Cap’n Crunch or AIDC – Which Do You Notice More?

It’s hard to believe RFID technology has been around since WWII. Though somewhat different, RFID and barcoding technology is not new, but both are core elements of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). If you haven’t noticed barcodes on practically everything, than the evolution of technology and barcode management has definitely done its job correctly. Before barcodes and host systems that store the information, the organization of products was a manual process that required a great amount of time, money and resources.

There are major benefits to using AIDC:

• Automatically recording these activities
• Reducing labor costs
• More complete and accurate information than manual record keeping

As I sat down with a delicious bowl of Cap’n Crunch® Berries this morning, I paid more attention to the barcode on the back of the cereal box. Fascinating, these barcodes are everywhere. It is such an organized and advanced system that I wanted to dive into it more. I began to wonder how often do local government and municipalities use this technology; is it just for food and beverage distribution?

Government has definitely incorporated these technologies, and many of us don’t even realize it. That’s how good it has become – so good that it has become unnoticeable. We don’t acknowledge or even notice the use of these technologies in traffic and parking tickets (until it’s too late), the DMV system, voting booths, census statistics, and so on. Think about the inventory the Department of Defense has? Think they are taking advantage of RFID and barcodes? You bet they are.

Why should we really care? Well, keep in mind that our tax dollars help fund these systems, so it’s important to keep them running as efficiently and productive as possible. If almost everything state and federal agencies did was manually input into a system, costs would probably be a little higher.

I hope the next time you sit down for your morning bowl of cereal, you’ll think about RFID and barcoding a little differently, and the other industries using these technologies.

-RS

We’ve Added Another Mobile Device Manufacturer to the Wavelink Family!

We’re exited to announce that we’ve added Casio to the Wavelink family of global partnerships! Casio’s DT-X8 hand-held terminal now comes preloaded with our Wavelink Avalanche, Wavelink Terminal Emulation and Wavelink Industrial Browser, making it easier than ever to quickly deploy these applications across an entire enterprise.

The partnership simplifies the deployment and management of a mobile environment with Avalanche, while giving Casio DT-X8 customers the most widely used TE platform on the market.

Casio’s DT-X8 was released in 2011 and has been extremely successful. The ruggedized device is ideal for use in very tough applications where the rugged design is top priority. We’re proud that this extremely rugged hardware is now equipped with our equally rugged software applications for fast and easy deployment across the enterprise.

Welcome to the team!

 

In Depth Honeywell APAC Wrap-Up

As you saw (click here for the pictures), the Wavelink AsiaPac team attended and sponsored the Honeywell AsiaPac and China shows on Feb 28-29, and Mar 1-2 respectively in Hangzhou China near Shanghai.

The conferences were to bring together Honeywell’s reseller and partners to learn Honeywell’s plans for 2012 and beyond. Products, strategies, and guidance on how to maximize your opportunities were provided in the areas of mobile computers and scanners. Participants were rotated through sessions specializing on field mobility, retail, and warehousing with each touching on how Honeywell specializes in each area, and how participants can again optimize their participation in these market segments.

NRF 2012 Show Recap!

First impressions on NRF 2012: that was a busy show! Hopefully the traffic and interest translates to good things for retailers in 2012 and beyond. The show was a tremendous success for the Wavelink team, as we were constantly busy showing voice-enabled applications with Speakeasy, smart device management with Avalanche, and the introduction of Velocity, which we believe will usher in the next generation of mobile web applications. In addition to the interest in our products, it was GREAT to see the sea of blue Wavelink scarves roaming the aisles! We even got Miss America in one (picture below)!

We were able to get some pictures (after the break) from the show, and we hope you enjoy them. If you have any pictures of your own you’d like to share, feel free to let us know in the comments, or even on our Facebook page.

Retail Asia 2011 Recap – What Can Voice do for Retail?

Retail Asia 2011 is in the rear view mirror after a successful show in Hong Kong. By now, it should be evident to all that retail and technology are intertwined very tightly, and that successful retailers need to stay in tune with the latest thinking to optimize and insure their profits.

