TI partner ViewAt develops low-cost, turnkey EPOS NFC solution

TI partner ViewAt develops low-cost, turnkey EPOS (electronic point-of-sale) NFC solutions

A Texas Instruments partner, ViewAt, has announced that it has released a turnkey EPOS NFC solution. Designers in the retail electronic transaction space can now quickly and easily develop cutting edge, portable point-of-sale applications that incorporate secure payment card processing including contactless near field communications (NFC) capabilities. When it comes to NFC these days and incorporating the technology into any system, the buzz word that leads to the best ROI, frees up the R&D budget, and speeds up time to market is modularity. Companies like ViewAT through semiconductor companies like Texas Instruments are devising new modular platforms that could arguably take on the “plug and play” moniker for system integrators wishing to add NFC to products.

“This new, low-cost, turnkey electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) solution from ViewAt, a Texas Instruments Incorporated partner, protects intellectual property and financial transactions while reducing development time for these latest retail transaction products by as much as a year.  Following a modular design approach, the EPOS solution provides flexibility to customers seeking to differentiate products.”

Texas Instruments & ViewAT potential uses for the new EPOS NFC solution

As with most POS systems, uses and potentials vary from the needs of one market to the next. However, with the advent of NFC, loyalty programs, coupons, and a whole host of other consumer engagements can become possible. The equipment types ViewAT Sees viable for its new EPOS NFC solution includes, but isn’t limited to, the following:

• Countertop payment terminal
• Mobile payment terminal with wireless support
• Handheld data terminals with barcode scanning
• Full kiosk with barcode scanning, payment and wireless support

 Complete EPOS NFC solution offers integrated features, security, and design flexibility

The all important specifications let you know whether or not ViewAT’s EPOS NFC solution will work for your project. So, without further ado here are the details.

• Performance and integration, including 1 GHz of fast performance with TI’s AM3715 ARM® Cortex-A8 microprocessor, to enable fluid, seamless graphics and applications with the integrated, interactive touch screen. The solution also integrates a printer, Ethernet, cellular support and mobile connectivity (Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi technologies).
• NFC capabilities provided by TI’s TRF7970A analog front-end (AFE) transceiver expand the electronic transaction potential with increased wireless connection options for transaction speed and accuracy while reducing staffing requirements.
• Security protects intellectual property and financial transactions. The EPOS reference design incorporates a third-party hardware security controller for secure boot and tamper protection. Software development for financial transaction security saves developers as much as a year of time by offering pre-evaluation for Payment Card Industry (PCI) Personal Identification Number (PIN) Transaction Security (PTS) standards through a PCI-accredited lab. This pre-evaluation by RFI Global in the United Kingdom enables software developers to obtain PCI-certification quickly and get their products to market faster.
• A full complement of TI signal chain, power management, ESD protection and logic devices to support functions like audio, battery charging, motor and touch-screen control.
• Popular operating system support leverages existing software code and expertise, further reducing time to market. Systems include Linux, Android and Windows Compact Embedded.
• Feature additions enable further product differentiation and are easy with other pin-to-pin and software-compatible TI devices (i.e., adding video with a TI DaVinci™ digital media processor).

It is exciting to see another option available for NFC POS systems, or the potential to build new and innovative systems that will fuel the growth and evolution of NFC for merchants. What ViewAt has provided is the blank slate. Our question is what will you do with the ViewAt modular EPOS NFC solution? If you need more information, visit the ViewAt website for extended details on their EPOS NFC solution by hitting this link.