Fujitsu Teams With Direct Source to Serve Mobile Retail Market.Business Editors & High Tech Writers DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 2002 Direct Source adds wireless, systems integration expertise to Fujitsu's iPAD(TM) handheld computer A computing device that can be easily held in one hand while the other hand is used to operate it. The Palm devices are a popular example. See Palm, smartphone and palmtop. Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. today announced it has signed Direct Source Inc. to its channel partner marketing program as a value-added integrator to leverage the power of Fujitsu's mobile retail solutions, including the recently introduced iPAD(TM), for wireless technology applications in large retail environments. Under terms of the agreement, Direct Source, based in Minneapolis, also will resell Fujitsu's TeamPad 7510 and TeamPad 500 mobile devices for U.S. and Canadian retailers. Direct Source will add value by deploying solutions that include consulting, hardware and software integration, project management and wireless infrastructure services. "Partnering with Direct Source - a leader in capturing and moving information - will enable Fujitsu to rapidly establish iPAD as a `platform of choice' for mobile retail applications," said Cathy Boss-Fessel, director of channel marketing at Fujitsu. "We look forward to working with Direct Source to improve our customers' operational efficiencies and complement their existing IT investments." Fujitsu's iPAD, announced in January 2002, is a powerful, compact, Microsoft Windows See Windows. (operating system) Microsoft Windows - Microsoft's proprietary window system and user interface software released in 1985 to run on top of MS-DOS. Widely criticised for being too slow (hence "Windoze", "Microsloth Windows") on the machines available then. CE .NET-based mobile device that integrates multiple technologies that can dramatically boost customer service to increase profits and reduce costs for retailers. Fujitsu participated with Microsoft in its Rapid Development Program for Windows CE (Windows Consumer Electronics) Microsoft's version of Windows for handheld devices and embedded systems that use x86, ARM, MIPS and SHx CPUs. Windows CE .NET superseded Windows CE 3.0. .NET and was the first supplier to implement the new platform for the retail market. "This agreement provides real and sustainable competitive differentiation for us," said Brad Fick, vice president of sales for Direct Source. "Fujitsu's presence and brand awareness in the retail world, coupled with our experience in deploying and supporting wireless mobile automation, is a truly formidable partnership." Power-packed iPAD At 11 ounces, the featherweight iPAD combines in one compact unit devices used throughout the store - scanner, magnetic- and smart-card reader, keypad A small keyboard or supplementary keyboard keys; for example, the keys on a calculator or the number/cursor cluster on a computer keyboard. See programmable keypad. with encryption The reversible transformation of data from the original (the plaintext) to a difficult-to-interpret format (the ciphertext) as a mechanism for protecting its confidentiality, integrity and sometimes its authenticity. Encryption uses an encryption algorithm and one or more encryption keys. capabilities, even in-store telephony capability - to give the retailer a complete, wireless retail appliance. The iPAD goes anywhere - to do virtually anything - including inventory management, debit transactions, price verifications, line busting, mobile POS (1) See point of sale and packet over SONET. (2) "Parent over shoulder." See digispeak. POS - point of sale , gift registry and more. Fujitsu's iPAD features a bright, color touch-screen that works both inside the store and in bright sunlight, ideal for parking-lot sales or outdoor inventory control. It houses a powerful Intel XScale processor and can support any 802.11b wireless LAN A local area network that transmits over the air typically in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz unlicensed frequency band. It does not require line of sight between sender and receiver. Wireless base stations (access points) are wired to an Ethernet network and transmit a radio frequency over an area infrastructure. Intel's new XScale technology is designed to optimize low power consumption and high performance processing for wireless networking See wireless network. applications. And with Microsoft's newest, most powerful platform - Windows CE .NET - the iPAD will support both XML XML in full Extensible Markup Language. Markup language developed to be a simplified and more structural version of SGML. It incorporates features of HTML (e.g., hypertext linking), but is designed to overcome some of HTML's limitations. and Voice Over IP (VoIP). Direct Source also will offer complementary Fujitsu products Computers and IT Products
About DirectSource, Inc. Direct Source employs a consultative, customer-centric business model to partner with leading-edge manufacturers and the nation's largest retailers to provide turnkey technology solutions in wireless networking, portable terminal solutions, web-enabled kiosks, electronic signature capture, bar coding and point of sale applications. The company was founded in 1992. Web site: www.directsourceonline.com About Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc., based in Dallas, is the "lifecycle solutions" provider of hardware, software and IT infrastructure management services to retailers and financial institutions. The wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of Fujitsu Limited (TSE See Tokyo Stock Exchange. TSE 1. See Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). 2. See Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE). :6702) helps customers drive costs out of store operations by optimizing how technology assets are managed, from evaluation and acquisition to integration, implementation, service and support. Fujitsu provides, point-of-sale (POS) hardware and software, handheld devices, Web-enabled automated-teller machines (ATMs) and services. Formed in 1992, the company has 1,000 employees and 25 offices in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. It serves customers such as Albertson's, Nordstrom, Staples and The TJX Companies The TJX Companies, Incorporated (NYSE: TJX), is the largest international apparel and home fashions off-price department store chain, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, in the United States. , among others. Web site: www.ftxs.fujitsu.com For sales and product information call 1-800-340-4425. High-res photos in .tif format are downloadable from the Fujitsu Web site at www.ftxs.fujitsu.com Product and services names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. |
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