Our Product Pick

Bematech (Bethpage, NY) has unboxed its new 15" LCD Touch Monitor, the LE1015. With five-wire resistive technology, durability, and true-flat, bezel-free design, the LE1015 meets the requirements of both retail and hospitality, according to the vendor. As screen specifications, the LE1015 has 250 cd/m2 brightness, 1024x768 resolution, 800:1 contrast ration, and 12 ms response time. Special features include solid base, built-in UPS, USB, and extra wide hinge. An integrated magnetic-stripe reader (MSR) and 2x20 VFD/ 8" LCD customer displays are offered. Overall, it measures approximately 14 in. (W) x 9 in. (D) x 13 in. (H) and weighs 12 lbs. Black is the color.

Bematech's LE1015 Monitor

COMPANY BUSINESS

Zebra Recasts Its Tablets

Zebra Technologies (Lincolnshire, IL) has debuted its next-generation tablet computer, the ET50/55. Moving beyond the ET1, which Motorola Solutions introduced in 2011, before its purchase by Zebra, two screen sizes have been configured with multi-touch capacitive technology: 8" (ET50) and 10" (ET55). Notably, both come in choice of Windows 8.1 or Android 5.1. As point of differentiation, in the area of communications, ET50 has 802.11a/b/g/n, while ET55 has 4G LTE.

In conversation with RRN.Com, Zebra identified several additional upgrades over the discontinued ET1. These include increased computing power with Intel's Quad Core at 2.5 GHz. Also, display durability has been enhanced by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, along with an IP-65 rating for water and dust. With an accessory rugged frame, drop resistance extends to 6 ft./1.8 m, and an expansion back allows the use of an additional hot-swappable 6800-mAh battery, as well as enterprise-grade data-capture engines (the SE4750 or SE4710). An integrated eight-megapixel camera handles occasional barcodes, or documents and photos.

"The rugged ET50/55 line addresses all of the business issues associated with deploying tablets inside and outside the four walls of the enterprise--from durability, security, and expandability to device and application management," reflected Joe White, VP of Enterprise Mobile Computing at Zebra Technologies. In Android, the ET50/55 carries Zebra's Mobility Extensions (Mx), as well as Zebra's AppGallery. List pricing starts at $1,800 for the ET50/55, RRN.Com was told by Zebra.

Zebra Shows its Next-Generation ET50/55 Rugged Tablet Computers

Epson's Silver Lining - Part 1

As part of its latest round of ISVs, Epson America (Long Beach, CA) has unveiled the "Epson Cloud." Gathering at next week's Foodservice Technology (FS/TEC) Show in Washington, DC, the Epson Cloud builds upon OmniLink, of course, which brought PC functionality to the vendor's line of popular POS printers in 2013. According to early publicity released by Epson America, the Epson Cloud will offer "easy access to a global network of tools, best practices, business data, and expertise."

"The Epson Cloud gives users in hospitality and retail the option to share their POS data with cloud-based service providers in a way previously not possible," continued Epson. "[It addresses] the fundamental market challenge of disparate POS solutions that lack a common data language." A number of early adopters--spanning areas such as inventory, staffing, loss prevention, merchandising, and logistics--have been recruited. It includes companies such as DTT Surveillance, GuestDNA, Livelenz, Mobivity, Nimble Software Systems, PnP Loyalty, 7Shifts, Spendgo, and VenueMenu.

In the case of Nimble Software, for example, "our integration with 'NimbleSchedule' allows our customers to no longer have to depend on their legacy POS systems to manage their staffing and analyze costs and profits," asserted Joel Doherty, Head of Global Strategy for Epson Cloud. "We bring our mutual clients significant combined value." More to come on Epson Cloud in RRN.Com.

"Add-a-Shift" Functionality of Nimble Software

Worth Your While

Pack Expo
PMMI
September 28-30
Las Vegas

NACS Show
Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing
October 11-14
Las Vegas

Money 20/20
i2i Events
October 25-28
Las Vegas

IAAPA Expo 2015
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
November 16-20
Orlando

NRF's Big Show - Annual Conference
National Retail Federation
January 17-20, 2016
New York City

ALL IN THE FAMILY

On Light Duty at Honeywell

Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (Fort Mill, SC) has unwrapped its new thermal-transfer, light-duty desktop printer, designated PC42t. Measuring 8.9 in. (W) x 11.7 in. (D) x 7 in. (H), and weighing 5.5 lbs., the PC42t features 4" print width. It has maximum print speed of 4 inch/100 mm per second at 203 dpi, and supports either 0.5-in./13-mm or 1-in./25-mm ribbon core configurations. The latter accommodates ribbon lengths up to 1,000 ft./300 m, significantly reducing downtime.

