Subcom Limited

Businesses are always looking for new ways to streamline their operations, keep them secure and analyze data to maximize returns.

These days EPoS (Electronic Point of Sale, also know as PoS) machines can be found in every major retailer or service industry organization. EPoS Machines providing the first point of data input for sales and cash. The more competitive your company is, the more your will make use of this valuable data.

While the EPoS Hardware you use is of upmost importance (it needs to be durable, and easily maintained) the most important part of EPoS is the PoS Software you choose to run on your machines.

EPoS Software that serves the basic purposes of paying for items and cashing up are a waste of both hardware and software outlay. Modern EPoS Software needs to go much further to assist your company in its day to day operations. Important features to look for in PoS Software are the ability to run detailed reports (queries) at any time to enable you to make strategic business decisions. These are reports such as Staff sales (who is performing the best) Time and location details (what is selling best and when). From this information you can make informed judgments and base your business decisions on sound data. In order to run complex reports you need modern software and databases developed by software development experts with experience in usability and reporting.

You should also look for further features such as business intelligence. Good EPoS Software will not allow you staff to make mistakes, and flag up and erroneous and potentially dangerous errors made by staff. The software should also be secure and not allow unauthorized exchanges, deletions or discounting and make private business information only available to those with the sufficient level of access. Potentially the most important feature of good EPoS Software is regular scheduled off site backing up of your data. Hardware failures happen, even within the most regulated environment, and keeping your financial data safe is mission critical. Further features such as Staff shift logging, and calculators and modules relevant to the nature of business you are in all help to make a worthwhile EPoS Software investment.

Because of the wide range of features available in modern day EPoS systems, POS Software can also be referred to as Retail Management Software or Business Management Software. Wireless PoS (WPoS) Software Wireless point of sale (Wireless PoS or WPoS) is the use of wireless devices for order-taking or payment for products or services. As a rule, a wireless point of sale system uses a base station directly connected to a central server computer and one or more handheld computers or other devices (PDAs) that communicate wirelessly.

It seems BlackBerry has finally admitted the iPhone has market potential and, branching off from their usually unique phone designs, imitated Apple for once. Both devices have multitouch screens and fancy features, and both are competing for a high-price, high-tech phone market.

The Storm has a sharper, more professional look compared to the iPhone, with tapered edges and a less Fisher-Price style user interface than its Apple counterpart. Looking at the front menu, Research In Motion goes for a more functional, businessey look, as compared to the traditional minimalist but sexy look that Apple is famous for. One major feature RIM always held over the iPhone was a tactile QWERTY keyboard, and the Storm attempts to rectify the obvious lack of one with its “click screen”, in which you have to physically press the screen to type rather than tapping it to type. The screen on the Storm is slightly smaller but is brilliant and easy-to-read, so the size, in this case, doesn’t matter. There are mixed reports from users on their typing experiences, but the consensus is that there is little to no improvement over Apple’s phone.

In fact, the Storm’s features are where it really (doesn’t) stand out. Almost everything in its specs seems to imitate the iPhone, and when you are a latecomer to Apple’s market it’s best to have something to differentiate your product. That’s not to say RIM hasn’t tried: the main points in which the Storm stands out is their “SurePress” screen, and a slightly better, 3.2 MP camera. These surely are nice features, with the exception of the clicky screen, but they don’t bring something absolutely new to the table. Another blip in the BlackBerry’s feature list is a lack of WiFi, which should be a top priority on a web-browsing smartphone. Of course, both phones have impressive hardware when compared to regular mobiles, but the BlackBerry does not overwhelm, especially considering the extra time RIM had to improve its smartphone in the months since the iPhone was released.

The connection speed, of course, depends on the networks. Both phones have 3G connectivity. With O, 35 pounds a month gets you an 8GB iPhone for 99, 600 minutes, 500 texts, and unlimited data on an 18-month plan. Vodafone is offering the same tariff, but sweetens the deal with unlimited text messages and the Storm itself for free.

Both phones are quite good, and their tariffs are very competitive. If you’re a business user who can’t live without the Microsoft app suite and don’t mind the lack of WiFi, go with the Storm. Otherwise, you might as well get the tried and true iPhone and enjoy a better interface and bigger selection of apps.