Even if you have been living under a rock for the last year, you’d know that wireless solutions are the way of the future in the hospitality POS space. We receive calls literally every day asking about the different options that exist and what solution would work best for specific concepts. To help those with questions, I wanted to quickly do a survey of some of the options that are currently available to the public.
The following Wireless POS Round-Up is for educational and informational purposes only. We are not saying that you should go out and purchase 10 of each of these devices and launch them in your store. Our intent is to educate you, as a POS consumer, on some options that CBS is currently deploying for our wireless environment right now. As a disclaimer, you’ll see a lot of products by DT Research. CBS has had a long-standing partnership with DT Research and the folks there continue to deliver extremely high-quality mobile POS solutions that work very well with some of our most innovative products.
Hand Held POS Solutions
DT433 is the newest addition to DT Research’s line of hand held computing options. This device has an option of an magnetic card reader as well as a bar code scanner. This device uses the newer touch technology of capacitive touch. CBS is in the evaluation process with this device. The device is a bit less rugged than the 430 but offers a lighter hand held with a sleeker look and feel.
Tablet POS Solutions
DT307SC is the first small tablet CBS has evaluated. It’s a 7” windows CE tablet. The size is comparable to the iPad mini. The device is ruggedized but not as much some of the more rugged tablets. The device is small enough to put into a servers apron and is a great device if you need a larger screen than a standard 4.3” hand held option. Due to it being CE, the multi use cases for this tablet need to be evaluated. Not all applications function properly in the CE environment.
DT315CT is a 9.7” ruggedized tablet option. It can run Windows 7 professional or Embedded Windows 7. There are bumpers that keep the device safe from short drops. It comes with a MSR option as well as a bar code scanner.
HP Elitepad – the HP elite pad is a great device for someone looking for a 10.1” tablet. There is an optional sleeve to allow for a magnetic card reader, barcode scanner, neck strap and hand strap. The device is slim and weighs and looks similar to an iPad. Its not as rugged as some of the purpose built devices in the market but for a bigger tablet, it’s a great device. HP has been a market leader in the traditional PC space and they have used their engineering dollars to develop a business class Windows 8 tablet that should be considered if you are looking at a full sized tablet option for your restaurant.
ELO Tablet
A newer entry into the space is the ELO tablet by Elo Touch Solutions. This too is a 10.1 inch touch screen using the same technology as the HP. It runs Windows 8 and has an optional hand strap or neck strap. It also is one of the only devices that comes with an integrated NFC reader that can be used to read data from other mobile devices. Its another great option for those users who want a larger screen and will use the device in multiple formats in both wired and wireless environment.
Toshiba TCX Flight
The last full sized Windows based tablet we have found is produced by Toshiba. This terminal is an even larger screen. Its screen is an 11.6 inch screen. This tablet is hardened and included an option of a sled to have connected devices. Again similar to the HP and Elo unit, this terminal can be used in multiple cases. You can take it off the docking station for uses around the restaurant and dock it back on the base for normal POS use.
And, of course, the tablet that really got the ball rolling – the iPad. This option is the most widely used option by your customers (right now) and offers plenty of user-friendly options.
All in all, customers are looking at different options to augment their POS strategy. These are the devices that CBS has found on the market that offer great solutions depending on your needs, but there are a number of devices out there that satisfy other needs that we don’t typically deal with (like Android). If one of these devices piqued your interest, and you would like to schedule a demo of the hardware, contact us here.
Otherwise, keep an eye on our blog as we will continue to test and vet the new technology as soon as it comes out. This is an exciting time for POS and you can count on us to keep you informed with all the new changes!
Are you using tablets in your store? Have you used any of these, or something different? Sound off in the comments to let us know!
