Adding to the existing mobile computing range, the Advanced Semi-rugged BM-170 is a durable, cost effective tool for improving and streamlining your business.Suitable for a range of industries including Field Service, Healthcare, Fleet Management and many more, it promises to make your business more efficient and reliable.

The BM-170 offers its users a 1.5 metre drop-resistant outer shell, allowing it to withstand landing on steel surfaces multiple times. With the ability to function in temperatures ranging from -20C to 55C the BM-170 is a long-lasting and robust choice. The smart user interface, which encompasses a 3.5 inch touch screen display supported by a 3.0 megapixel AF camera, creates the perfect tool for workers on the move. The durable yet sensitive screen enables easy collection of digital signatures, taking orders, or looking up data, whereas the camera is ideal for capturing images for proof of condition.

Andrea Percival, Director of Maxa Technologies, said: ‘We are delighted that Bluebird has released the BM-170.  There are some significant competitive advantages with the product, including battery capacity, camera and price.  The Bluebird range just keeps on improving and is a highly attractive product set for many markets.  We have been working with Bluebird for more than a year now, and we believe that our marketing activities with the Bluebird products are now paying dividends as we have carved ourselves a niche in a very competitive market.’

Connectivity includes a fast data communication with HSDPA mobile radio and Wi-Fi, as well as an integrated A-GPS allowing the device to be tracked at all times, leaving you to provide fast and reliable delivery.

The BM-170 utilises Windows Mobile 6.5 with a powerful 806MHz processor, offering best in class performance within an easy to navigate operating system. With a 128MB RAM 256MB ROM memory capacity and a 3,200mAh extended battery life the BM-170 will last through the busiest of days with ease and efficiency.

Barclays Technology Revamp
Barclays has announced that it plans to spend £1 billion on a shop and technology overhaul, which it hopes will result in a £400 million annual saving. Peter Estlin, chief financial officer of Barclays Global Retail Banking, has said that the refit will allow Barclays to improve its business continuity and operations, allowing the bank to open new branches.  Even with the possibility of new branches, Barclays went on to announce that it plans to source more back-office jobs overseas, claiming this will allow it to provide “smoother, faster processing”.

Verizon Attempt to ‘Take on the Plastic’
Verizon Wireless, the biggest US mobile carrier, has announced its action plan to replace credit and debit cards with smartphones. The technology will supposedly do away with the plastic in our wallets and expand the smart phone’s already impressive capabilities. This technology is similar to that of contactless technology which is already available here, and in Japan and Turkey. With retailers having spent years fighting over transaction fees with Visa and MasterCard, it seems mobile payments may have a chance of becoming commonplace on our High Street.

Let the Sun Shine
The British High Street has reported a growth in sales over the past month, something that has been accredited to the sunny weather. The British Retail Consortium has announced that like-for-like sales have increased by 1.2% across a range of fields.  The Guardian suggested that the World Cup could take credit for the rise in sales of TVs,  whereas the warmest July worldwide is responsible for the increase in sales in DIY and leisure.

During June we have seen UK retail outlets becoming more serious about cutting their carbon emissions, mobility as a growing trend in EPOS systems for retailers, and Blockbuster embracing mobile vouchers.

Please read the summaries below:

UK Retail gets more serious about carbon emissions

UK retail trade produces 11.5% of carbon emissions (CRC, 2010). The Carbon Reduction Institute (CRI) are having a direct influence on UK plc. A newly launched energy efficiency scheme which came in to force in April means that the UK’s largest retailers will soon be in competition against each other to determine who can cut out the most CO2 emissions. Whilst most Maxatec products do not come under threat for emitting carbon, chances are that technology budgets of the big retail giants will be reduced and newly purchased equipment will need to prove more energy efficient.

Mobility is becoming an important technology trend

Mobility has steadily become an increasingly important technological trend and recently we have seen it become central to many more retail businesses.  Retail Technology Magazine (June, 2010) reports that Mobile point of sale (MPOS) is on the increase as more retailers understand the benefits of mobility to their customers and staff. This is great news for Maxatec, as we stock a variety of mobile point of sales products.

Blockbuster uses Mobile Vouchers

Last month we told you about barcoded mobile phone train tickets. It seems the trend was catching, as this month has seen Blockbuster video adopt a similar approach, but this time with voucher redemption. Blockbuster customers can now become involved with this easy to use scheme to receive unique voucher codes by text message, enabling them to qualify for special discounts and offers.

