Leading Retailers Deploy Point-of-Sale Terminals Based on Windows XP Embedded

RadioShack Corporation has deployed 8,000 point-of-sale (POS) systems based on the Microsoft Windows XP Embedded operating system in more than 5,000 of the consumer electronic retailers company-owned stores. By year end, RadioShack will have deployed a total of 21,000 systems to cash lanes and PC systems. In addition, Microsoft today announced that Circuit City Stores Inc. and Meijer Inc. have deployed POS systems running Windows XP Embedded across their retail chains. Windows XP Embedded is a componentized operating system that allows retailers to deploy a smaller operating system image on less-costly hardware. Point-of-sale terminals based on Windows XP Embedded offer broad compatibility with applications developed for Windows, enterprise-class networking and connectivity, and high reliability and security. In addition, Windows XP Embedded supports the key in-store scenarios that retailers demand, including remote booting of the device operating system and ongoing management of the deployed device through Device Update Agent. RadioShack POS Solution Reliable From Day One RadioShacks objectives included finding a cost-effective and reliable solution, deploying that solution quickly, and taking advantage of existing software and hardware investments. The solution consists of Dell Inc. and HP systems deployed as cash lanes and PC systems. RadioShack also deployed the newly released Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 as the primary management tool with its added capabilities to track assets, deploy applications and manage patches on Windows XP Embedded devices. Using Windows XP Embedded, RadioShack worked with its information technology team and Microsoft Consulting Services to develop the Windows XP Embedded image, and with Dell and HP to deploy and integrate the system into 8,000 cash lanes in less than 12 weeks, demonstrating that Windows XP Embedded enables a fast and predictable time to market. The integrated, end-to-end toolset helped RadioShacks development team reduce application creation and integration time compared with previous projects, contributing to the solutions overall quick time to market. In addition, RadioShack found the cash lanes and PC systems reliable from the first day of operation, enabling sales associates to get up to speed on the systems immediately and spend more time with customers.