Our Product Pick

Verifone (San Francisco, CA) has showcased its next-generation portable payment terminal, entitled V400m. In dimensions of 6.3 in. (L) x 2.9 in. (W) x 2.3 in. (H), the V400m targets pay-at-the-table, curbside, or line-busting. It has 3.5" capacitive touchscreen, integrated receipt printer with 40-mm roll diameter, and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE WAN. With Linux-based O/S, it carries ARM Cortex A9 CPU at 600 MHz, 512-MB RAM, and 512-MB Flash. It supports all payment types, including contactless and mobile wallets, with built-in beacon capabilities, compliance with PCI 4.X, and charge/connectivity base. "As part of the fully integrated Verifone Engage family, the V400m offers new value at the POS by increasing loyalty and revenue opportunities for merchants and improving the consumer experience with real-time personalization wherever transactions are taking place," expounded Verifone.

Verifone V400m Payment Terminal

COMPANY BUSINESS

Elo Dials Up Cellular

Elo Touch Solutions (Milpitas, CA) has added cellular capability to its Android-based I-Series touch computers. With this, new 10", 15", and 22" display sizes now come with an embedded cellular modem and SIM Card, in addition to the current Wi-Fi/Ethernet/Bluetooth. Two versions of cellular are offered: Vodafone for Europe and AT&T for the U.S. Also, customers may choose other carriers via GSM/LTE.

According to Neeraj Pendse, Director of Product Management at Elo, "Customers who are installing interactive experiences where no network exists, or who cannot get on the network, now have an option." To simplify things further, Elo has partnered with machine-to-machine communications leader Kore Telematics (Alpharetta, GA), which activates and supports the SIM Card. Additionally, the I-Series for Cellular works with EloView, the vendor's content delivery and device management system, scalable across multiple locations.

As features, Elo's I-Series has projected-capacitive touchscreen at 16:9, Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core ARM CPU at 1.7 GHz, 2-GB RAM, and 16-GB Flash. Options for mounting include shelf brackets, wall brackets, counter stands, flip stands, and floor stands for portrait, landscape, or tabletop configurations. "Many companies tout cellular capabilities on their devices, but Elo has gone all the way with carrier certifications, built-in SIM, and IoT partner, Kore," emphasized Pendse.

Elo's I-Series Gets Out-of-the-Box Cellular Capability

Star Looks at "cloudPRNT" Now

Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ) has taken another step forward in technology. By leveraging Star's new cloudPRNT, end-users can extend their functionality to include cloud-based printing of online orders submitted by their customers. It first appears in Star Micronics' high-speed direct-thermal receipt printer, the TSP650II, which is now stocked as TSP650IIcloudPRNT at Star Micronics.

In speaking with RRN.Com, Guillermo Cubero, Product Innovation Specialist at Star Micronics America, espoused the open, flexible approach of cloudPRNT, "which has no formal API (Application Programming Interface)." Rather, it posts orders using JavaScript Object Notification (JASON), reading HTTP. Both new and legacy installations are addressed by this interface card, which has Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB, Cubero told RRN.Com.

With the TSP650IIcloudPRNT, orders can be pulled on user-defined intervals. In addition, cloudPRNT facilitates payment processing and provides printed receipts at any mobile point-of-sale location. In addition, payments made through an online ordering system by customers will appear on the cloudPRNT-printed receipt. One last note: while cloudPRNT can tie to the company's Star Cloud Services, announced at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Show in January, the two offerings function independently. An online order solution need not be part of Star Cloud Services to "cloudPRNT."

Star Micronics TSP650IIcloudPRNT Allows Direct Printing of Online Orders

Worth Your While

Canada Partner Event
M-S Cash Drawer
November 2
Mississauga, ON, Canada

Pack Expo
PMMI
November 6-9
Chicago, IL

NRF's Big Show
National Retail Federation
January 15-17, 2017
New York, NY

INSPIRE
Retail Solutions Providers
Association (RSPA)
Jan. 29-Feb.1, 2017
St. Kitts, West Indies

ALL IN THE FAMILY

RuggedJet 2 Lifts Off Brother

Brother Mobile Solutions (Westminster, CO) has unwrapped its 2" direct-thermal mobile printer, the RuggedJet 2 Series. With label and receipt printing, the RuggedJet 2 Series comes in four models, with support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, in addition to iOS, Android, and Windows. Significantly, the RJ-2050 and RJ-2150 are the first in the 2" category to feature both Apple Made for iPhone, iPod, iPad (MFi) certification and Apple AirPrint compatibility, the company suggested.

