him to grow the RSPA the same way."

"I am honored to accept the position of President and CEO with the RSPA," proclaimed Kirk. "Serving the RSPA is a unique privilege, and we will focus on serving our RSPA team as we serve our members, together. This is an excellent opportunity, and I anticipate that we'll be able to do great things as a community." Kirk will report to the 16-member RSPA Board of Directors.

John T. Kirk, President and CEO, Retail Solutions Providers Association

Wallaby Hops Out of Elo

Elo (Milpitas, CA) has unwrapped new self-service countertop and floor stands for its touchscreens. In two heights (22" for the countertop stand and 52" for the floor stand), and dubbed "Wallaby," they support the touchscreen with housing for the receipt printer. Specifically, they hold Elo's 15" and 22" I-Series in portrait orientation and Elo's 22" I-Series and 15", 17", and 20" X-Series in landscape orientation.

In the countertop stand (or "Smallaby"), there's I/O's for credit card readers and scanners. In the floor stand extension (or "Tallaby"), there's additional room for accessories. As peripherals, Elo has recommended the Epson TM-88, Star TSP-100, and Star TSP-654 thermal printers and Verifone MX915, Ingenico iSC250, and Ingenico IPP350 EMV payment terminals. Wallaby has silver or black color.

"Self-service is growing exponentially in all areas of point-of-sale, point-of-information, hospitality, and healthcare," advised Neeraj Pendse, Senior Director of Product Management with Elo. "Early feedback on the Wallaby self-service stands has been incredible." In addition to its hardware, Elo offers it cloud-based management software, EloView.

Elo Debuts "Wallaby" Self-Service Stands

Worth Your While

Money 20/20
I2i Events Group
October 22-25
Las Vegas, NV

NRF's Big Show
National Retail Federation
January 14-16, 2018
New York, NY

Inspire
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
January 28-31, 2018
Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii

Shoptalk
March 18-21, 2018
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Zebra's Migration

Zebra Technologies Corporation (Lincolnshire, IL) has unveiled its next generation of thermal barcode printers--with both mobile and desktop models. A new software suite of applications, utilities, and developer tools, designated "Print DNA," and powered by Link-OS, has been debuted. It enables businesses to install new printers into existing network infrastructures, integrate new technologies, allow for cloud connectivity, and standardize on one common, customizable platform.

Measuring 10.5 in. (L) x 8 in. (W) x 7.5 in. (H), and weighing 5.3 lbs., the desktop 4" ZD420/ZD620 features the common clamshell design, with three-button user interface and five LED status icons. As programming languages, for backwards compatibility, it supports both EPL and ZPL. As maximum print speed, the ZD420 features 6 in./152 mm per second at 203 dpi and 4 in./102 mm per second at 300 dpi. As maximum print speed, somewhat faster, the ZD620 features 8 in./203 mm per second at 203 dpi and 6 in./152 mm per second at 300 dpi. A full suite of communications includes USB, Serial, Bluetooth and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. As additional capacity, the ZD620 adds an optional keypad and color LCD.

A dual-function mobile printer for receipts and labels, the 3" ZQ320 measures 5.1 in. (L) x 4.6 in. (W) x 2 in. (H) and weighs 1 lb. It meets triple durability specifications of IP-54, 5-ft./1.5-m drop resistance, and 500 tumbles. Additional benefits include enhanced wireless capability (802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC), state-of-the-art battery (2280-mAh "PowerPrecision+"), and power management ("Power Smart Print Technology"). Also, the ZQ320 Series offers the industry's first Bluetooth Printer Management App for Android, as part of Print DNA.

New Zebra ZD420 Thermal Barcode Printer

. . . Rhino II Charges

Datalogic (Eugene, OR) has rolled out its new Rhino II Vehicle Mount Computer. With either 10" or 12" capacitive or resistive touchscreen (models weighing 7.9 lbs. and 10.4 lbs., respectively), Rhino II offers choice of O/S, including Windows Embedded Compact 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7, and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise. A path to field upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow resides in Windows Embedded Compact 7.

As communications, Rhino II furnishes Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Wired Ethernet (GbE), with the full suite of ports (USB 2.0/3.0, Serial, Ethernet, and COM). Application-specific features include an internal isolated power supply, ignition sense technology, battery back-up, and software-based and external hardware keyboards (ABCD or QWERTY). As durability, there's 3-mm armored glass, an IP-65/67 rating, and operating temperature range of -4 to +131 degrees F (freezer 10" model with integrated display heater extends to -22 degrees F).

