IBM Food Service Technology Menu Now Serving New Point-of-Sale Specials

IBM also introduced new models of its SurePoint touch screens, also with infrared touch technology, to help enhance durability and reliability. These displays come in 12.1-inch and 15-inch sizes. The new models of the SurePOS 500 are specially designed for the rigors of the harsh restaurant and fast food environment, which is one of the most demanding computing environments due to spills, heat, crumbs and smoke in the kitchens, as well as the constant pounding. The system and peripherals are designed to be spill resistant with louvered vents and a design that channels fluids off the POS. The new systems also use an innovative new Cooling Tunnel technology to cool the critical components of the system while helping to shield the sensitive electronics from the dust, smoke and crumbs that could harm the sensitive PC components inside. The new IR touch technology has higher accuracy than prior IBM POS models that required a cashier to actually put pressure on the screen. The new systems can be used with the finger, a credit card, long fingernails or a stylus and requires no force to activate the touch. Since there is no touch overlay on the screen, it provides better overall image quality and less glare, requires no calibration and higher reliability. The SurePOS 500 features are: -- Innovative, compact design. With a 20 percent smaller footprint than previous IBM models this new system is ideal for compact countertops, giving retailers more room to display impulse-buy or promotional items. The new models also are shorter, allowing more face-to-face contact with the customer. -- Infrared touch design. The SurePOS 500 touch screen features leading-edge infrared (IR) technology that enables sales personnel to use a broad range of interaction tools -- from gloved finger to a credit card -- while maintaining high levels of transaction accuracy and speed. A higher contrast ratio, reduced glare and wider viewing angle offer improved screen visibility, even when positioned in brightly lit environments. The IRs fixed optical alignment lasts throughout the life of the display so that retailers can avoid time-consuming recalibrations and touch-sensor wear. -- Wireless, multi-monitor dual screen capabilities, which allow restaurants to employ a full-size LCD screen monitor facing the customer running a second application that offers advertising or up-selling at the same time the cashier is continuing the POS check-out process. This allows both applications to take input concurrently. -- Remote systems management, fast processors, an improved magnetic stripe reader to enhance credit card transactions, and improved bios and driver support. -- Simplified cable management to allow for easy installation and service, as well as an increased number of ports to allow for future growth, and powered USB, an IBM innovation that allows multiple peripherals to be connected to the system unit with only one power cord. Cooling Tunnel The new SurePOS 500 uses an industry-standard Fansink in conjunction with the Cooling Tunnel to duct cool outside air directly onto the Processor heatsink and across the heatsink on the graphics and memory controller chip and then outside the system. This technique cools the heatsinks mounted on the critical components while not forcing that air across the rest of the cards. The air intake is protected from spills by being recessed in the rear cover while the exhaust vents are protected by deep louvers on the sides.