The VAR Guy

Now that CES 2012 is in the history books, there are quite a few events worth paying attention to, including this week’s National Retail Federation convention at the Javits Center in New York City. If point-of-sale (POS) technology is more your speed, HP is on the scene touting its latest and greatest. What’s the total, and how can partners cash in? Here’s the bill …

Is it possible to be sexy, rugged and reliable? In the case of Apple’s iPhone, the answer apparently is “yes.” A case in point: The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), one of the U.S.’s largest commuter railroads, is testing a mobile handheld system for passenger ticket sales. Instead of opting for a rugged, vertical-market device, the LIRR is using an Apple iPhone with a special credit card swiper and printer.

VARs working in the POS space might want to check out Seiko Instruments’ Ascend ISV Program. Specifically aimed at integrating point-of-sale mobile printing and kiosk applications, the program offers POS VARs an additional resource and possible new revenue opportunities. Read on for the details.

Tablets, like any other technology, is subject to increasing consumer demands for devices that push the envelope. Intel’s new Atom CPU, designed specifically for mobile tablet devices, offers “smaller, thinner, fanless” technology, according to the company, as well as some new integrated goodies. Read on for the details.

I’ve railed against Windows 7 based tablets in the past, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think they don’t have their uses. Take Motion Computing’s offerings, for example: its tablets are super-light and super-rugged, perfect for healthcare and point-of-sale (POS) environments, where partner opportunities abound. Read on for the details.

What does Starbucks have to do with the channel? Other than the fact that The VAR Guy takes his morning latte without fail, VARs may cash in on what might be a trend started by the coffee behemoth — Starbucks has a rolled out a new nationwide service enabling users of iPhones and Blackberrys to pay for their caffeine fix via their smartphone. POS resellers and ISVs, particularly, stand to gain. Here’s why …

For a “dead” market, the break-fix IT channel looks pretty darn healthy, according to the OnForce Services Marketplace Index (OSMI) for 1Q 2009. Here’s the scoop, including perspectives from OnForce CEO Peter Cannone.

Openbravo, maker of open source ERP (enterprise resource planning) and POS (point of sale) platforms, has landed $12 million in new funding. Openbravo’s new funding reinforces growing interest in open, easily customized alternatives to entrenched giants like Oracle and SAP. The VAR Guy traded email with Manel Sarasa, CEO of Openbravo, for his thoughts on the funding. Here’s a look at the email exchange.

One of our key goals with Works With U is to show readers that you can truly run your business on open source applications. Yes, operating systems (like Ubuntu Linux) and desktop applications (OpenOffice) are important. But over the next year or two, you’ll see a growing list of corporate-type applications (like enterprise resource planning and point of sale software) shifting to the open source model. The latest example involves Openbravo, which just landed an additional $12 million in funding. Our sister site, www.theVARguy.com, has all the details.

Ouch. The VAR Guy spotted some troubling news about tech spending within the retail vertical. ScanSource, which distributes point of sale and barcode technology, released disappointing quarterly estimates this morning. For VARs serving the retail vertical, this could be a major warning sign.