At 203-dpi resolution, the RuggedJet 2 has maximum print speed of 6 in./152 mm per second. With battery, it weighs from 1 to 1.2 lbs. Models RJ-2030 and RJ-2050 (for receipts) measure 4.8 in. (W) x 2.2 in. (H) x 3.9 in. (L). Models RJ-2140 and RJ-2150 (for labels, tags, and receipts) measure 5.9 in. (W) x 2.8 in. (H) x 3.9 in. (L). All meet an IP-54 rating for water and dust, withstand 8.2-ft./2.5-m multiple drops ("under controlled test environment," according to the company), and carry two-year warranty. There's also "Remote Automatic Update."

"Clearly, any business that is equipping a mobile workforce wants the printers they purchase to be fast, compact, durable, easy to use, and truly mobile," delineated David Crist, President of Brother Mobile Solutions. "They also want power options, connectivity options, and smooth operability--all at a competitive price. We believe the new RJ-2 Series more than exceeds those expectations."

Brother Mobile Debuts 2" RuggedJet 2

A Strong Breeze Hits Touch

Touch Dynamic (Irvington, NJ) has enhanced its Breeze All-in-One POS with Intel's Skylake CPU, resulting in increased processing speed and reduced power consumption. In addition, Breeze now offers standard true-flat projected-capacitive touchscreen, 4-GB RAM, and 64-GB Solid State Drive (SSD). "At Touch Dynamic, we are always seeking out ways to make our products faster," relayed Craig Paritz, President of Touch Dynamic, calling Breeze "one of the fastest and most power-efficient units on the market."

In screen sizes of 15", 17", and 18.5", the Breeze now offers the choice of six different CPUs, including Skylake Celeron at 2 GHz, i3 at 2.3 GHz, and i5 at 3 GHz, all fanless. A combination of slide-out motherboard and detachable base facilitates service, and there's compatibility with the company's Universal Printer Base. As connectivity, it has up to six USB ports, with an accompanying family of peripherals such as card and fingerprint readers, barcode scanners, and internal wireless capability.

Founded in August of 2001, Touch Dynamic recently celebrated its 15th Anniversary. During that time, it has grown to four locations across the U.S., eight sales reps, and over 50 employees. It has earned certifications from Microsoft, Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), and ISO 9001:2008. "We couldn't have made it this far without the support of our resellers and our customers," stated Paritz.

Touch Dynamic's Breeze All-in-One POS Gets Skylake CPU

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ALLIANCES

Bixolon Gets Sticky (With Liner-Free)

Bixolon America (Torrance, CA) has approved liner-free label products by MAXStick (Lancaster, PA) for use with its SRP-S300 direct-thermal printer. (Earlier, Bixolon America certified MAXStick for its SPP-R200II mobile printer.) Its endorsement spans the complete product family: MAXStick Premium, MAXStick2GO, MAXStick Colors, MAXStick Plus, MAXStick X2, and MAXStick X2 Colors. Utilizing proprietary "removable and re-stickable" adhesive, such labels are recyclable and environmentally friendly (silicon free and bisphenol, or BP, free).

Measuring 6.2 in. (W) x 7.8 in. (L) x 6 in. (D), weighing 4.4 lbs., the 3" SRP-S300 handles receipts and labels with five media-width choices: 40 mm, 58 mm, 62 mm, 80 mm, and 83 mm. It prints at 6.7 in./170 mm per second (as liner-free) and at 11.8 in./300 mm per second (for receipts) at 203 dpi. As particular benefits, Bixolon points to specialized back-feed technology, enhanced paper saving mode (by up to 25%), signature anti-jam technology, and built-in voice error notification.