The LK-P series of portable label printers is set to complement the existing and extensive range of portable thermal and impact receipt printers currently marketed by Maxatec.

Available in both 2″ and 3″ print widths, the LK-P11 and LK-P30 are both rugged and compact in design.  The printers are lightweight and suitable for any mobile computing application, and meet modern day requirements in terms of ease-of-use, connectivity and reliability.

Andrea Percival, director of Maxa Technologies Limited (Maxatec), said: “The Maxatec brand has been synonymous with printing for many years. We have been looking for suitable portable thermal label printers for sometime, and the LK-P series really fills out our range of portable printers, which until now has focused on portable receipt printing rather than labelling.  The LK-P printers are competitive in every way : specification, reliability and price point.  We are very pleased that we can now offer our reseller base an alternative product for portable labelling requirements.”

The LK-P printers use a Lithium Ion battery - which has a 2.5 hour charging time, with 20 hours on stand-by. The printers are certified to IP42 but when used with the specially designed case they have an IP54 rating.  The LK-P 11 has a print speed of 80 mm/sec and the LK-P 30 prints at 100 mm /second - both printers have a large roll capacity and have a range of industry standard printer drivers, including Blackberry, and industry standard emulations.

Percival commented, “The LK-P series is designed to be competitive - we are confident that we can slot the printer into existing portable label printing applications with minimal effort for the reseller.  In today’s environment, it is essential to make products that are compatible to the market leaders so the driver and emulation suite with the LK-P series is a real USP.”

The LK-P series are available with RS232, Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity and have a range of optional accessories including leather case, shoulder strap, cradle and vehicle charger (12/24v).

About Maxatec
Maxatec is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Value Added Supplier of Specialist IT Hardware and Services to the Auto ID, POS and Mobile markets. As well as offering own brand products, Maxatec’s product portfolio includes CognitiveTPG point of sale and bar code label printers, Barcode & Label Printers NCR POS terminals, Extech portable receipt printers, TSC industrial label printers, Zebex bar code scanners, MMF cash drawers, FlexPOS POS terminals, and Firich (FEC) Touch screens and SAMMI mobile computing devices.

Maxatec also offers software and services including NiceLabel label design package, and a wide range of consumables (paper, labels, ribbons), spare parts and in-house and on-site service capabilities.

The Maxatec brand is synonymous with high standards of service as well as high performance, high quality products.

For more information about Maxatec:
Tel: +44 (0) 161 942 7850
Fax +44 (0) 161 927 7664
info@maxatec-europe.com

Jason Southern, sales manager at Maxa Technologies (Maxatec) said: “Our current range of POS Terminals has seen a steady increase in sales over the past 12-18 months.  We are now seeing a demand for an entry-level product and the RDT-150 fits this position perfectly.  It’s a robust and compact terminal that can be desk, pole or wall mounted, there is a huge amount of connectivity and power integrated into a small footprint. As with all our terminals, the RDT-150 is richly populated with communication ports, whilst the Pentium Celeron CPU ensures a high performance platform. We have already had very positive feedback customers, so we are confident this one will be a winner.”

Adding to the existing epos systems range, the RDT-150 is a cost effective POS System solution with excellent functionality and reliability, as well as easy upgrade options. Maxatec will standardise on a 5-wire resistive touch panel but there are other options, including Capacitive, SAW and IR.   The modular design allows the terminal to be upgraded at a later date with any one of the range of optional devices, including VFD customer display, MSR card reader, fingerprint scanner, 3-in1 MSR+Smartcard+I-Button reader, a second LCD screen with or without touchscreen. The design of the unit allows easy access to components to minimise down time during maintenance.

Connectivity includes multiple external serial and USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 and Ethernet connection as well as 2 x RJ-12 cash drawer ports which can be powered with 12 or 24 volts and a VGA port.  The compact and robust design ensures that the terminal uses minimum space and that is suitable for use in harsher environments.  The RDT-150 is also resistant to water spillage, making it an ideal choice for the hospitality sector. Connectors and cables can be neatly hidden inside the stand, and the terminal also has a removable base as well as wall mounting capability with 75mm VESA holes.

To allow for future capability the RDT-150 is Windows 7 compatible as well as supporting all the legacy Microsoft operating systems.

In May we have discovered that; garden centres are making more efficient use of their epos systems for customer retention and research, independent pharmacies in the UK are using new retail systems. No more queuing at the train station hurray! - We can now use barcode rail tickets on our mobile phones, and don’t forget that here at Maxatec we have just re-launched our MT-200 receipt printer!

