Kiosk manufacturer news from the Kiosk Association
Kiosk Industry is the news engine for the Kiosk Manufacturer Association or KMA which is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better self-service for customers and employees through kiosks and information technology (IT). Kiosk Industry Association leads efforts to optimize self-service engagements and engagement outcomes using information technology such as kiosks.
The Kiosk Industry Group acts as the professional news and marketing website for the kiosk and self-service industry. We are funded by those companies for the benefit of developers, resources and client companies interested in self-service, kiosks, thin or internet terminals and POS systems. News about the industry and by the industry that is relevant to companies looking to utilize self-service, and companies which assist in doing just that (hardware, software and application).
Browser and PC Lockdowns Reason for Existence – Fortnite
Click for full size image
Feb2020 – We hear it all the time from the IT departments. “We can handle that situation”. We applaud the confidence but we continue to be entertained by photos like below where semi-determined users take advantage of that confidence in order to entertain themselves at your local self-service checkout kiosk. We have many photos like this you can run by your IT department. For reference we used to work and manage a large IT department. We said the same things and suffered the inevitable fate later.
Our recommendation is to at the very least delineate the capabilities of kiosk software that KioWare or Sitekiosk provide. At least catalog potential operational requirements. Better yet buy a copy and have your IT wizards provide the same functions. It’s all they do and they do it well. We suspect your IT department has a multitude of issues to focus on. Specific expertise and continued support and modifications are likely not their primary functions.
Thanks to Frank at Olea Kiosks for bringing to our attention.
Providers of Windows and Android software Sitekiosk
PROVISIO Sitekiosk Software is a market-leading kiosk software development company providing turnkey secure kiosk, digital signage and remote management software solutions. PROVISIO products are sold in more than 50 countries through offices in the U.S. and Europe. Fortune 500 companies, including Verizon Wireless, Hilton Hotels, BMW, T-Mobile and Citibank, have chosen the company’s easy-to-use and scalable software solutions for deployments of 1,000+ machines.
Installed Base
PROVISIO Sitekiosk Software has the largest installed base of kiosk software products worldwide.
Lockdown browser & kiosk software for safeguarding public access Internet-PCs, Displays and Tablets. Protects the browser and operating system against manipulations.
Now featuring IE & Chrome browser engine, and Windows 10 support!
Mimo Monitors and BrightSign, leading industry digital signage experts, share their best insights and strategies for maximizing digital signage to add value for the customer and cultivate engagement
CHICAGO, IL—April 2019— Mimo Monitors (www.MimoMonitors.com), the experts in small touchscreen displays, joined forces with BrightSign, to share their top five tips and best practices for digital signage. Both industry leaders in the digital signage space, Mimo Monitors and BrightSign believe in the far-reaching impacts and value that effective digital signage can have towards customer engagement, cultivating loyalty, and ultimately, the bottom line.
To watch the video of their top five tips visit here:
“With more noise than ever competing for customer’s attention, we know that utilizing digital signage effectively and in an engaging way is crucial,” said Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. “That’s why one of our most highly recommended tips is to make digital signage interactive. Interactivity is key to capturing attention and can directly add value both to the customer and the retailer.”
Small business owners recognize the value of self-service because it allows them to serve more customers with minimal staffing overhead. This article gives you the components to piece together a very economical do-it-yourself kiosk for your small business or startup for under $1000
Firstly, I want to clarify that when I say “cheap” I’m not referring to using shoddy hardware or a free hosting service that could be unreliable. Your kiosk is going to be a reflection of your business, so the last thing you want to do is leave a bad impression with your customers because your kiosk is constantly out of commission.
By cheap I mean affordable, because in order to do this on a tight budget you’re going to be selecting proven reliable hardware that’s not the latest and greatest on the market.
Let’s start by examining the components which make up your typical kiosk solution.
The kiosk hardware
The kiosk application
The kiosk lockdown software
Kiosk Hardware
Most kiosks are either a freestanding design or else deigned to sit on a tabletop or be mounted to a wall.
We’re going to use a tablet with a secure enclosure designed for a tabletop in this example because it’s a very economical and practical option.
Craig Keefner put together this handy list of kiosk tablet enclosures. It’s important to select a tablet enclosure designed to handle the abuse of a self-service environment.
This list is also a good starting point for selecting your tablet. There’s no point in selecting a tablet which no one builds a secure enclosure for.
We’re going to go ahead and use the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 tablet because it’s a proven device running Windows 8.1. At the time of this writing the Surface Pro 3 has been out for a while so you can get the Surface Pro 2 for a good price.