Wavelink spotlighted Speakeasy with a live system collecting data and responding and directing workers in Mandarin Chinese. Speakeasy supports a wide range of global languages, even with regional accents or variations. Retailers are quick to understand the benefits of Speakeasy in several of the key retail functions, especially the lack of need for user specific training, speech processing functions local on the device, and the ease of integration and use. They agreed it would improve floor staff productivity and flexibility audibly guiding workers through their tasks looking at mobile device displays only when necessary.

This show also  included a lot of different electronic shopper hardware and software, it was highlighted by a number of intelligent video display panels. The panels actually watch the viewers and react by changing programming based on how many people are watching, whether they are moving closer or farther away, which direction, the viewers sex, and I even saw one where the panel evaluates the mood of the shopper. I’m told none of the data is saved due to privacy concerns, but using it on the spot allows the store to change its look and interaction with shoppers to buy what they came for, and keep ’em coming back for more. Mobile technology was well represented by several key global and local software and hardware providers and distributors. Most of the high tech hardware companies were present as were the ERP and WMS system providers in some fashion.

As I said earlier, retailers recognize the advantages provided by good, new technology and move quickly to capitalize on the benefits. They are now quickly learning the good things Wavelink Speakeasy, on top of Terminal Emulation and Wavelink Industrial Browser, can do to improve their operations and profits. Thanks for checking in!

From Hong Kong, 再见 (Zàijiàn) or goodbye!

Kelly

Oracle OpenWorld (With Videos) – Add Voice to Oracle WMS Transactions

Greetings! We’ve been on the road for the past few weeks, including our annual trip to Oracle OpenWorld. This year we were demonstrating Speakeasy, and how you can quickly and easily add voice to Oracle WMS transactions. In addition to adding voice to other common transactions, such as those currently utilizing Wavelink Terminal Emulation and SAP, enterprises using Oracle as their preferred WMS solution can now voice enable tasks. We had a chance to film a few short demo’s, which are below, as well as some photos from the show.

Check them out and tell us what you think! If you were also at Oracle, tell us what you found interesting at this years show!

 

 

 

 

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Real-Time Telecom Expense Management and Retail Asia – Wavelink on the Road

Today we announced that we’ve added a Real-Time Telecom Expense Management service to Wavelink Avalanche. This is something we are very excited about, since it allows companies to not only manage traditional aspects of enterprise devices, such as OS updates, remote control, etc., but also allows companies to monitor and proactively respond to usage on those very same devices.

Now, if IT has to deploy 100 iPad tablets, they can extend Wavelink Avalanche to configure and manage the devices, AND also manage data usage, roaming charges, etc. You can read more about the product on the webpage or the press release, but we also have some pictures from Retail Asia, where several members of our team are in attendance for. If you’re there, stop by booth J05 and say hello! We’re demonstrating Speakeasy, so come by and take a look.

 

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Speakeasy Video and ProMat 2011

We’re on the road again this week in Chicago attending ProMat 2011. During show hours on Monday, the folks from Warehouse IQ stopped by and filmed our very own Greg Berger demonstrating Speakeasy. We’ve posted it below as well as a few pictures from the show. If you’re at the show, stop by and see it for yourself!

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Wavelink on the Road! HIMSS 2011

Happy Monday folks! As you know, we were on the road in sunny Orlando, Florida last week attending the 2011 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) show. Greg Berger sent along a couple of pictures he snapped, and I wanted to share them. We had several people taking photos and we’ll try to get some more posted this week.

We are attending a ton of shows, so take a peek at our Events page and stay up-to-date with our schedule.

Wavelink on the Road!

As many of you know from our Twitter and Facebook feeds, we’re attending NRF (booth 2059) this week and wanted to pass along a few pictures from the event. For those of you who are attending, stop by and say hello, or send along any pictures you have taken! Additionally, today we announced that the newest generation of Speakeasy will be available at the end of the month. You can read more about it here, and enjoy the pictures. We’ll snap more and post them to our Facebook page soon!

Jon Stiles from Honeywell (Left) and Jay Cichosz

The Wavelink Booth - NRF 2011

Wavelink Booth - NRF 2011