As standard features, it has feed button, LED, 64-MB RAM, and 64-MB Flash. As many as four ports are built-in: standard USB Device and USB Host, plus optional Serial or Serial + Ethernet. A user-installable USB-to-Parallel cable facilitates deployment.

Honeywell Unveils PC42t Thermal Light-Duty Desktop Printer

A Bite Out of EMV, Takes Cardknox

A relatively new entry, Cardknox, Inc. (Lakewood, NJ), has offered its "EMV in 24 Hours" solution for developers of POS. It includes sandbox testing account, software development kit (SDK), application programming interface (API), necessary documentation, and complimentary payment terminal for testing. Founded in 2010, Cardknox exhibited at the recent Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) Show in Orlando.

"Many POS developers are confused by all the EMV options," suggested Bruce Zlotowitz, Cardknox's CMO. "With the October 1st liability shift deadline rapidly approaching, we've provided this much-needed, pre-certified solution for the many POS developers who still do not have an EMV plan. Our 'EMV in 24 Hours' program can be implemented in nearly every POS environment with only a few lines of code."

Cardknox Launches "EMV in 24 Hours" for POS Developers

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ALLIANCES

Word is Out at Revention

A leading restaurant ISV/VAR, Revention (Houston, TX), has partnered with the cardless loyalty developer called eWORDofMOUTH (Rancho Mirage, CA). Under this agreement, so-called "eWOM" has been integrated into Revention POS and Revention HungerRush (for online and mobile ordering). As benefits, the two parties cited one-time-use coupon codes, an automated loyalty program, easy e-mail and referral marketing, and an embedded customer segmentation and analytics engine.

"We are delighted about integrating with the eWOM solution," relayed Laura Gaudin, Director of Product Management at Revention. "A cardless loyalty and rewards program offers another way for our customers to be successful. I really like the simplicity of the program; easy to understand for the customers and easy to manage as an owner/operator."

Extreme Pizza is one of the first national restaurant chains to adopt eWOM and Revention POS. "A great partner," Todd Parent, CEO of Extreme Pizza, described eWORDofMOUTH. "I'm extremely pleased and look forward to many more prosperous years together." Trevor Shanski serves as President of eWORDofMOUTH, which he founded in 2008.

Revention POS Tied to Cardless Loyalty Platform From "eWORDofMOUTH"

Dr. Barcode Will See You Now

A new era, "Post-EHR" (i.e., Electronic Health Record), has naturally called for new technological solutions. As one example, Barcoding, Inc. (Baltimore, MD), well-known Auto ID VAR, has engaged Better Day Health (New Orleans, LA), leading point-of-care ISV. Utilizing voice recognition, mobile devices, and RFID, from vendors such as Impinj, Odin, and Zebra, this system automates documentation, streamlines patient check-in and registration, and tracks the flow of patients and staff throughout the clinic, according to the two new partners.

Arriving patients receive an RFID-enabled visitor badge that links to their EHR. Similarly identified with RFID-enabled ID badges, physicians and staff enjoy hands-free authentication, log-in, and data collection through their mobile device and the patient charting app from Better Day Health. During the patient's visit, passive voice recognition technology is used to suggest diagnoses, select the appropriate billing code, and complete required record keeping for EHR. As a result, physicians--"currently the world's most expensive clerical workers," quipped Peter Ragusa, CEO and Co-Founder of Better Day Health--spend less time typing and more time focusing on their patient.

Also, with asset-tracking software from Barcoding, Inc., dubbed RFID RealView, Better Day Health tracks the flow of patients and physicians through the clinic to determine wait times, staff availability, and patient location. In turn, the healthcare provider may leverage this information to improve operations and enhance the overall patient experience. "Although the technology behind Better Day Health's RFID solution isn't new, the way the company is using it is extremely innovative and unique," observed Shane Snyder, President of Barcoding, Inc.

