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Point-of-sale terminal maker Equinox Payments announced an audible way to pay with the integration of LISNR ultrasonic technology.
Phoenix-based Equinox said it is the first POS terminal maker to license the proprietary LISNR tech. Using inaudible sounds, the tech enables a smart phone to communicate and share data with devices that have microphones. Equinox says the tech is compatible with its Luxe line of terminals.
LISNR said its tech is an alternative to near-field communication, which is used for contactless point-of-sale transactions for card and mobile-wallet data, and relies on short-range radio waves. Unlike NFC, LISNR’s sound-wave technology can transmit data at various ranges.
In other POS terminal news, Verifone Systems Inc. introduced Navigator, a payment feature with a fully integrated touchscreen that received certification from the Royal National Institute of Blind People, a United Kingdom-based charity.
Navigator enables merchants to change non-tactile touchscreens into a universal keypad with audio confirmation. This helps visually-impaired consumers enter a PIN or other numerical data needed to complete a purchase.
“Secure payment is and always will be a universal concern for merchants and consumers alike. It is a constant that will remain even as the touchscreen trend overtakes the payment experience,” James Wester, research director at research and advisory firm IDC, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, some merchants will use a plastic overlay with raised numbers that temporarily sits on top of touchscreen devices allowing the visually impaired to input their PIN. That not only fails to deliver an elegant touchscreen experience, it is not secure and can lead to cases of skimming.”
The service is PCI PTS 5.x approved, Verifone said, and will be initially available in North America and Brazil. Navigator is available now for use with Verifone’s Carbon 10 device.
In Ingenico Group news, the France-based terminal maker debuted its enhanced Tetra Semi-Integrated service. The technology helps independent software vendors and gateways add secure payment acceptance, including EMV transactions, without having to revise any code they may have in place.
The service, Ingenico said, is well-suited to pay-at-the-table transactions, simplifies EMV certification, and can reduce a merchant’s PCI-audit scope.
“We have been working with Ingenico for almost 10 years to perfect the pay-at-the-table experience, which increases security as the payment card never leaves the customer’s hands, while also increasing efficiency for servers, allowing them to spend more time at the table,” Akash Sahai, executive vice president of strategy and business development at Posera Ltd., said in a press release. Posera is a Canada-based point-of-sale system provider.
“Ingenico’s semi-integrated architecture makes it easy for restaurants to deploy SecureTablePay, enabling them to quickly and effortlessly adopt EMV and provide their customers with the convenience and safety of paying at the table,” Sahai added.
