New security requirements regarding unattended payment terminals are going into effect in April 2011.

These requirements are by the PCI Security Standards Council, who is an “open global forum, launched in 2006, that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Security Standards.”

This standards include the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), and PIN Transaction Security (PTS) Requirements.

Deployers and manufacturers worldwide must consider how to meet the new security standards and protect users, from issues such as protecting the PIN, protecting sensitive card data and understanding the difference between encrypting PIN pads and unattended payment terminals.

TYPES OF KIOSKS

This accounts for all self-service applications including photo kiosks, airport self-check-ins, grocery stores self-check-outs, pay-at-the-pumps and ATMs. Also comprised are units for bill payments, DVD-rental kiosks and hotel self-check-in units.

Key issues that are being debated are the world-wide existence of fraud and as more people rely on debit and credit cards for payment, it’s important to ensure that security measures are in place.

Reported fraud prevention methods are;

- Blocking access to card data that can be used to copy cards.

- Making cards difficult to copy, such as EMV chip cards and contactless cards.

- Using a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

- Online PIN check, such as magnetic stripe debit cards and EMV chip cards.

- Offline PIN check, such as can be used with EMV chip cards.

- Entry of a ZIP code to verify cardholder, such as is already done with credit cards in the United States.

Protouch understands and care about these new security standards which will be coming into effect in April for our Touch screen kiosks. Have a look at our ranges at www.protouch.co.uk.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has sued United Airlines on the claim that their airport kiosks, which use touchscreen technology, cannot be used by blind passengers.

It seems the nation’s oldest organisation of blind people and three blind individuals in California, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

The pressure group alleges that the airline is violating the California Disabled Persons Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act because the services it provides through its’ kiosks are not available to the blind.

The self -service kiosks in which they are arguing about presently provide flight information and allow passengers to check in for flights, print tickets and boarding passes.

The NFB maintain that audio interface, a keyboard or interactive screen reader technology could easily be added to the touchscreens as many other airlines have done.  

Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The airline industry has an unfortunate history of discriminating against blind passengers, and now United Airlines is repeating that history by deploying inaccessible technology that we cannot use.”

The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide special services for passengers who aren’t physically capable of using kiosks, such as assistance from staff in using the kiosk or allowing the passenger to come to the front of the line at check-in.

In a rebuttal statement, the airline said: “United Airlines is committed to providing quality service to all of our customers and to remaining in full compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”  

Mike May, CEO of the Sendero Group, a manufacturer of technology for the blind, has supposedly said “it is easy” for United to make its kiosks accessible. He said: ”There is simply no excuse for the long wait and inconvenience that other blind United passengers and I continue to experience at airports.”

We recently reported how Italian banks have installed ATMs that are accessible for the blind and visually impaired in Rome.

Touchscreen technology in the business industry is ever-growing and the supply and need for them is expanding.

Protouch are Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen equipment.

We’ve been shortlisted in the Retail Systems 2010 Awards for the category ‘Best Use Of Technology In The Hospitality And Leisure Sector.’

The Protouch, Xn Leisure and Aberdeen Sports Village leisure centre joint entry is shortlisted for its innovative ‘Virtual Receptionist’ kiosk solution that has provided Aberdeen Sports Village with an automated booking, ticketing and payment system.

The ‘Virtual Receptionist’ has propelled Aberdeen Sports Village to the forefront of the technological, self service arena within the Leisure industry with 80 per cent of Aberdeen Sports Village members now using it as opposed to the reception desk. 

Protouch Xn Leisure Kiosk

Not only has it leveraged Aberdeen Sports Village resources by turning receptionist staff into Customer Service Ambassadors, it has allowed staff to offer more quality time with their customers as well as greatly enhancing customer experience by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency. Customers can now check in for activities, collect tickets and make future booking enquiries quickly and efficiently, eliminating the need to queue. 

The Xen X4 wall mounted kiosk offers a 19″ touch screen, RFID smart Card Reader, receipt and ticket printer and branding while running a booking and on screen payment application that provides fast track entry and a secure monitoring system using membership cards linked to turnstiles, barriers or doors.