Barcoding, Inc. Draws Upon Better Day Health's Patient Charting App

Code Corner

Cybra Corporation (Yonkers, NY) has released MarkMagic 9. This new version ties to Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and AIX, in addition to IBM Power Systems i Software. It furthers design of complex barcode labels, RFID tags, and forms "while virtually reducing the programming burden to zero," according to the ISV. As such, it delivers improved printer control, more powerful edit codes, new utilities, and an enhanced rules engine for the popular "Print Transformer Add-On Option." A simple unified interface empowers end-users to create documents on more than 450 printer types. "Our customers are always pleasantly surprised when we tell them they can now do what they've asked for," indicated Chuck Roskow, VP of Operations at Cybra Corporation. An IBM Business Partner and GS1 Solution Provider, Cybra Corporation sells through VARs. It offers free, 30-day trials of MarkMagic 9.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

ShopKeep Saddles Up

A full pouch of news from iPad-POS purveyor ShopKeep (New York City). An acquisition of smaller competitor Ambur (Buffalo, NY), which targets foodservice with 1,500 customers, leads things off. Ansar Khan, Co-Founder of Ambur, will serve as Business Development Manager for ShopKeep, which now has 20,000 in its merchant base. "Ambur provides an excellent point-of-sale app that was created by restaurant owners, for restaurant owners," remarked Norm Merritt, CEO/President of ShopKeep.

Also in the area of h.r., ShopKeep has hired Andrew Gorrin as its new Chief Marketing Officer. He comes from Web.com, where he was SVP of Marketing. Prior employers included Dove Consulting, in the retail financial services sector, as well as American Express and Brodeur Worldwide. "ShopKeep's zeal for independent merchants is palpable, and that's why it has such a great reputation in the industry," commented Gorrin.

In the last three months, ShopKeep has raised $60 million in funding, announced partnerships with Heartland Payment Systems and MasterCard, and launched plans for overseas expansion. Earlier this year, it purchased Payment Revolution (Walnut Creek, CA) and began offering customized payment processing for its merchant customers. Mike Rosenbloom, former President of Payment Revolution, serves as VP of Channel for ShopKeep, which has been distributed over the past few years by BlueStar (Hebron, KY).

Ansar Khan, Business Development Manager of ShopKeep, Which Has Purchased Ambur

A Doubling Down on Lightspeed

Lightspeed (Montreal) has bagged $61 million in funding co-led by Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and Investissement Quebec, alongside existing investors Accel Partners and iNovia Capital. This brings Lightspeed's total funding to date to $126 million. (Both figures in $U.S.) This new financing will support the company's global growth, technology infrastructure enhancements, and deeper investment in its omni-channel offering, according to Lightspeed.

"Today, our cloud platform processes more than 17,000 actions per minute. We are investing heavily in scaling our platform to support our rapidly growing and increasingly global user base as well as developing offline transaction capabilities," reported Dax Dasilva, Lightspeed's CEO and Founder. "With omni-channel becoming increasingly important to our retailers and their customers, this funding will also further the expansion and development of our e-commerce offering."

"Over the past few years, Lightspeed has grown rapidly, becoming a Canadian technology industry leader in the SaaS market," confirmed Christian Dube, EVP of Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec. "This investment fits with la Caisse's strategy to back the efforts of Quebec's innovative companies in their international growth and acquisition plans." A very early player in Apple POS, Lightspeed addresses both retail and hospitality and sells partly through the channel for POS. It has 25,000 customers.

The Lightspeed Team. At Center, in Silver Suit, Dax Dasilva, CEO and Founder

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
AnywhereCommerce
Bematech
Elo Touch Solutions
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Partner Tech
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
PowaPOS
TEAMSable

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Honeywell Scanning

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Datalogic
Honeywell Scanning

Integrated Payment Solutions
Cayan
Datacap Systems
Discover
iPayment Inc.
Mercury/Vantiv
Moneris
Shift4

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp
PrehKeyTec

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo Touch Solutions

INSTALLATIONS

Shift4's Score Card Shows VT4

Following successful implementation by select merchants, including the PGA Tour, Shift4 Corporation (Las Vegas, NV) has announced general availability of its VT4 Mobile POS. A number of key elements are cited by the payment processor, including security, neutrality, and versatility. With support for unlimited users, revenue centers, and devices, VT4 also holds enterprise functionality, emphasized Shift4, which recruits VARs and ISVs in POS.

As security, VT4 employs Shift4's True Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) and TrueTokenization. As expected, it allows merchants to accept the range of payment methods, as well as the capacity to handle split-tender transactions, provide full or partial refunds, retrieve transaction history, and modify shopping cart items. It also allows merchants to transfer the sale from one device to another or complete the sale in no-signal situations. As part of the package, Shift4 offers free, 24/7, U.S.-based customer support.