"The Rhino II Vehicle Mount Computer completes the full line of rugged mobile computers offered by Datalogic, allowing our customers to single source for all their warehouse and distribution mobile computer needs," suggested Tom Burke, VP of Mobile Computers at Datalogic. "The Rhino is aptly named: this tough device has the computing power, flexibility, and ruggedness to deliver maximum productivity in the most extreme warehouse environments." Software tools are dependent on the O/S, and can include various Datalogic Utilities, and pre-licensed and pre-loaded Wavelink Avalanche and Terminal Emulation.

Rhino II Vehicle Mount Computer by Datalogic

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ALLIANCES

An F-Stop for ParTech

ParTech (New Hartford, NY), a subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation, has integrated its Brink POS Software with video surveillance by DTT (Las Vegas, NV). Via cloud to cloud, employing Brink's API, this eliminates the need for on-site software or cabling installations, according to the two parties. One of the leaders in video surveillance and loss prevention technology for retail and hospitality, DTT serves brands such as McDonald's, Subway, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Arby's, Taco Bell, KFC, and Auntie Anne's.

"PAR is proud to welcome DTT to our Brink ecosystem, which is among the largest in the industry," volunteered Paul Rubin, Chief Strategy Officer at ParTech. "Brink was built to help restaurants easily manage the overall business, including menu management, financial and inventory reporting, and transaction auditing, and to seamlessly integrate with third-party solutions. DTT's loss prevention and surveillance services can be of benefit to our clients."

"DTT's integration with Brink will allow owners and operators to powerfully harness and analyze each data point from a restaurant's POS," indicated Jim Mack, VP of Technology and Product Development for DTT. "What makes this such a strong loss prevention tool is that the generated data reports are fully customizable and searchable, which allows users to set low, normal, and high-level filters to easily identify suspected cases of fraud." Other partners of DTT include Maitre'D, NCR Aloha, Oracle Micros, POSitouch, Revel, Revention, Sicom, and Xpient.

Integration for PAR Brink POS and DTT Video Surveillance

EVO "Suite" on Oracle

A useful link between EVO Payments International (Atlanta, GA) and Oracle's eBusiness Suite, for B2B. Under Oracle Validated Integration, it automates secure payment acceptance in the Oracle eBusiness Suite, with reduction of the time, resources, and errors associated with manual ledger entries, according to EVO Payments. A player in our channel, EVO Payments intensified its efforts with the acquisition of Sterling Payment Technologies (Tampa, FL) in early 2017.

Via so-called Oracle Adapter, EVO Payments now integrates seamlessly with all modules of Oracle eBusiness Suite involved in end-to-end payment processing, including Accounts Payable, Cash Management, and Receivables. Included is "Interchange Management," a proprietary technology from EVO Payments that ensures the company qualifies for the best possible interchange rates. Effort was led by EVO's B2B Group (formerly Sterling's B2B Group).

"Achieving Oracle Validated Integration with Oracle eBusiness Suite is a win-win for our customers and for our company," expressed Brendan Tansill, President-North America for EVO Payments International. Added David Hicks, VP, Worldwide ISV, OEM, and Java Business Development, at Oracle Corporation (Redwood City, CA), "For solutions deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or both, Oracle Validated Integration applies a rigorous technical review and test process that helps to reduce deployment risk and improves the user experience of the partner's integrated offering." A Gold Level Member of the Oracle PartnerNetwork, EVO Payments.

EVO Brings Payments to Oracle eBusiness

Code Corner

Wasp Barcode Technologies (Dallas, TX) has launched its new subscription-based InventoryCloud. It joins its ongoing inventory control software: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. As features, it provides anywhere, anytime access from any device with web connection, with, as expected, support for iOS or Android. This makes managing multiple sites easier, noted Wasp Barcode Technologies. A new report builder lets end-users create and schedule reports to be e-mailed out periodically. In addition, custom notifications of events are enabled. With multiple units of measure, "it's great for the business that stores an item in one unit of measure, but distributes the item in a different unit of measure," according to Wasp Barcode Technologies.

InventoryCloud Takes Wing at Wasp

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Posiflex: "We Want to Help"

A Note from Posiflex USA

"Posiflex is deeply saddened and concerned for those affected by the recent hurricanes in the U.S. If your business has been affected by the storms, and your POS equipment has been damaged or destroyed, Posiflex is offering to help where we can. You do not need to own Posiflex hardware nor be a Posiflex customer to receive our assistance."

