Transform smartphone design into POS terminal

Driven by the growing trend of smartphones, payment terminals are becoming sophisticated, feature-rich computing devices capable of performing transactions, managing inventories, and running business and social applications. They can deliver advertisements and new services from payment-product companies and provide an enhanced user experience. Advanced features of high-end payment terminals and embedded devices can now include a colour touch screen and high-quality audio, and rich operating systems such as the Android庐 platform. Like smartphones, electronic financial transaction equipment also has the need for multiple connectivity options (i.e., Wi-Fi, GPRS, 3G) and low power consumption. However, as the complexity of smart equipment systems continues to increase, the development cost is rising even faster. Therefore, developing such advanced devices involves significant design resources and licence fees, increasing the potential risk for delays in time to market.

Developing a sophisticated and secure point-of-sale (POS) terminal can be a challenge. In addition to security concerns and standards, increasing development costs can put a constraint on designs. This article explains how to design POS equipment with numerous value-added features at a low cost, by taking advantage of the development efforts made by the cell phone industry.

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Originally published by Maxim Integrated Products Inc. at www.maximintegrated.com as "Transforming a Smartphone Design into a Sophisticated Point-of-Sale Terminal".