Elo Touch Intros 2 Screens
January 2013, Menlo Park, CA—We talked with Trent Waterhouse and Neeraj Pendse from Elo Touch Solutions about their latest new products. The offerings are moving in two directions, bigger and smaller. The new products, a 70-inch interactive display and a 10-inch tablet represent a change in their business.
The new display is designed for interactive digital signs and already has a number of apps available. The apps address interactive branding, with the first ones for Footlocker and Nike, and some other apparel apps for showing virtual outfits. In addition to the touch interfaces, the display also has capabilities to read RFIDs and NFC devices. The RFID can interact with the sign to display sizes, colors, and availability.
The display offers 700 lumens brightness and meets the American Disabilities Act requirements of being less than 4-inches thick. A steel back and tempered glass front provide high reliability. The integrated i3or i5 computer makes this display an all-in-one touch computer. Integrated WiFi and Bluetooth enable context management and in-situ product updates. A camera option and additional software can enable the sign to determine the number of people viewing, size, approximate age, and gender for greater personalization.
Elo Touch Retail Tablet in Hand Mount
The new modes beyond touch facilitate greater interactivity. The NFC interface is currently set up as a proximity tag reader, and respond to a tap with more information. In the future, two-way interactions will be possible, and many apps are coming on-line to further integrate vision, touch, and displays. One possibility is to allow a shopper to pick and match various pieces of attire, based upon personal information and history. For example, a shopper looks at a shirt and loyalty card information can offer a short-time special. Companies like Home Depot are looking into these types of interactivity and the ability to link to past purchases to suggest other products.
On the other end of the scale, is the new 10-inch tablet, designed for point of sale and point of information uses. The tablet weighs 1 kg, has an integrated magnetic stripe reader, and a camera for barcode scans for the mobile point of sale terminal functions like check-out. Information uses include product selection and availability as well as detailed product specifications. The tablet has a removable battery that should be good for over 6 hours to minimize down time for power and charging.
The table is in a rugged case that is supposed to be capable of withstanding a 3-foot drop on to concrete. Integrated security and connectivity features make the tablet difficult to steal. The tablet comes with a docking station that also can charge the spare battery while powering the tablet. The docking station has locks and interfaces to USB, Ethernet, and a second display port.
Elo TOuch Tablet in Dock
For retail applications, these new devices offer more options for constant branding. They enable mobile and interactive content within the store. In the store, shoppers can get product and pricing updates and can add items to their virtual shopping carts. This puts an in-store and on-line experience in one place and enables both functions independent of location. This trend of increasing interactivity interconnects all aspects of branding including print, on-line, and isle displays. The retail facility becomes an omni-channel delivery platform. Merging content across all devices—tablets, signs, and displays—knits them together and improves the user experience.
