Point of Sale Information and News for October 2012

Honeywell just announced a new mobile computer to hit the enterprise market in a big way. The Honeywell Dolphin 70e is a response to a rapid increase of BYOD at businesses and managing the multiple devices needed to keep employees working efficiently on the road or within the four walls. Also I think they really wanted to announce a new Dolphin in Miami. Maybe they can even land their announcement on page one of Google results for “Miami Dolphin.” Maybe.

The Dolphin 70e continues a conversation enterprise mobility companies have had since consumer devices caught up in terms of performance. An iPhone is remarkably powerful and will do pretty much the same stuff as a more expensive enterprise device. However, if you drop your iPhone, your Samsung Galaxy 3, your Moto Droid Razr HD, odds are the screen will shatter and you will no longer be having a good day. And that’s part of the tradeoff with consumer electronics, they’re affordable, powerful, but not durable.

With the Dolphin 70e, you get a similar design to a smartphone but with the durability necessary for mobile field service, route management, or any mobility application out there. The press release only says it can withstand drops to concrete. I’m not going to make a claim on from what height, that’d be foolish.

However, and this is a big deal, the Dolphin 70e is rated at IP67 seal specifications. It’s completely sealed from dust, so no random dust accumulation behind the screen, that’s nice. That second number, the water-related specification, that means it’s sealed against drops into like buckets of water. I’m not sure how often people like to dunk phones into water, but they can with the Dolphin 70e. Given how often friends have “lost” phones to the terrors of rain and gimlets, this seems like a great feature for a lot of people.

And because it’s from Honeywell Advanced Imaging and Data Capture, no Dolphin would be complete without a barcode scanner jammed into it. The Dolphin 70e has a 2D imager built-in, I’m assuming it’s the Adaptus they just announced a couple weeks ago. Even if it’s their older Adaptus 5.0 imager, it should be great for scanning barcodes.

The Dolphin 70e will be available with Windows Mobile or Android OS depending on your needs. So if you have infrastructure & software already established in the Windows Mobile environment, you’re set. But if you are looking at moving to Android, or you want to see how awesome the Android version of RedBeam is, you’re still set. According to the announcement it should be available February 2013, just in time to be a Valentine’s gift for a clumsy loved one.

[Press Release – Honeywell’s New Rugged Enterprise Hybrid Device]

Insert line from Aliens here

Motorola, those mobile computing mavens, have officially announced their headset computer, the Motorola HC1. It looks like it’d be a great option for hands-free picking/shipping software, first responders, or even military/police use.

And a bit of research and checking out Motorola Solution’s Twitter tells me that the announcement is tied in with the Association of the US Army’s tradeshow going on this week, so they’re definitely positioning this for military application. They also put out a press release that was picked up by Engadget, Gizmodo, and even Slashdot.

The HC1 follows in their great naming convention and is a headset computer. One. Kind of like how the MC line is mobile computers, MT is mobile terminals, and LS is linear scanner.

Anyway, from what I gathered from the press release and their product page, the HC1 runs Windows CE 6.0, so you can run the same software on it as most mobile computers out there. However, the HC1 lacks keyboards and touchscreens and all those other hallmarks of a mobile platform, opting for voice recognition as well as head tracking. Development tools are available so you can integrate this functionality into your own software, so that’s nice.

It’s built with a pretty powerful TI processor and 512 MB of RAM, so you shouldn’t see a whole lot of lag with most apps. Like their other products, it looks like you’ll get a standard or extended size battery. Not sure how long either will last yet, but I imagine you’ll get something akin to a work shift or more per charge.

Like Motorola’s other enterprise devices, the HC1 is built to take a beating. An IP65 seal protects the unit entirely from dust as well as low pressure water jets, holding up to the abuse you might see in rough & tumble environments like emergency services or the military. Or water balloon fights. Get an eye in the sky and you can know exactly where your enemy is via the HC1’s display.

Optional models include mounted camera, which in my mind increases the number of potential applications dramatically. Some of the examples I’ve heard tie into engineering and repair aspects, in both military and aerospace applications. Rather than go between schematics on a table and the device you’re working on, the schematics and tutorials can be displayed on the HC1, speeding up your task and hopefully cutting down repair time.