Read the summaries below:

Garden Centres make best use of epos data

Garden centres need to use the business intelligence gained via EPOS to increase customer retention and loyalty. Read more here: http://www.hortweek.com/News/1004913/Sales-opportunities—making-best-use-EPoS-data

New Payment Solutions save UK Independent Pharmacies Money

Independent pharmacies in the UK are set to save hundreds of pounds a year. The chartered institute of I.T reports that through the introduction of a new payment system from EPOS provider CSY, UK pharmacies could save hundreds using a new chip and pin payment solution.

Mobile Ticketing has arrived reducing train tickets to downloaded images

Barcode ticketing company Masabi has been commissioned by national train ticket provider – The Train Line for a national roll out of a mobile ticketing service.
The service will enable travellers to purchase a ticket via their mobile phone on their credit or debit card and then be presented with a unique barcode image to confirm their purchase. The barcode can then be scanned by the train inspector at the station/train. No more losing your tickets and no more queuing for the ticket machines!

Maxatec Relaunch the MT-200 Receipt Printer

We have re-launched the MT-200 receipt printer. New features include even faster printing, adjustable paper loading, a compact design and comes with a 2 year warranty. Read the full press release here:  http://www.maxatec-europe.com/press/2010/05/maxatec-mt-200-receipt-printer

Andrea Percival, managing director of Maxatec said: ‘The single station receipt printing market is extremely competitive, and we are constantly looking at our product set to ensure that it remains well specified, quality assured as well as being pitched at the right price point. We took a long look at the existing product offering and decided that the new MT-200 could bring together a higher specification and a lower price for our customers. Basically they get more for less. As with the MT-150, the new and upgraded MT-200 is easy to use, compact and powerful, offering users a first class product at an economical price, and backed by a 2 year warranty. We will continue to ship the MT-150 but we anticipate that customers will gradually migrate over to the MT-200.’

The MT-200 is easy to integrate into existing applications with plug and play features. The small footprint creates a truly compact, economical and powerful printer – with high speed printing of easy-to-read receipts with logos, bar codes, coupons and marketing messages. Complemented by a full driver suite - Windows® Printer Driver (XP, 2000, 2003, WEPOS) OPOS™ and Linux, the MT-200 comes with a USB interface as standard, and is also available with additional interfaces: RS232, IEEE 1284 (parallel), Ethernet, and WiFi 802.11b. Additional features include; spill-proof lid, logo and firmware download utility and integrated wall-mount feature and recessed cables.

For more information about the MT 200 visit the Maxatec site: http://www.maxatec-europe.com/content/pages/products/models/mt-200.shtml

About Maxatec
Maxatec is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Value Added Supplier of Specialist IT Hardware and Services to the Auto ID, POS and Mobile markets. As well as offering own brand products, Maxatec’s product portfolio includes CognitiveTPG point of sale and bar code label printers, Barcode & Label Printers NCR POS terminals, Extech portable receipt printers, TSC industrial label printers, Zebex bar code scanners, MMF cash drawers, FlexPOS POS terminals, and Firich (FEC) Touch screens and SAMMI mobile computing devices.

Maxatec also offers software and services including NiceLabel label design package, and a wide range of consumables (paper, labels, ribbons), spare parts and in-house and on-site service capabilities.

The Maxatec brand is synonymous with high standards of service as well as high performance, high quality products.

For more information about Maxatec:
Tel: +44 (0) 161 942 7850
Fax +44 (0) 161 927 7664
info@maxatec-europe.com

In April we have discovered that; e-commerce has peaked, Mobile EPOS and barcode scanning is booming in Ireland, we can now use our phones to scan barcodes, and that charging your PDA just became an eco friendly activity!

Read the summaries below:

Online Retailing Peaks

Luxury retailers and e-commerce websites reported the best retail sales growth during March 2010 according to a report released in April by Reuters.

The report identifies that sales of luxury items rose by 22.7% in March, while online sales moved up 18.4%, its eight consecutive month of double digit growth, according to MasterCard Advisors’ Spending Pulse, which estimates total retail sales across all payment forms.

Mobile ePOS booms in Ireland

The Irish Post reported that Mobile electronic point-of-sale (ePOS) hardware systems have become increasingly popular in the Irish Market.