"MAXStick shows excellent print quality and the perfect level of stickiness," related Changmin Yeo, Senior Manager, Product Verification and Quality Assurance for Bixolon. "It is very easy to stick, remove, and re-stick, enhancing work efficiency." Among suitable markets for such labeling: foodservice, libraries, retail, and healthcare.

Bixolon Endorses Removable/Re-Stickable Labels From MAXStick for Its SRP-S300 Thermal Printer

Janam Keeps on "Track"

A key inventory ISV, IntelliTrack (Sparks, MD), has certified the XT2 rugged touch computer from Janam Technologies (Woodbury, NY). With this partnership, Stratus Mobile for Android by IntelliTrack will support the XT2. It ties to QuickBooks and eliminates "the common and costly challenges associated with inventory control, including shortages and overstocks," according to the two parties. A leader in inventory, IntelliTrack has more than two decades of experience in designing, installing, and supporting barcode and RFID.

"IntelliTrack and Janam have a long-running strategic partnership that now further evolves with support for Janam's XT2 Series of rugged touch computers," reported Ronald Pawlowski, COO of IntelliTrack. "We have optimized our Stratus Mobile app to run flawlessly on the XT2 and believe our customers will achieve multiple benefits by leveraging our Stratus software and this device. The XT2's competitive price point, rugged durability, and user-friendly form factor make this a win/win for both companies."

Debuted earlier this year, Janam's XT2 runs Android 5 (and, as of this fall, Windows 10 Iot Mobile Enterprise). It weighs 10 oz. with battery and MSR, carries 5" capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass, and meets IP-67 rating for water and dust, MIL-STD-810G for vibration and shock, and 5-ft./1.5-m drops to concrete. Features include Zebra's SE4710 two-dimensional scan engine, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE WAN. A Qualcomm Quad-Core MSM8916 CPU at 1.2 GHz, 2-GB/16-GB RAM, and rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery power the XT2.

Janam's XT2 Certified for IntelliTrack's Inventory Management Software

Code Corner

Datalogic (Eugene, OR) has released its enhanced middleware for the store floor, Shopevolution 7. This multi-channel software platform supports self-shopping, queue-busting, and store-floor applications. Operating in-cloud or on-premise, it complements the handheld touchscreen device from Datalogic, called Joya. As functions, the company lists click and collect, social shopping, e-coupons, way finding, internal promotional and loyalty points engine, and back-office suite. It may be integrated with payment processing and POS. "Shopevolution 7 middleware and the Joya Touch device are recipients of the 2016 Popai Award in the Digital and Technological Innovation - App Category," proclaimed Luigi Frison, Director of Store Automation at Datalogic. "With Shopevolution 7, retailers offer their consumers a shopping experience that is enjoyable and efficient, resulting in increased revenues and brand loyalty, while reducing operating expenses."

Datalogic Joya Touch

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

It's Worldpay, Totally

After its successful rollout in the U.K., Worldpay Total hits the U.S. As its name suggests, this omnichannel platform encompasses point-of-sale, integrated payments, and merchant acquisition. A developer center offers language-agnostic Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Software Development Kits (SDKs) for Windows, iOS, and Android, as well as pre-certified payments for EMV, according to the payment processor. A flexible payments hub allows addition of new features and services as needed. As security in Worldpay Total, there's vaulting, cross-platform tokenization, and point-to-point encryption (P2PE), specifically Version 2.

"Today's consumer is the point-of-sale. They shop and buy using multiple channels--in-store, online, and their mobile devices. This puts a big burden of cost and complexity on merchants to piece together a connected customer experience using different technologies and vendors," observed Sarah Arvin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Worldpay U.S. (Atlanta, GA). "Worldpay Total solves for this, saving ISVs and merchants time and money--one provider, one integration across sales channels, and one expert support team."

"Worldpay has really put together all the pieces of the puzzle as you look at what it takes to implement an integrated payments solution from the point-of-sale perspective," testified Mark Critchett, Product Director for NCR Silver, which has certified Worldpay Total. "What Worldpay has been able to do is package all that together in this turnkey solution." Worldpay has approximately 400,000 customers for its payment processing technology.

