Designed to integrate seamlessly with Casio’s ground-breaking Android-powered EPoS terminals, these new tablets will add to the stable of EPoS solutions offered by Synergix, the barcode and scanner specialist division of the Midwich group of distributors. Available this Autumn, the tablets will also benefit from a range of retail-focused apps available from Casio’s newly launched cloud-based Business Portal.
Combining the ease-of-use of Android 4.0 with Casio’s expertise in developing devices for the retail environment, the new V-series tablets address the retail sector’s growing demand for versatile mobile technology. Ideal for use in almost every area of retail — from the stock room to the shop floor — the new devices will allow retailers to improve in-store customer service by giving sales assistants easier access to information and powerful applications, marrying the in-store retail experience with the best features of online shopping.
The V-T500-GE, V-T500-E, V-N500-GE and V-N500-E tablets can withstand a drop of up to one metre, as well as being dust-proof and splash resistant to comply with IP54 standards. The unit is powered by a high-capacity interchangeable battery with a life of up to 12 hours, making it ideal for prolonged use in busy environments.
Other features include an OMAP4460 1.5GHz dual core CPU, front- and rear-facing 5 mega-pixel cameras, a high-quality 10.1-inch screen offering excellent readability and capacitive touch panel, and a digitiser pen for added input options. The new tablets also provide robust security options and are equipped with an NFC Reader/Writer that can authenticate user login using a non-contact smart card, and also a Secure Access Module (SAM) slot for applications requiring a higher level of security control.
Guy Boxall, senior product marketing manager, Casio Business Systems says: “The new V-T/N500 series tablet will help retailers improve their customer experience by deploying a mobile terminal and speeding up functions such as stock retrieval. It also offers a mobile point of sale option — to make shopping a more fluid experience. With this technology, sales assistants can queue-bust and close purchases before walk-outs during busy periods.
“As the Android platform matures, we are seeing an ever-increasing level of sophistication in terms of both software and hardware. The new hardware provides potentially endless possibilities for the retailer, and is tough enough to survive the rigours of the retail business environment. With the number of retail apps growing all the time, the face of shopping as we know it is changing for the better.”
To enable businesses to fully integrate these tablets into their operations, Casio has launched its new Businness Portal at casiobp.co.uk featuring five EPoS enhancing apps. Compatible with the new V-T500 tablet, as well as Casio’s VX-100 EPoS terminal, the apps have been designed to help retailers fight off growing competition from online shopping by improving ways to interact with customers, make upselling simpler, help generate new revenue streams, and handle stock control and sales reports more efficiently.
Boxall explains: “The first apps on our Business Portal will allow our customers to start offering new services in their shops quickly. Sending personalised email receipts to a customer, Twitter and email marketing, offering new ways to pay and adding dedicated buttons to their tills for the most popular transactions, won’t mean reconfiguring the system with lots of time spent on implementation.
“The possibilities of using Android-based apps in an EPoS scenario are endless. As we’ve seen with mobile phones, the only thing that limits what these apps can do is the imagination of the developer. Retailers are looking for ways to compete with the ultra-personalisation and convenience of online shopping, and our technology is changing things on the high street. This is a real world first.”