The list price is $899, but a quick search on Amazon shows that I can get a new one for $529.99.
Next we need a tablet enclosure designed for a tabletop and secure enough for a self-service environment. We’re going to use the Full Metal Jacket + Figure 8 Base from ArmorActive which costs $289.
Full Metal Jacket + Figure 8 Base – Surface Pro 2 Kiosk by ArmorActive
Kiosk Hardware Total Cost: $818.99
Kiosk Application
The kiosk application is the software or website that makes up the user interface and potentially controls payment devices and other kiosk hardware.
Your kiosk application can either be a native application or a website, but for the sake of doing this on the cheap we’re going to create our kiosk application as a website.
One of the easiest ways to create your kiosk application is to use WordPress. Their CMS makes it really easy to create all of your own content without ever having to touch a line of code.
Here is a “Shady Kiosk” from Dollar General store. Does this appear to be DIY you think? From the collection “Not the Best Idea” . Click for full image
You’ll also need a hosting solution. WordPress recommends a hosting company called Bluehost whose WordPress hosting starts at only $1.95 per month.
Just signup for a WordPress hosting account and you’re ready to start designing your kiosk’s content in this easy-to-use CMS.
Kiosk Application Total Cost: $23.40 (1 year of WordPress hosting)
Kiosk Lockdown Software
The purpose of kiosk lockdown software is to ensure that your kiosk application (in this case a WordPress website) is always running and that malicious users can’t tamper with the OS.
This kiosk software is essentially a security product which ensures that your content is always on the screen and your customer’s data is secure.
Without kiosk lockdown software the kiosk can be hacked and your customer’s sensitive information could be compromised.
As you can see, putting together a self-service tablet kiosk solution can be very economically provided you select the right components and are willing to create the kiosk application yourself.
If you get stuck, it’s not hard to find WordPress developers online for a reasonable rate.
Your new tablet kiosk will allow you to serve more customers and even save on labor costs through the use of self-service.
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Editor Notes:
For your “cheap kiosk” remember for this example the cost is referenced to direct up-front costs, not subsequent costs. A service call is 2 hours of somebody’s time, usually at $60/hour. Computers which are End of Life are naturally cheaper, just like consumer models. The reason is odds are a year from now it won’t be available as a replacement. And instead of a Surface 3 for $500 you could use a $250 ASUS Transformer. Which one will need replacing first?
DIY Android Kiosk
For an Android kiosk there are multiple Android lockdowns. KioWare and Sitekiosk should be considered at the top. Both of these come with robust kiosk remote monitoring options.
Then there is also Chrome Kiosks another option. It has the Chrome management console.
Whatever people touch, people will eventually break. Figure on that and you should consider your keyboard (if used) and your touchscreen. Poorly mounted tablets which are banged around by people poking at them end up costing money.
And remember DIY kiosks generally always appear to customers as DIY. Maybe that is a profitable strategy for some (dollar store e.g.).
Video news story from news station on information kiosk at the public library and how useful it has been to the general public, especially those without decent (or any) internet connection. Information terminals for the “underserved” or “underconnected” population much like the unbanked.
A new part of the Moody Library is the first of its kind in the state.
A new part of the Moody Library is the first of its kind in the state.
A free standing kiosk is designed to put everything you need to know about the county extension in one easy-to-access place.
“We went to topics and then we went to these titles and resources and we just looked at stuff that looked interesting,” 13-year-old Lindsey Richardson said about the new kiosk.
The fact that she is even looking at the kiosk is exactly what extension coordinator Lee Ann Clark had in mind.
“I run into people every day that they have no clue what extension is and that bothers me and so I am always thinking of ways that I can get the word out about what all we have to offer,” Clark said.
At the kiosk, you have access to the hundreds of programs available to you and funded through Alabama A&M and Auburn University.
The Iowa Department of Transportation renewal kiosk is a web-based device that uses touch-screen technology to allow each customer to renew their own driver’s license or ID, including a secure update of the photo that will appear on the customer’s new card.
Renew your driver’s license at library kiosks was last modified: May 28th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
“One focus of my group’s research is mimicking lung tissue, but the materials we work with, called hydrogels, have a broad range of biomedical applications including drug delivery systems and tissue engineering platforms to study a variety of diseases,” says Kloxin, who has joint appointments in the departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering.
“The goal of our work is to develop technologies that improve human health, and we want to show science in a positive light.”
The kiosk is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Award Kloxin received in 2013.
