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SignageWire: Feeding the digital signage and kiosk hype machine

IBM presents ultra-compact self-service kiosk

Author: WireSpring on 2008-05-29 16:18:50

ComputerWorld, via this IDG article, informs us that:

IBM has announced a new IBM AnyPlace kiosk model, affordable entry-level units that give small retailers access to advanced technology previously only available to large enterprises.<

This latest addition to IBM's ultra-compact self-service kiosk line comes with reliable performance capabilities, an energy efficient design and retail-hardening that allow it to be deployed quickly and easily in almost any environment.

The IBM AnyPlace entry-level kiosk also comes with an energy-efficient VIA processor and chipset, and built-in power management capabilities to help clients reduce power consumption and run essential applications quickly. The new kiosk is geared toward specialty, food service, gas and convenience retail businesses, but can be used across multiple industries, including travel, transportation, hospitality and health care.

Our take:

The Anyplace Kiosk has been on our list of "highly recommended" hardware since it came out a few years ago, thanks to its durability and IBM's long-lifetime availability and on-site support packages.  Anybody who has deployed a self-service kiosk network knows that the longer these devices remain in the field, the more likely they'll need to be serviced. Taking them out, shipping to a repair center, and returning can be costly and time-consuming, but finding a reliable source of technicians to perform on-site maintenance isn't easy either. IBM neatly solves the problem by making hardware that's hard to break in the first place, is available from the manufacturer and reps for a long time, and running the network of field  reps capable of doing repairs.

The biggest drawback of the systems to-date has been their price, with quantity-1 orders easily costing over $2,500 from some vendors. IBM has clearly heard the complaint from customers and is responding with this lower-powered, lower-cost item.  While WireSpring generally hates anything with a VIA CPU, perhaps this system will be sufficient for running the kinds of simple apps typically found on self-service terminals.


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What's this blog about?
Whether you're new to digital signs and kiosks or you've been in the business for years, you've probably noticed that nearly every announcement and press release contains a huge amount of hype. Our goal with this blog is to provide coverage of the more interesting happenings, along with commentary to give you a reality-check on what matters and what's just fluff. We post new articles several times a week.

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