One of the other ideas I thought of was much more Robocop-ly, where the camera can be used to capture images of people, potentially at a crime scene or in a hostile environment, sent wirelessly and processed in real-time to determine persons of interest or potential threats. It’s a really weird & specific thing, but when I first saw the HC1 I definitely thought of Terminator, Robocop, and Aliens.

Bellingham, WA, October 4, 2012 – POSGuys.com, provider of complete POS solutions, announced the launch of tableside ordering for restaurant POS systems. These systems enable waitstaff to send orders from anywhere in the restaurant, cutting customers’ wait time for their meal and eliminating order entry errors.

The tableside ordering system leverages the power of Aldelo Pro For Restaurants POS Software, integrating with existing Aldelo restaurant solutions. Unlike Aldelo Wireless POS Software, which requires investment in a server PC and mobile computer, the tableside ordering system uses a tablet PC running Windows XP software, capable of running a full license of Aldelo Pro for Restaurants. Employees will have the same experience with the tableside ordering system as they do with a standard POS system or order station.

Jono Manion, Product Developer and Content Director, said: “Our customers have wanted to add mobility to their restaurants, but Aldelo Wireless POS Software requires a tremendous investment of time and money. Once setup, employees have less tools at their disposal than at a traditional POS system. We wanted to offer a solution that gives employees full software functionality from anywhere in the restaurant. The Tableside Ordering System is just that.”

Included in the system are the Partner Tech EM-220 tablet PC, integrated credit card reader, Star Micronics SM-T300 mobile receipt printer, and Aldelo Pro for Restaurants license. The EM-220 tablet PC runs Windows XP, giving you the full functionality of a POS system running Aldelo Pro for Restaurants software.

POSGuys.com developed the Tableside Ordering System to fill a growing need for full-service dining establishments. Often, wait staff visit multiple tables before entering order information; with a Tableside Ordering System, orders can be entered on-the-fly. The tablet connects to a restaurant’s Aldelo POS system through their wireless network, providing real-time ordering, as well as any updates such as menu item availability.

“For restaurants where the server will not be the one bringing out the food, or it is common to split individual checks, having the ability to place orders on the fly, or print out a receipt in front of the customer without having to go back to a pay station greatly increases efficiency. We estimate the tableside ordering system will cut customer wait time by 5 to 10 minutes per table,” said Travis Chun, Director of Operations for POSGuys.com. “The time savings will improve turnover, enabling restaurants to seat more customers per night and providing a better overall experience for the customers and staff.”

With the integrated card reader and mobile receipt printer, payment can be taken at tableside, preventing the card from leaving the customer’s field of view and providing a framework for greater PCI compliance. All of this adds up to a terrific solution for restaurants wanting to maximize throughput and security.

Partner Tech EM-220 Specifications:

Windows XP Pro

1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 Processor

1 GB RAM

1024 x 600 Resolution

802.11b/g

Bluetooth 2.1 w/ EDR

Star Micronics SM-T300 Specifications:

2.95″ per second print speed

3″ print width

Bluetooth interface

Belt clip for easy portability

About POSGuys.com

POSGuys.com is an industry leading point of sale solutions provider, selling complete POS systems, barcode scanners, and receipt printers. Established in 2004, POSGuys.com’s expertly trained sales and support staff create custom point of sale and data capture solutions for businesses nationwide.

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[Source – PRWeb]

Because all my friends claim I “work on barcodes,” they send me links to goofy data capture stuff they come across. Sometimes it’s great fodder for sharing, like this poast at The New Aesthetic about a hotel room decorated in QR codes.

The Modez Hotel in the Dutch city of Arnhem sports this room, where everything, curtains, comforter, you name it, is covered in QR codes of varying sizes. I doubt these were designed to take advantage of regular 2D barcode scanners and are really for you to scan with your smartphone, as the codes take you to more… risqué content: steamy written messages, pictures, etc.

QR codes aren’t necessarily controversial, but there is a lot of pushback from various tech outlets. It’s great to see them used in a unique and useful way, as it provides a good counter to many of the poorly implemented QR codes out there.