We look forward to the awards ceremony due to take place at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel London on 28 October 2010 where the winners will be announced.

About Xn Leisure

The leader in Leisure Management Solutions for over 28 years, Xn Leisure serves over 5,000 users and is the technology partner of choice for the Leisure Industry. Offering a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise Xn Leisure is engaged in a programme of continuous strategic investment in people, systems and processes. 

We are proud to announce the launch of our brand new German website, www.protouch-kiosks.de.

The new site will promote our top kiosks and touch screen equipment in a bid to expand our already reputable brand across Germany and other European countries.

As the UK’s leading supplier of touch screen and kiosk systems, we are keen to broaden our presence in the industry to show how our services can create a faster, better and more economical way to do business around the globe.

The new German website focuses on our Geode touch screen monitors and award winning Xen kiosk series while replicating the innovative sales tools used on our current English website.

These include interactive videos that demonstrate the key functions, features and benefits of the highly successful Xen kiosks. Plus the kiosk configuration tool created to allow visitors to personally customise and design their own kiosks online to suit their needs.

Once customers know what they’re looking for our in-house design department is also able to create bespoke laminate designs for customers’ kiosks as well as providing a 3D rendered kiosk image to provide the best possible insight on how the kiosk will work.

Thomas Borck, the leading sales figure who is heading the German and European leads from the new site, said, “The launch of the new German Protouch website is very exciting and will be a great support in expanding business across Germany and Europe. Our sales tools and support are invaluable in establishing successful customer relationships and in supporting our reseller network.”

Thomas has worked as an International Sales Manager of Kiosks and Digital Signage Systems for more than 6 years. During this time he has spotted and worked with companies that want to expand their product range with new products in order to fulfil customer requests and offer a more competitive portfolio.

To view our new site visit www.protouch-kiosks.de or alternatively visit our English website on www.protouch.co.uk for all the information you need about installing a kiosk system into your business.

Back in the day, a mobile phone was exactly what it says on the tin. Not everyone had one, and when you did it was rarely used other than to make calls. Many people would leave the phone off for days and turn it on to use it when needed.

Nowadays the mobile phone has become integral to our every day lives. Everyone has one and we would be totally lost without it. Smartphones have taken over the globe offering new features and applications that twenty years ago, many of us would’ve never imagined.

However, with these cool, trendy and fun-filled Smartphones, there comes a price. And that price can often put you in rather difficult situations and stressful moments if you are stuck of a solution.

The problem comes in a small little box known as the phone battery which can be totally drained in one day if the phone is incessantly used to make phone calls, send text messages, connect to the Internet, playing games, taking photographs and films etc.

Despite mobile phone manufacturers desperately trying to improve the battery life of their phones, they still haven’t found a quick fix solution for batteries to handle the large amounts of applications and features that these new Smartphones bring.

Fortunately there is a solution to this problem and it could be coming to a town near you very soon. Yes, a new kiosk is due to be deployed that can offer rapid phone charging for little or no money as well as a great way for business owners to get people through their doors and possibly increase their revenue.

Already a big hit in Asia, the US are looking to deploy the kiosks which will feature a set of connectors for various phone types, a monitor, touch screen options, a payment system as well as connectivity for the processing of transactions, remote management and the download of new content for the monitors.

stream Something Borrowed online

Samsungs introduction to mobile phone charging at airports

Like the ATM, the mobile phone kiosk will provide customers with a unique solution to help ensure the mobile communication of voice and data is not restricted by the death of the battery.

And there are many businesses that can truly benefit from deploying these kiosks systems including, hotels, convention centres, airports, hospitals, bars and clubs.

For example, if you are in an airport and your flight is delayed or cancelled you may find yourself having to sit around in the airport longer than you expected. These scenarios can leave you frustrated especially if your battery is on its last legs and your charger is in your main luggage. With the mobile phone charger kiosk system your prayers are answered and you can get in touch with home to let them know that you will be late so they are not stood waiting for you at the airport.