"Posiflex is extending this assistance to any business affected by the recent hurricanes, whether or not you are currently using, or have used, Posiflex hardware. Resellers may have end-users that have been affected, so the relief extends to their end-users, too. Assistance may be in the form of equipment donation, service, repair, or other forms, on a case-by-case basis. Certain restrictions and limitations may apply."

To speak with Posiflex USA, call 888-968-1668, or Click Here

Posiflex Offers POS Help for Hurricane Victims

Genius Gets Smarter

Cayan (Boston, MA) has received Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) Certification 2.0 from the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). It covers its flagship payment-processing Genius Customer Engagement Platform. Introduced in 2012, the Genius Customer Engagement Platform accommodates the many forms of electronic payments--MSR, EMV, NFC, and Mobile Wallets. It has garnered support by ISVs and VARs in POS.

In addition to reduced risk of payment fraud, Cayan cited simplification and greater efficiency for so-called "Genius Smart P2PE." In the self-assessment process for merchants, required as part of the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), it greatly reduces the number of sections (from 12 to 4) and questions (from 329 to 33), as one example. A "Genius Smart P2PE Instruction Manual" has been offered. At present, it applies to countertop devices, not handhelds for Genius.

"While Genius has always deployed state-of-the-art encryption technology and tokenization of all transactions, achieving a PCI P2PE 2.0 Certification allows us to ensure the highest level of security available at a time when retailers are most in need of enhanced protection," reflected Ken Paull, CRO at Cayan. Recently, Cayan added certification for EMV with merchant processor TSYS (Columbus, GA). It marked the sixth such approval for EMV, and Genius, following Chase (Dallas, TX), Elavon (Atlanta, GA), First Data (Atlanta, GA), Vantiv (Cincinnati, OH), and WorldPay (Atlanta, GA).

Cayan's Genius Customer Engagement Platform

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
Poindus America
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Tailwind Solutions

API & Marketplace
Omnivore

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Godex Americas
Honeywell

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF POS

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Denso ADC
Honeywell
Janam Technologies

Distribution
Ingram Micro

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
iPayment
Monetary LLC
Payment Logistics
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

INSTALLATIONS

Poindus Has Juice

Poindus America (Rowland Heights, CA) has deployed its VariPOS 210 for the restaurant chain, Pressed Juicery. After the successful trial period at one store, with three terminals, VariPOS 210 has been rolled out at all the store locations in California (as of this writing, 45). Installation was led by VAR Triphen Technologies (Burbank, CA).

In making its decision, Pressed Juicery cited the "aesthetics," as well as performance and reliability of the VariPOS 210. In small footprint of approximately 14 in. (W) x 5.6 in. (H) x 10 in. (D), and silver and white case, the VariPOS 210 furnishes 14" 16:9 wide-screen display with projected-capacitive touch technology and true-flat bezel. A fanless configuration and Intel BayTrail-T Z3735F CPU at 1.33 GHz reduce power consumption, with 2-GB RAM, 64-GB SSD, and Micro SD.

It supports Windows 10 IoT, Windows 8.1, and Android 4.4.4 and carries the full suite of multiple ports: USB 2.0, Serial, Cash Drawer, and Ethernet. Also, it may be powered by 5-V 2.4-A power bank. A recipient of the "Red Dot" product design award for 2016, the VariPOS 210 offers necessary add-ons for biometric fingerprint, customer-facing displays (2x20 or 10"), MSR, EMV, and RFID. As one suitable market, Poindus points to "fast-moving consumer goods," or FMCG.

Poindus America Deploys Its VariPOS 210 for the Pressed Juicery Chain

A Cumulus Cloud Gathers

CAM Commerce (Fountain Valley, CA), a subsidiary of Celerant Technology, has announced its first customer to go live with its cloud-based Cumulus Retail POS: gaming and hobby retailer, Heroic Knight Games (Issaquah, WA). Debuted in 2016, Cumulus comes in three versions--Standard ($75 per store), Advanced ($125 per store), and Premier ($199 per store)--with ascending functionality. It spans POS, e-commerce, and customer relationship management (CRM).

"What differentiates Cumulus Retail is the experience and maturity of our company, our understanding of retail, combined with our advanced technology such as 'Always On' POS, integrated e-commerce, and drop shipping," declared Ian Goldman, CEO of CAM Commerce. "We empower smaller merchants to more effectively manage their brick-and-mortar stores and online sales including marketplace integrations such as Amazon or Walmart. Perhaps our biggest differentiator is our 'Enterprise' system upgrade, which doesn't require data conversion."