UD “Mimicking Nature” kiosk at the Delaware Museum of Natural History was last modified: May 28th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
Porn is still the number one topic for which users search online. If you stop to think about this, it’s quite surprising that online porn is such big business. Intuitively, one would expect that sexual pleasuring is the one area which needs a hands on personal touch , and yet the adult industry is able to deliver pleasure online to millions, using clever technology. Can healthcare learn how to successfully replace high touch with high tech from them ?As my friend, Sanjiv Khandelwal pointed out,
Google plans to release a new mobile payment system called Android Pay, which will include many of the same features as Apple Pay, while the Google Wallet brand will live on as a peer to peer service.
Interesting to that they have chosen to support fingerprint recognition for biometric payment method. Calling it “Android Pay” hitches a ride with Apple Pay for sure.
Selfservice mobile payment – Google’s Android Pay Cherry-Picks the Best of Apple, Google Wallet was last modified: May 28th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
According to a new market research report “Digital Signage Market by Type (Hardware (Displays, Media players, Projectors), Software, Services (Installation & Maintenance)), by Application (Commercial, Infrastructural, Institutional, Industrial) & Geography – Global forecast to 2020”, the total digital signage market is expected to reach $23.76 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 8.18% between 2015 and 2020.
This is the usual Markets & Markets report this time for digitial signage. According to M&M — The major players in the global digital signage market are NEC Display Solutions (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea), LG Display Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Sharp Corporation (Japan), Sony Corporation (Japan), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), AU Optronics Corp. (Taiwan.), Planar Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Adflow Networks (Canada), and Omnivex Corporation (Canada).
The major players in the global digital signage market are NEC Display Solutions (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea), LG Display Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Sharp Corporation (Japan), Sony Corporation (Japan), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), AU Optronics Corp. (Taiwan.), Planar Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Adflow Networks (Canada), and Omnivex Corporation (Canada).
Digital Sign and Digital Signage Market worth $23.76 Billion by 2020 was last modified: May 27th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
In the financial services industry, the term “cash handling” is commonplace. Everyone – from the C-suite down to each individual worker, knows the value of quality cash handling and money management. However, in the retail industry, the importance of cash handling can slip through the cracks.
The people who need a ride home late at night, more than anyone else are those that are intoxicated. Until we get breathalyzers in cars in the form alcohol interlock devices, a new promotion from U…
A medical kiosk powered by the new 5th generation Intel® Core™ processor illustrates the cost and time savings available through healthcare innovations from Kontron and Intel.
Kontron, a Premier member of Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. Medical Admission Kiosk – YouTube was last modified: May 5th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
The 2.0 software upgrade leverages Xerox’s healthcare IT infrastructure to seamlessly interface with insurance claims through a payment data feed and integrates with electronic medical records (EMRs) for continuity of care. The back-end integration with the Xerox infrastructure enables a secure, cloud-based environment that is scalable to and delivers consistent performance.
HealthSpot unveils new 2.0 cloud-based software platform and data integration | mHealthNews was last modified: May 4th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
During his tenure as CEO since 2005, Bill Nuti had moved NCR Corporation (originally National Cash Register) from its historical competence in hardware to become a provider of hardware and software for managing transactions across a range of industries and payments methods. Nuti envisioned a world in which consumers would use NCR hardware or applications whether transacting at a bank or ATM, purchasing clothes at a retailer, or checking into a flight at an airport—and in which NCR software would register the transactions, securely store and process the data, and use the transaction information to help NCR customers efficiently manage their operations.
In 2011 and early 2013, NCR had made two major acquisitions of companies that were important providers of transaction software in the retail and hospitality industries. Now, in late November 2013, Nuti and his team were considering a third potential major acquisition: Digital Insight, a market leader in online and mobile banking solutions. Nuti saw Digital Insight as key to complementing NCR’s offerings in the financial services industry, transforming it from a maker of standalone, electromechanical cash registers and ATMs into an “omni-channel, omni-commerce, software-driven company.” Would this acquisition be the next right strategic move for NCR’s transformation?
Move over, Seattle and New York. Philly may not be a first-gen adopter, but I’m proud to say my city’s pay-t0-ride biking service is already a smash hit, with over 8,000 rides and 2,400 new members in its first week alone.
Marking its entry into the patient identification market, health IT security company Imprivata has acquired Tampa, Fla.-based HT Systems, which develops technology for palm-vein based biometric patient ID.