"We have been working with Shift4 as an early adopter of VT4 over the past year, specifically for tournament entry fees for the PGA Tour in Canada and Latin America, as well as for the PGA Tour Wives Association membership dues, event registration fees, and charitable donations," recounted Steve Evans, SVP of Information Systems for the PGA Tour. "The system was easy to use from an end-user perspective and we were very pleased. In fact, we are looking to further expand the use of this system in the coming year."

General Release of VT4 Mobile POS for Shift4

Some Dough for ASAP

ASAP Systems (San Jose, CA) has deployed its asset and inventory control system for the non-profit, The Leaven (Fairfield, CA). With ten locations in Northern and Southern California, The Leaven extends after-school tutoring and community services to residents of disadvantaged areas. It needed to upgrade its inventory practices, in part, because donors and other partners wanted to know how their donations were being spent, according to Mark Lillis, Director.

Such inventory counts of four times per week took five hours of staff time. In answer, ASAP Systems provided its BarCloud Asset, BarCloud Stock, BarCloud Standard Tier, and BarCloud Mobile. At its central warehouse, The Leaven now utilizes barcode scanning to receive supplies. At community centers, staff members scan with their smartphones via BarCloud Mobile.

ASAP Systems Achieves Inventory Control for California Non-Profit, The Leaven

Channel Factoid

An extensive survey, conducted by Harbortouch, finds that 56% of U.S. consumers are unaware of EMV. Of lower income respondents ($25K-$50K), that number is 60%; of the highest income respondents ($150,00K+), that number is 26%. A majority of consumers (54%) said they have not yet received replacement EMV or "chip" cards. Oddly, rural residents lead urban dwellers in reported usage of EMV--76% compared to 64%. Gen Z (18-24) has the lowest usage of EMV at 21%, but ranks highest in mobile payment adoption at 42%. While payment networks believe in the security benefits of EMV, only 51% of consumers feel similarly. Finally, more men (59%) than women (41%) feel "chip" cards or EMV will enhance security. "The findings of this study indicate that EMV could pose serious challenges for credit card companies and retailers as the busy holiday season approaches," summarized Jared Isaacman, Founder and CEO of Harbortouch. "Varying rates of adoption and opinions on the benefit of 'chip' cards means more can be done by all parties to ensure a smooth transition on October 1 and beyond."

HELLO GOODBYE

A Sterling Role

Sterling Payment Technologies (Tampa, FL) has tapped George Wilcox to lead its Product Development Division. In his role as Executive Director of Sterling Payment, Wilcox also heads up B2B Channel Management. He joined the payment processor, which targets VARs and ISVs in POS, in August 2014.

Earlier, Wilcox spent 15 years with Chase Paymentech, serving as SVP of Business Integration and Development, Group Executive of Gift Card and Loyalty, and Group Executive of Product Management. Revenue increased from $100 million to $700 million. Before Chase, he was VP of Business Development for IVI/Checkmate (now part of Ingenico), GM of TimeCorp. (a subsidiary of Verifone), and VP of National Data (now Global Payments). He currently resides in Meredith, NH.

George Wilcox, Executive Director, Sterling Payment Technologies

[Editor's Note: Sterling Payment Technologies also has completed certification for an EMV-capable solution for ISVs with popular middleware provider, Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA). Certification with the card brands is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, according to Sterling.]

The POS Man Clicks

Industry veteran Jerry Cibley has joined Click a Waiter (Leominster, MA), white-label developer of Online Ordering and POS, as its EVP. An active consultant, under the moniker of "The POS Man," Cibley previously held positions of VP for POSitivity, National Sales Trainer for POS at Harbortouch, and Dealer Channel Manager for Aloha Data Systems, maker of StoreTender POS. He also started several dealerships in POS: Focus on POS, Write Touch POS, and Odyssey Solutions.

"We are extremely excited for Cibley joining our team here at Click a Waiter," shared CEO/Founder Osvaldo Rodriguez. "His unique and unorthodox blend of experience, knowledge, and hands-on approach will help Click a Waiter achieve its goals and propel the company to the next level. We are looking to develop distribution and sales partnerships with pre-existing sales networks and related technologies."

Jerry Cibley, EVP, Click a Waiter