The new Star Micronics Android SDK V3.1 offers four major enhancements from the previous 2.0 version. The latest Android SDK features a port discovery for both desktop (Ethernet) and mobile (Bluetooth and WiFi) printers and now has the ability to Auto Discover all Star printers on the same network as the Android device, as well as, any paired Star portable Bluetooth printers. Customers can now be given the option to enter the printer’s IP address manually or let the application find Star printers automatically. The new version also offers improved support for the Apple AirPort Express; the ability to add sample receipts; and the logical reorganization of all functionality in the sample application. V3.1 now has much more logical, simple navigation and layout to make integration faster and even easier for developers.

How to attain best-in-class profitability by optimizing seemingly minor tasks

When asked what he thought the most powerful force in the universe was, Albert Einstein once replied, “Compound interest!” This post will demonstrate how compounding even small improvements in workers’ routines translates into huge profits. A field service workforce can attain best-in-class profitability by seeking out and optimizing seemingly minor tasks throughout a field worker’s day that are repeated over and over again, compounding not only throughout that worker’s day, but across all the workers in the organization. The optimization of those repeated tasks will lead to gains in field worker utilization and first time fix rate, which continue to be the key indicators of how well a service organization is running.

According to a recent Aberdeen report, best-in-class service organizations are achieving 74% field worker utilization as opposed to 60% for average companies and only 48% utilization for the poorest performing companies. In addition, best-in-class companies also lead in first visit fix rates of 90% versus only 71% for average companies.

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CipherLab has delivered a new 3G cradle to the 8000 series mobile computer. Light-weighted in pocket size, the 8000 series mobile computer from CipherLab has been widely used for applications in retail, healthcare, and logistic industries. With versatile data transmission options ranging from batch, Acoustic Coupler, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi to GPRS, the 8000 series empowers users to manage their tasks more efficiently and work smarter. With the good reputation and great popularity, CipherLab now further upgrade the WWAN communication of the 8000 series mobile computer with the new 3G cradle.

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Known for its extensive range of robust, high quality printers, TEC’s latest addition to their industrial printer line is no exception.

Featuring advanced processing power, the B-EX4T2 boasts fast output with print speeds of up to 12ips, combined with efficient throughput, making it an ideal choice for heavy duty industrial printing environments.

Low cost of ownership, ease of integration into existing competitor estates and high performance at top speeds are just some of the benefits of the new B-EX4T2 premium industrial barcode printer, available at a price often associated with less powerful printing solutions. Plus, with the lowest power consumption of any industrial printer on the market combined with a 600m ribbon offered as standard, the resulting reduction in electricity use, stoppages, media changes and storage requirements, all point to lower operating costs for users.

Available in 203/300 or 600dpi variants the B-EX4T2 is perfect for a diverse range of high volume industrial printing application. Using customer-friendly features that are easy to upgrade in the field, such as snap-in printheads, combined with double-ribbon motor control, which provides linear ribbon feed and correct tension, reducing wrinkles and waste, maintenance costs are also kept to a minimum.

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Today Bixolon announced the release of its new SPP-R300. Compact, rugged and light weight, the 3” SPP-R300 mobile receipt printer provides wireless capability via Bluetooth or Wireless LAN interfaces and its magnetic card reader allows transactions to be processed immediately.

Connected via WiFi with iOS devices such as the Apple iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone the SPP-R300 fully satisfies the anytime, anywhere demands of today’s mobile commerce needs. With its print speeds of 100mm per second and high resolution of 203dpi, the SPP-R300 is the perfect solution for mobile receipt printing applications which require fast, on-demand printing.

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Wildkamp started selling PVC pipes in the Netherlands 40 years ago. Over the years, the company has become a specialist in the production of pipes, tubes and all related products. Customers can also get support and advice for projects in which the creation of tubes, pipes and pavement play a role. This service requires a high level of knowledge and skill on the part of the company’s employees, especially when one considers that the company houses an assortment of 50,000 articles in the distribution center in Coevorden with an average of 7000 articles in each of the more than 40 branches.

Wildkamp had never used an automated system for controlling stock in the past, but with volumes increasing continuously, it decided it was time to turn to automation.