HT Systems serves hospital systems and large medical groups nationwide. Its PatientSecure biometric ID system provides positive patient identification by distinguishing the vein pattern in a patient’s hand and retrieving the correct medical record in the healthcare provider’s electronic health record system at patient check-in. This improves patient safety and satisfaction, eliminates duplicate medical records and overlays, and guards against identity theft and insurance fraud, according to Imprivata.[See also: CHIME antes $1M for patient matching]PatientSecure has identified more than 22 million patients across 65 healthcare systems comprising more than 350 hospitals and thousands of clinics.“We believe that in the next paradigm of healthcare, if you are going to have any meaningful patient engagement, being able to easily identify patients is going to be a critical component,” said Hussain.
Imprivata acquires HT Systems, adding patient ID capabilities was last modified: May 1st, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
Think about the amount of digital signage you pass in the course of one day. You see it in malls, on sidewalks, and above your head on subway platforms. That’s a lot of hardware, a lot of software and, given the weather conditions some of the signs are exposed to, a lot of things that can go wrong. Which is why one of North America’s major advertising companies relies on TELUS Partner Esprida to help them monitor and maintain their digital signs. I sat down with Rupi Badwal, Esprida’s Corporate Alliance Director, and Asad Jobanputra, their Director of IoT Solutions, and they told me more.
“Our client builds digital signage enclosures,” explained Rupi. “They have multiple deployments across the U.S., such as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, San Francisco’s BART transit system and more. They sell their unique enclosures to major outdoor advertising companies, so they have to make sure the signs are working and that they minimize onsite support costs. To do that, they use our Esprida LiveControl™ to gather data from 30+ sensors and make smart decisions”. Esprida LiveControl is a very broad IoT platform for remote service, providing users with a global dashboard, remote diagnostics, remote control, notifications, software updates, and analytics.”
Digital Signage, IoT, Telus & Esprida was last modified: May 1st, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
The metric system. Warm beer. A crazy obsession with soccer. Impossibly tiny male bathing suits. There are some things that Europeans love and we as Americans will just never understand. But whether we understand them or not, restaurants and other retail stores are soon going to have to get on board with another European trend — EMV (Europay Mastercard Visa), or chip-and-pin cards.EMVIn the US, we’re used to the magnetic stripe style of credit and debit cards. But we’re actually one of the last
Kiosks make it easy to display information about your company, allow users to interact with website-driven company directories, get details about products, advertise your products and services, and much more. But how do you set up a kiosk? Surely they are complex creatures that require much care and attention!
Not even remotely. Kiosks can be created using a standard machine or even a tablet. With simple and cost-effective solutions, you can have one up and running quickly. If you don’t want to invest too much time and money into the project, the five kiosk apps listed here are well suited for the task. In some instances, these apps will require you to have the HTML pages already set up and ready to go. Let’s dig into them and see if one will serve your needs.
More very good choices: KioWare and also KioskSimple
Kiosks make it easy to display information about your company, allow users to interact with website-driven company directories, get details about products, advertise your products and services, and much more. But how do you set up a kiosk? Surely they are complex creatures that require much care and attention!
Not even remotely. Kiosks can be created using a standard machine or even a tablet. With simple and cost-effective solutions, you can have one up and running quickly. If you don’t want to invest too much time and money into the project, the five kiosk apps listed here are well suited for the task. In some instances, these apps will require you to have the HTML pages already set up and ready to go. Let’s dig into them and see if one will serve your needs.
Kiosk Lockdown – Five tools to help you set up a kiosk was last modified: April 30th, 2015 by Kiosk Industry
Apple, extending its partnership with IBM, will also collaborate on apps to improve the wellness and connectivity of elderly people, starting in Japan.
The iPads will be preloaded with custom apps designed for the elderly by IBM, such as software that provides reminders and alerts about medications, exercise and diet and help accessing community activities, grocery shopping and job matching.
The companies are starting the program in Japan because of its large population of aging citizens. The country’s 33 million senior represent about 25 percent of the population, with that percentage expected to rise to 40 percent in the next 40 years.
iPad Tablet – Apple, IBM to give 5 million iPads to Japanese seniors was last modified: January 3rd, 2016 by Kiosk Industry
Legislation introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee that seeks to protect retailers and other businesses from overly litigious patent trolls.
The National Retail Federation today welcomed bipartisan patent reform legislation introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck E. Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., that seeks to protect retailers and other businesses from overly litigious patent trolls.
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Stop Abusive Patent Troll Litigation was last modified: August 1st, 2017 by Kiosk Industry
Correct cuff size is critical in measuring blood pressure. FDA is advising consumers that the cuffs on blood pressure kiosks in stores, pharmacies, gyms and other locations don’t fit everyone and might not be accurate for all users.