Worldpay Brings Its Omnichannel Platform to the U.S., Called Worldpay Total

Shift4 Enlists the Services of Mi9

A new partnership between payment gateway provider Shift4 Corporation (Las Vegas, NV) and retail ISV Mi9 (Miami, FL) has addressed EMV. As security, this combined solution uses tokenization and point-to-point encryption (P2PE) for data security. It supports 12 terminals from Ingenico and Verifone, with options for USB, Serial, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Also, Shift4 is currently certified for EMV with eight major payment processors in the U.S. and Canada.

"Mi9 understands that retailers want to provide a simple and secure payment experience for consumers and our integration with Dollars On The Net delivers that," exclaimed Neil Moses, CEO of Mi9. "Our large and mid-sized retail customers run their businesses on Mi9 merchandise management, store operations, e-commerce, and customer engagement solutions and they count on us to support reliable and secure payment processing as well. Mi9 is proud to partner with Shift4 to deliver this comprehensive solution for EMV so that our customers get the layered security they can depend on and the flexibility they need to make adoption that much easier."

"Many payments industry players are forcing retailers into EMV implementations that don't suit their business or consumers," recounted Dave Oder, CEO of Shift4. "We are pleased to partner with Mi9 to offer a solution that actually works for retailers today, with more device and processor combinations available than any other industry player. Best of all, retailers can meet the new EMV standard while keeping sensitive payment data out of their environment entirely, thereby better protecting their customers, and their brand, from the devastating effects of a data breach." At present, Shift4 serves over 33,000 merchant customers in North America.

Dave Oder, CEO, Shift4

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

INSTALLATIONS

A Late Night Snack for Epson

A handy solution for self-service has been assembled by Epson America (Long Beach, CA) and ISV Cirra Systems (Park City, UT). Deployed by foodservice contractor, Chartwells, it leverages the Tavlo Restaurant Management System by Cirra and three of Epson's popular thermal printers: an OmniLink TM-T88V-DT intelligent printer and TM-U220 receipt printer, both stationed in the kitchen, as well as one TM-m30 receipt printer in each of the three unmanned kiosk stations. It serves the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, with 400 students, at the University of Utah.

With its embedded PC with VGA output, the OmniLink TM-T88V-DT acts as the device hub. At the 24/7 cafe at Lassonde, food orders are sent directly from the kiosks to the kitchen for preparation. When their name gets called, students pick up their purchase. Going forward, Cirra Systems will provide an app to allow students to order from their dormitory rooms. (Encompassing POS, Tavlo is entirely cloud-based, written with HTML5, in support of iOS, Android, and Windows.)

"We feel that this system will speed up our service and increase accuracy," contributed Dallas Balzly, Director of Dining for Chartwell. "And since we already had great success in using Tavlo and Epson printers in another location at the University of Utah's campus, this was an easy choice." Added Jim Ngo, President of Cirra Systems, "Epson delivers the perfect receipt printers to make the food ordering process go smoothly." Tom Kettell serves as Director of Commercial Channel Sales at Epson America.

Self-Service Kiosks for 24/7 Ordering at Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute in Utah

Paytronix Hits the Gas

A pair of new convenience store customers for loyalty player Paytronix (Newton, MA). As the first, MFA Oil's retail division, Break Time, will launch its Paytronix-powered My Time Rewards program for its 74 locations in Missouri and Arkansas. In the second case, Forward Corporation will switch to Paytronix for its 40 locations in Michigan. Started in 2001, and led by Andrew Robbins, President, Paytronix has quietly grown into prominence in convenience and restaurants.

At Break Time, the Paytronix My Time Rewards program will replace the chain's previous punch-card system, and ties into NCR's Radiant POS. In comparison, Forward Rewards, the loyalty program at Forward Corporation, previously utilized RFID tags and detached printer at the POS. Via the Paytronix Application Programming Interface (API), it will tie into Verifone's POS. Both efforts award points for gas and retail.