The emergence of Geo-tagging

Geo-tagging utilises the convergence of two technologies; the mobile phone and the new generation 2D barcodes. Certain smart phones such as iPhone, Google Android and the Blackberry now have the ability to scan a barcode and direct users to a website about that product instantly.
This month, the media has been full of stories regarding how this technological advancement is going to be used;

• The Guardian reports that Barcoo – an innovative iPhone application will help ethical shoppers by enabling them to check a company’s social responsibility and environmental credentials by scanning the barcodes of products they see in shops. This will allow instant purchase decisions to be made by eco conscious shoppers.

• Entertainment Weekly – (a US magazine) is one of the first to publish 2D barcodes from Microsoft. Readers of the magazine will scan the 2D barcodes with their mobile phones and be directed to a YouTube video where they can see an exclusive movie preview video.

• Interactive barcodes which link to additional content when photographed by a smart phone were launched in Ireland by advertising company Digital Reach Group. Local paper -the Irish Herald used the barcodes to entice readers to read links and view adverts on third party sites.

Eco friendly charge up alternatives

We all know that the Achilles heel of any mobile device, whether it is a hand held PDA, a mobile phone or iPod, is keeping them charged up especially when you are on the move. We have all forgotten our charger or struggled to find a power source at some time! Recent news highlights that as the nation becomes increasingly environmentally aware, there is a trend towards purchasing portable solar chargers. These harnessing the power of the sun resulting in free and completely clean energy source that you can use anywhere.

Already successful with the fully featured DT-350 compact PDA, the DT-351 has all the features of the DT-350 plus an integrated CCD barcode scanner. The Xplore series is a unique and low cost, wireless mobile solution boasting enhanced Wi-Fi stability and features such as single SSID enforcement and ‘Wi-Fi Always On’ connectivity.

The Xplore products have a built-in system back-up feature which enables enterprises to clone and install PDA images for mass deployment in a cost effective and less time consuming manner. There are two modes of operation, Administration and User modes. The PDA device is targeted specifically at industry and as such, entertainment features such as music, video and games have been removed. In addition, the vibration alert, configurable LED signalling and configurable short-cut key allow enterprises to develop unique applications to meet specific business needs.

From a technology perspective, the Xplore DT series has been designed to be easy to use and flexible as well as offering enhanced Wi-Fi features and enhanced power management capabilities.

About Maxatec
Maxatec is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Value Added Supplier of Specialist IT Hardware and Services to the Auto ID, POS and Mobile markets. As well as offering own brand products, Maxatec’s product portfolio includes CognitiveTPG point of sale and bar code label printers, Barcode & Label Printers NCR POS terminals, Extech portable receipt printers, TSC industrial label printers, Zebex bar code scanners, MMF cash drawers, FlexPOS POS terminals, and Firich (FEC) Touch screens and SAMMI mobile computing devices. Maxatec also offers software and services including NiceLabel label design package, and a wide range of consumables (paper, labels, ribbons), spare parts and in-house and on-site service capabilities. The Maxatec brand is synonymous with high standards of service as well as high performance, high quality products.

For more information about Maxatec:
Tel: +44 (0) 161 942 7850
Fax +44 (0) 161 927 7664
info@maxatec-europe.com

For example the HH8010 would perform well in a manufacturing plant or construction site. With its liquid and dust resistance designed shell, performance need never be an issue.

In terms of internet connectivity, the HH8010 can be used on WiFi, Bluetooth or Wireless WAN connectivity via GSM, GPRS and Edge ensuring your workforce/employees are always online when they need to be for accurate and up to the minute information sharing for businesses.

The rugged and compact Maxatec HH 8010 supports Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 and comes with a 12 month warranty.

Why choose a Mobile Computing Device?

Mobile Computing is becoming ever more popular, and the handheld devices and terminals on offer from Maxatec bring together the capabilities of a computer into useful compact features together with fast speed wireless computing capabilities.

Summary of Features
•    2.8 inch touch panel 26k colour TFT
•    OP65 rates: liquid and dust resistant
•    Lightweight, rugged and compact
•    Support for Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
•    Bluetooth or WiFi Connectivity enabled
•    WWAN via GSM/GPRS/Edge (2.5G)
•    Barcode Reader (HHP 2D imager)
•    Yellow or Black as standard, other colours available on request
•    12 month warranty

For more information on the Maxatec HH 8010, or to purchase the product visit:  http://www.maxatec-europe.com/content/pages/products/models/maxatec-hh-8010.shtml