"We had been using RetailSTAR, by CAM Commerce, since we opened in March 2014, and it was a solid and reliable platform for POS, but we were ready to move to an 'on-demand' software," recounted Paul Sewell, Owner of Heroic Knight Games. "I researched several other alternatives, but the Cumulus Retail system really stood out, plus we have always received a very high quality of support and service. The team at CAM converted our sales, customer, and product data, performed live training sessions, and provided training videos for my staff's future reference."

Cumulus Retail by CAM Commerce

Channel Factoid

Almost six in ten retailers, 58%, lack in-store technology to view customer information across touchpoints, according to "Technologies That Are Changing How We Think of Brick & Mortar," conducted by Kibo. Similarly, 64% of retailers feel they are only somewhat effective at capturing in-store data on customer preferences. As an initiative, personalization stands out, with 52% of retailer responses indicating they are planning investment in this area within the next 12 months. A sizeable minority of retailers, 41%, lack trust in their inventory accuracy or don't have visibility, and only 17% have full enterprise-wide inventory visibility. As for fulfillment choices, "My organization is not ready to implement" was cited as the leading reason for not offering "Save the Sale" (44%) and "In-Store Pick-up" (41%). Also, "My technology won't support it" was cited as the leading reason for not offering "Ship From Store" (42%). As in-store technologies, 41% of these retailers utilize mobile POS, and 76% have used displays or kiosks. "It's clear that retailers are still working through many technology and organizational challenges to address major omnichannel initiatives," observed Tushar Patel, CMO at Kibo (Dallas, TX).

HELLO GOODBYE

Keeping TABS on White

Toshiba America Business Solutions (Irvine, CA) has elevated Larry White to the role of Chief Revenue Officer. A veteran of Toshiba, White had previously served as SVP of Sales for the Americas (1999 to 2017). He joined Toshiba America Business Solutions, or TABS, in 1996 as VP of Operations and Acquisitions.

"I look forward to working with both our dealer community and the Toshiba Business Solutions' direct organization to bring additional value to our mutual customers," shared White. "Toshiba has consistently been recognized as one of the premier manufacturers in the document solutions industry and I'm proud to be leading the effort to accelerate our growth." In our channel, TABS is best known for its thermal barcode printers, including desktop, industrial, and portable models.

"Larry White has consistently demonstrated the ability to lead his team to profitable revenue growth in a very challenging market," relayed Scott Maccabe, President and CEO of Toshiba America Business Solutions. "In this new role, Larry will have the opportunity to leverage this more cohesive and integrated organization toward continued great success." Maccabe also serves as President and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, which inherited the POS of IBM Retail.

Larry White, Chief Revenue Officer, Toshiba America Business Solutions

Gill Energizes GTS

Global Technology Systems (Framingham, MA) has engaged industry veteran Sheila Gill as its Senior Account Executive. Her experience includes Senior Sales Associate-Scanner Specialist at Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (2015 to 2017), Senior Account Manager at Zebra/Motorola/Symbol (2008 to 2015), and Account Manager at Intermec Technologies (1997 to 2008). A supplier of battery technology for Auto ID, Global Technology Systems, or GTS, has developed Test & Replace, Battery Color Coded, and BaaS (Batteries-as-a-Service).

"Sheila's extensive knowledge of OEM strategies and capabilities will help us to better understand and serve the needs of our customers," commented Larry Murray, CEO at Global Technology Systems. "Her strong background in mobile technologies makes Sheila an important asset to the GTS' team. We're very excited to have her on-board."

Sheila Gill, Senior Account Executive, Global Technology Systems

Up North, Malcolm

Moneris Solutions Corporation (Toronto, ON, Canada) has raised Malcolm Fowler to Chief Product and Partnership Officer. He previously served as VP of Financial Institutions and Partner Management (2013 to 2017) and VP of Marketing (2012 to 2013). He started his career in payments as EVP of Products and Marketing (1999 to 2003) and SVP & GM (2003 to 2012) at Ernex (which was acquired by Moneris).

"Malcom has a proven record of bringing innovative partnerships and solutions to market," related Angela Brown, President and CEO of Moneris. "His approach to the complex payments industry will be a tremendous asset as Moneris continues to bring secure, future-ready solutions to businesses in Canada." As readers will recall, Moneris USA was acquired by Vantiv in 2016.

Malcolm Fowler, Chief Product and Partnership Officer, Moneris