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News Archive |
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009
TIO Networks Corp., a provider of expedited bill-payment processing, has announced transaction revenue results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, ended October 31.
According to a news release, TIO processed $4.7 million in bill-payment transactions, with revenue increasing 11 percent over Q1 2009 and one percent over Q4 2009.
Friday, 11 December 2009
DED Limited, a printer distributor based in the United Kingdom, today announced the availability of Nippon Primex' 2-inch thermal kiosk printer, the NP-K204. The company says the NP-K204 is available at an entry-level price and is ideal for printing tickets, receipts and vouchers.
DED says the printer is designed for ease of use and features drop-in paper loading, prints at 80mm per second and is compatible with paper between 48mm and 58mm wide on a diameter of up to 80mm. The printer also offers a full or partial paper cut and improved ease of paper insertion and feeding via an upper paper entrance slot, according to a DED news release.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
NCR Corp. has announced its acquisition of Campbell, Calif.-based DVDPlay, which operates approximately 1,300 DVD-rental kiosks in the United States and Canada. In a news release, NCR says it will convert the DVDPlay kiosks to add to its Blockbuster Express-branded line of kiosks and is revising its installation forecasts from 2,500 to 3,800 by the end of 2009. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Alex Camara, vice president and general manager of NCR Entertainment, says DVDPlay's presence in California, Colorado and Illinois will allow NCR to extend its DVD-rental reach to new markets, bolstering its efforts to compete with redbox.
Our acquisition of DVDPlay accelerates NCR’s growth in the DVD-rental business as we expand our operations, technology leadership and consumer experience in key markets with premium retail partners. Over the past six months, we’ve seen tremendous enthusiasm from consumers and retail partners for our DVD-rental kiosks. We’ve been able to deploy quickly and maintain high levels of availability. This further investment will help us bring our kiosks to even more consumers in even more locations around the United States, especially in major markets in California and other parts of the western U.S.
Coinstar Inc., whose redbox brand is NCR's primary competition in the DVD-rental kiosk market, today announced it has exceeded its forecast for 20,000 redbox kiosks installed by the end of the year.
Thursday, 03 December 2009
Canda's CBC News reports the Ontario legislature has passed Bill 179, which will allow prescription drug sales through self-service kiosks. The Web site says Oakville, Ontario-based PCA Services Inc. will roll out a network of PharmaTrust kiosks across Ontario in locations such as malls and grocery stores, once appropriate regulatory measures are in place.
The kiosks, which have been in use in a handful of Ontario hospitals for two years, will likely become as indispensable as bank machines and cellphones, particularly as governments look for ways to cut healthcare costs, said Peter Suma, president of PCA Services, which developed the machine.
'It will be like a cell phone. It will free you from locational dependence,' Suma said in an interview with CBC News.
He used an example of going to a grocery store late at night, only to find the pharmacy section is closed. In the future, a customer will just head over to a PharmaTrust machine, as they're called, feed the doctor's prescription through a slot and pick up the phone for a video conference with a pharmacist. Upon payment, the pharmacist releases the actual drug in the machine and the interaction is complete.
CBC says some Canadians are critical of the machines and fear the "casual" vending of prescription drugs and that patients may not be comfortable asking important private questions. The Canadian Pharmacists Association hasn't taken a position on the kiosks, according to the report.
PCA already has deployed the PharmaTrust kiosks in other countries and plans a trial deployment in the U.K. in early 2010.
Monday, 23 November 2009
According to a report from Business Travel News, the United States Department of Homeland Security has proposed to make its test Global Entry kiosk program permanent in 2010. The program was launched in June 2008 and has expanded to 20 U.S. airports, including international hubs in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York.
Travelers can pay a $100 enrollment fee to participate in the Global Entry program, which uses touchscreen kiosks and biometric identification technology to expedite the customs and security process for international travelers.
The DHS' proposal to make the program permanent is now under a public comment period until Jan. 19, the report says.
Monday, 16 November 2009
NEXTEP SYSTEMS and MRI, a digital signage and self-service hardware manufacturer, have launched a new line of touchscreen drive-thru kiosks for the QSR and fast casual foodservice segments.
The companies developed the second-generation line of drive-thru kiosks after several successful pilot deployments with Subway franchises throughout the United States. Subway franchisee Rob Woodward, who operates locations in Colorado and Nebraska, says increased sales helped the store quickly realize an ROI on the kiosk system:
Investing in drive-thru self-serve technology has helped us increase our sales and differentiate our customer service from the competition. Customers love the easy-to-use and frustration-free self-service ordering experience. In an industry driven by measurable sales and customer satisfaction, the rapid payback we've experience shows that the systems play a significant role in helping out drive-thru operations thrive.
NEXTEP says that several Subway locations are scheduled to integrate the new line of drive-thru kiosks. The company says the solutions' features include:
- A 32-inch, sunlight-readable, interactive touchscreen designed for optimum viewing ability.
- An ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness level, depending on the brightness of the surroundings.
- A special screen feature called Display Positioning System (DPS) that displays the information right where the driver touches the screen, keeping the interaction at eye level.
- A proximity sensor that detects an approaching vehicle and displays a welcome screen and voice prompt, so the device is ready to accept orders as soon as the car or truck pulls up.
- A barcode scanner and credit-card reader that enable payment as soon as food is ordered.
- A webcam option that allows restaurant staff to view the customer placing the order.
- A thermal-management system, which can be used in all outdoor environments and operates in temperatures from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Chitown Daily News: The city of Chicago has deployed kiosks through which residents can help plan the city’s future growth. Installed by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the kiosks are part of the city’s Go to 2040 campaign, which also includes a new Web site and a series of workshops to encourage resident ideas and feedback. The kiosks ask residents to answer a series of questions about growth throughout the region and allow them to construct their own scenarios for the future and compare them with other online suggestions. Software on the kiosks then analyzes how participants’ answers could impact the future. The agency’s final plan, expected next year, will include the public feedback.
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