On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 4:06 PM, Ted Byers <r.ted.by...@gmail.com> wrote:
> This is an important question.
>
> I too have potential clients who want to use their smart phones for POS, as
> well as to take inventory (both within their warehouse and on rmote job
> sites). I have found bar code reader hardware that will put the barcode
> data into whatever field in whatever form has focus (regardless of whether
> the applicatin is a web app, with which the user is interacting via a
> browser, or a dedicated app). Obviously, I want to have the user working
> with both the POS and inventory components via the web browser. However,
> all the bar code readers I have found for my blackberry are dedicated apps
> that send the bar code data to a website, and I see the result only in the
> bar code provider's web page (always some form of advertizing or service
> supporting comparison shopping). None, that I have found so far, will
> interact with any other app on the smart phone, regardless of whether the
> other app is a specialized app or a web app living in a browser. What I
> have to find is an app or browser plugin that will work on any mobile
> device that will put the bar code data directly into whatever web form is
> open (and so avoiding the need for these guys to spend an extra couple
> hundred dollars per bar code reader); either that or someone who has the
> ability and experience required to develop it (and who is affordable).
>
> Do you have any information what would help us?
>
A lot of the (insecure) card readers (hardware) will just act
like they are glorified dumb keyboards. At work that is how we would
test them. That said, PCI now wants you to use encrypted card readers,
and those usually require some kind of library to talk to them. And
those libraries usually suck noodles through straws... at least that
is what I gather talking to the programmers here who have to make them
work.
If you want, I could ask my boss which card scanner that you slap to a
cell phone he would recommend (easy to work with, etc). We really do
not support them but have investigated using them before.
My money is to find one of the ones that use the headset port with a
sane SDK and then see if you can port/hack that to the blackberry;
they usually support apple and android hardware only. Ok, maybe
windows, but that is a scary bag of cats.
> Thanks
>
> Ted
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 3:49 PM, freap <fr...@a1bodyandframe.com> wrote:
>
>> Are you expecting to run in a browser or rebuild as a dedicated
>> application? Android?
>>
>>
>> On 4/24/2013 10:39 PM, Hans Bakker wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning!
>>>
>>> we just get 2 requests in from customers who ask the question if they can
>>> use a tablet for a POS (point of sale) or cash register for a physical shop.
>>>
>>> If we could make this work using the WEbPOS from OFBiz, add local storage
>>> and sync for product and customers and orders (to use the POS off-line when
>>> internet goes down) and either use the camera or external barcode scanner
>>> and a wifi network printer could do the job .
>>>
>>> This would significantly simplify and reduce the physical shop investment
>>> for IT.
>>>
>>> Anybody interested? let me know so we could together on this subject?
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Hans
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
> --
> R.E.(Ted) Byers, Ph.D.,Ed.D.
> t...@merchantservicecorp.com
> CTO
> Merchant Services Corp.
> 17665 Leslie st., unit 30
> Newmarket , Ontario
> L3Y 3E3