The new mobile phone kiosk is a fantastic idea and is sure to be a big hit once deployed in shops and stores across the US. Lets just hope it hits the UK very soon.

Protouch are proud to announce the merge with and Data Vision Europe (DVE), a leading supplier of hardware and software for public access digital media. The combined business will operate from Protouch’s existing modern manufacturing facility in Camberley, Surrey and use the Protouch brand.

All of the key employees of DVE will relocate to the new location and join the rapidly expanding sales, marketing and technical teams at Protouch. The merger is expected to be completed during July 2010.

 The merger will combine DVE’s cutting edge software services and product design capability; including its acclaimed “Gorilla Media” software and the extensive experience in multi location roll outs of public facing  IT solutions  for global brands such as McDonalds, BT and Virgin with the high volume hardware manufacturing, design, sales and marketing capability of Protouch .

Protouch feel that DVE have entirely complementary skills which when combined will be undoubtably provide the most comprehensive range of solutions for public access software, interactive terminals, kiosks and digital media.

Protouch’s Managing Director Tom Quarry says, “DVE’s capability fits seamlessly with Protouch’s existing multi functional kiosk approach. It’s vital that both our hardware and software services meet with our clients’ needs to deploy a wide range of public access kiosk applications across all industries.

“We’re confident that with the addition of Mike Kellond and his team plus the tools available within Gorilla Media we will greatly improve our offering to give our clients cost effective, customised, touch screen solutions.“

 Mike Kellond, DVE founder and 15 year industry veteran, will assume responsibility for the software services activity at Protouch. Gorilla Media, developed by DVE, is a multi functional software package providing remote monitoring and management, secure and locked down browsing for public access, broadcast advertising management and scheduling, payment and ticketing options.

Gorilla Media has been tested and approved by a number of major corporations including BT and several major banks. Mike will drive the integration of Gorilla Media in to the Protouch product offering and be responsible for the strategic evolution of all software services at Protouch going forward. He expressed his delight with the merger with Protouch “I see this as a major opportunity for DVE and our customers. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the two companies are a perfect match and the combined company will be capable of providing forward looking improved service to its customers “.

There is tension arising in the DVD kiosk industry after Coinstar Inc announced a multi-year deal allowing redbox to offer day-of-release DVD and Blu-ray titles from Paramount Home Entertainment Inc.

Industry insiders have speculated that the new agreement will encourage other studios to strike similar deals with DVD kiosk companies such as redbox and NCR Corporation, which has already deployed about 6,000 Blockbuster Express-branded DVD-rental kiosks in the past year.

“Our BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosks currently offer day-of-release titles because we purchase them from third party retailers, but we continue to have discussions with studios about licensing agreements that would allow NCR to get day of release titles directly from the source,” said Jeff Dudash, a spokesperson for NCR’s DVD kiosk division.

The deal between redbox and Paramount was reached following a 10-month trial license agreement and analysis, which concluded that day-and-date rentals at kiosks had minimal impact on DVD sales, according to a statement issued by redbox.

“After analysing the data from our test period we have concluded that redbox day-and-date rental activity has had minimal impact on our DVD sales,” says Dennie Maguire, Worldwide President of Paramount Home Entertainment, said in a press release. “By granting redbox day-and-date availability we are allowing the consumer a choice of how to consume our movies while maximising the profitability of our releases in the home entertainment window.”

President of redbox, Mitch Lowe, said that the arrangement is a “win, win and win for consumers, Paramount and redbox.”  About $575 million is expected to be spent to the studio during the course of the agreement, which runs through to the end of 2014, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Stocks for both Coinstar, parent company of redbox, and rival Blockbuster Inc zig-zagged everywhere last week and for Blockbuster the ride isn’t over. The company had a meeting in Dallas last week which scheduled them to vote on board nominees, including a controversial bid for director Gregory Meyer who founded a DVD rental kiosk business in 2001 that was later sold to Coinstar Inc.