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Mobile printers are deployed primarily to improve productivity. By giving users a tool to produce labels and receipts exactly when and where they’re needed, enterprises save the steps required to travel to a stationary or vehicle-mounted printer, pick up the print output, and bring it back to where it is needed. These steps build unnecessary labor cost into printing operations. Therefore, the value a mobile printer provides depends directly on how it supports productivity.

“Productivity enhancement” isn’t a line item on mobile printer spec sheets that organizations can use to easily compare different models. Instead, spec sheets list printer sizes and weights, print widths, media compatibility, wireless connectivity support, I/Os, power sources and other configuration options that add up to thousands of potential choices. Understanding how these features and options relate to mobile printer productivity and reliability is essential for choosing the best printer for your operations.

There are five fundamental tips for finding the mobile printer that provides the best fit:

1. Respect the work environment.
2. Understand user needs.
3. Don’t deviate from enterprise security and integration standards.
4. Match the mobile printer to its computer.
5. Consider operating cost as part of total cost.

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The Honeywell Xenon series are already some of the most aggressive and capable full 2D imagers on the market today and they continue to get better! With the new firmware update for the Xenon 1900 and the cordless 1902, a host of enhancements have been added to these scanners including additional functionally and improved bar code reading.

The new firmware update includes:

Decoder improvements – Improved reading on Data Matrix bar codes with the ability to decode Data Matrix ECC 0, 50, 80, 100, and 140.  Mirrored Data Matrix codes are also now automatically handled by the scanner.

ColorFusion Image Processing Capability – New support for processing images with a variety of image filters for all Xenon 1900/1902 Color and Color-Capable models. Filters include:  Infinity filter, Compensation, Pixel depth, Edge sharpen, Histogram stretch, Inverse filter, Noise reduction, Image rotate, JPEG image quality, Gamma correction, Image cropping ,Pixel skip, Document image filter, Blur image, and Histogram ship.

IBM Support – New enable/disable commands specified by IBM to USB and RS-485 to enable/disable: GS1, GS1 expanded, GS1 composites, PDF, MaxiCode, OCR, Data Matrix, Aztec, QR, and code 49.

Cordless enhancements – A new batch mode option to retain data until the user sends or scans a clear command.

Data formatting updates – Added ability to insert a string and to send data up to, but not including, a string.

All new Xenon scanners will be shipping with the new firmware but updating your current unit is a simple download. You can add all the new features in just a few minutes. For more information on the Xenon series or the new firmware update feel free to contact us at Barcodes Inc.

For any business that is trying to add more functionality to hardware they might already have, the Honeywell Captuvo SL22 brings professional grade barcode scanning and magnetic stripe reading to you Apple products. The sleek, compact and stylish Captuvo SL22 transforms the popular and familiar Apple iPod touch into an enterprise-ready device that provides associates with instant access to product information and enables customer checkout, anywhere in the store. Delivering fast and accurate reading of linear, 2D and even poor quality bar codes, the Captuvo SL22 enables various applications, including price and product look-up, inventory management and scanning items for purchase at the point-of-decision.

For more information on the Honeywell Captuvo SL22 feel free to contact us at Barcodes Inc

Mobile computers and barcode scanners can be found in every type of business and environment today.  Especially in manufacturing  locations, dust has become a big concern for many companies.  It may seem insignificant at first but many materials can become very combustible when they are in very small, dust-like particles.  Plastics, resins, and even sugar can become a dangerous hazard when in dust form. These small particles are very easy to ignite with a simple spark that could be generated by a scanner or mobile device.

Organizations such as OSHA and the  U.S. Chemical Safety Board have begun to push for greater regulation and stricter requirements to ensure the safety of every work environment.  One of the easiest things you can do is ensure all scanning devices you use in dust filled environments are rated as I-Safe.  Devices like the Honeywell MX9HL are completely sealed from dust and are certified for nonincendive electrical equipment that can be used hazardous locations. Getting the right device can be the difference between safety and lost lives.

For a more detailed review of what to be concerned with in a dust prone environment this article is a great place to start.

To find the right I-Safe device feel free contact us at Barcodes Inc.