"It will be much easier to manage the program with the Paytronix platform, to do campaigns and outreach that drive more visits," expressed Emily Mallory, Chief Marketing Officer at Forward Corporation. "Our old loyalty program was too difficult to use and had become stale, so we needed to get smarter and more effective." Added Jennifer Bach, Director of Marketing and Merchandising at Break Time: "We loved the fact that Paytronix believes loyalty should generate revenue." Paytronix also emphasizes its reporting and data analysis.

Paytronix Customer Engagement Campaign Center

Channel Factoid

Is Black Friday over? In the second annual JDA Consumer Survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, nearly three in four respondents (73%) say they prefer to do their holiday shopping outside of the holiday season, during e-commerce sales, such as Amazon Prime Day. Almost half of respondents (47%) plan to skip Black Friday or Cyber Monday altogether this year. Additionally, among the respondents who shopped primarily in-store for Black Friday deals in 2015, 34% are changing their behavior, reporting that this year they plan to shop equally online and in-store (20%), or even primarily online (31%). Recent holiday hiring announcements by major retailers indicate an increased need for staff to support omnichannel fulfillment options like Buy Online/Pick-up in Store, or BOPIS. This corresponds with survey results that found almost half of respondents (46%) have used BOPIS in the last 12 months, nearly 33% more than revealed by the 2014 JDA Consumer Survey. In exploring return practices, the survey found that 80% of consumers have not used Buy Online/Return in Store, or BORIS, in the last 12 months, although 67% would prefer this method. Of the respondents who have used BOPIS in the last 12 months, 32% have also used BORIS services, per the survey. "Consumers continue to be less influenced by the Black Friday holiday deals and are expecting retailers to provide them with more personalized options throughout the year," remarked Jim Prewitt, VP of Retail Industry Strategy at JDA Software.

HELLO GOODBYE

Sato's Seer in the U.S.

Sato (Tokyo, Japan) has named Goro Yumiba as its Executive Head of North America. Here, he will lead Sato's U.S. subsidiaries Sato America and Sato Global Solutions as Chairman and CEO, with current President Michael Beedles reporting to him. Yumiba has three decades of experience in developing and managing international business for companies based out of Japan, including Cannon and Miura. His goal: to increase overseas revenue from 40% to 50% of Sato's total by 2020.

"It is my mission to spearhead Sato's growth in North America and bolster our solutions capabilities worldwide," commented Yumiba. "It is an exciting moment to be in the Auto ID industry in light of booming Iot technologies. I will leverage Sato's corporate culture that emphasizes on-site creativity to deliver solutions that provide precision, labor, and resource savings, peace of mind, and environmental protection for customers."

"I am very pleased to bring Goro on board at Sato," shared Kaz Matsuyama, President and CEO of Sato Holdings. "He has the global mindset we value as well as proven leadership managing international business and extensive knowledge of sales and meetings. These strengths will benefit Sato tremendously to help us boost our global presence, which is of the utmost importance for the Group."

Goro Yumiba, Executive Head of North America, Sato

An Eye on Enterprise at IPC

Infinite Peripherals, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL), which goes by "IPC," has enlisted Eric Nicolaisen to the newly created position of Director of Enterprise Product Management. Coming to IPC from BlackBerry (Research in Motion), Nicolaisen spent 17 years in leadership roles such as: Senior Director, Enterprise Product Management-Licensing and Entitlement; Senior Director of Enterprise and IT Channel Sales for Latin America; and Director of Technical Services for the T-Mobile U.S. Business Unit. He will be based in Waterloo, ON, Canada.

"I'm delighted to join the progressive and growing team at IPC," volunteered Nicolaisen. "This is such an exciting time in the industry. There is a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on IPC's nimbleness and flexibility by creating new solution offerings and further bolstering our go-to-market strategy to best meet customer and partner needs."

"Developing software is an essential piece in providing total flexibility for any workflow and makes integration with our devices even easier," indicated Jeff Scott, CEO and Co-Founder of IPC. "We are thrilled to have such a seasoned product director as Eric lead the charge to create more comprehensive, out-of-the-box solutions that equip customers to expedite and simplify mobile deployment and implementation." Early in the game, IPC addressed mobility with its scanner/payment sleds, called Linea Pro and Infinea Tab.

Eric Nicolaisen, Director, Enterprise Product Management, Infinite Peripherals