Blockbuster began issuing press releases urging stockholders to vote in favour of incumbent director Gary Fernandes instead of Meyer. A live audio webcast of the meeting will be available viat the Blockbuster’s investor relations site at http://investor.blockbuster.com.

Paramount’s strength as a major player among studios seems to continually expanding. This summer’s DVD and Blue-ray releases include Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shutter Island’ with Leo DiCaprio.

For more information about kiosksystems and how they can improve your business visit Protouch.co.uk.

Every now and again we stumble across a kiosk system which we think deserves a bit of recognition; and we have found one today.

This super creative use of a kiosk system shows how versatile and wacky you sometimes need to be to make your interactive technology stand out.

Combining this augmented reality and digital signage opens the door to a wide range of creative opportunities. Whether you are a child or an adult, it would be pretty hard to drag yourself away from this kiosk.

Customers simply hold a Lego box upto the screen to see the pieces inside rendered as an interactive 3D image! How cool is that?

For this to happen a camera and display screen has been built into the interactive kiosk to allow  Lego packaging to reveal its contents fully assembled within live 3 animated scenes. This new age technology is an unforgettable experience for store visitors and acts as a powerful assisted selling tool that makes the image on the side of the box come to life.

It simply gets the customer excited about the product – that is composed of individual pieces – then giving him the ability to hold the potential purchase in his hands and examine it from every angle.

The kiosk can be found in LEGO stores around the world.

For more information about interactive kiosk systems and how they can work for you, visit Protouch today.

British citizens want to be in charge of their shopping experience. New research found that people want more freedom to shop where and when they like, whether online, over their mobile or in an in-store kiosk.

The NCR Corporation survey, carried out by Buzzback Market Research, found that 83 per cent of consumers wanted the flexibility to research, compare and shop across channels. 84 per cent of survey-goers said they wanted retailers to make sure their social media activities were integrated with their other communications such as websites and email.

However, 46 per cent said that they feel bombarded with irrelevant information and offers over a “dizzying array of touchpoints.”

The solution, says NCR, is to provide shoppers with personalised offers and information, based on analysis of the shopper’s previous shopping history.

“Retailers need to harmonise the total cross-channel shopping experience in the emerging era of converged retailing,” said Rick Chavie, vice president of marketing of NCR’s retail and hospitality business.

A white paper about NCR’s research on converged retailing is available at www.ncr.com/c-tailing

So while customers are clicking on to what retailers need to do, stores need to take note of what changes need to be made for an improved shopping experience.

Customers are fed up with the impersonal and irrelevant offers thrown at them via email or instore, and would like a much more subtle approach that allows them to take charge of their shopping experience themselves.

Kiosks are a great solution as customers are able to acces store and product information, see what deals are on offer as well as printing out vouchers to use while in store.

For more information about how kiosks can help your business, visit Protouch today.

A Kansas medical centre has installed their very own hospital kiosk to help visitors find their way around and get patient information day or night.

Sam Serrill, chief operating officer of the Wesley Medical Centre said, “We wanted to improve our service to visitors and patients who come into the hospital because we don’t have somebody manning our information desk 24/7.”

But the team were keen to keep a smiling friendly face to greet people, by implementing a face into the kiosk system. And because the kiosk stands at 8ft tall, you look her right in the eye.

“We picked out the candidate who is the hologram, and we thought she looked welcoming like a volunteer who may work here,” said Carol with Guest Services.

To view a video of the life-size kiosk click here.

The kiosks will be installed in the hospitals three main hospital areas.

Kiosks are a fantastic way of communicating with your customers and offering extended services to keep them in the loop and fully informed.

As we move into a more tech savvy world, consumers are no longer stunned by technological gadgets and what they see around them. They simply want it to do the job and do it well.

And a hospital kiosk to help people navigate around the medical centre is a fantastic way of providing an extra service for times when there are no staff around or visitors and patients want to protect their privacy.

To learn more about installing kiosk systems into your business, whether it be an Internet kiosk or a payment system, visit Protouch today.