NCR announced two all-in-one POS (point of sale) systems that run Novell's SUSE Linux for Point of Service. The RealPOS 25 and RealPOS 50 include integral touchscreen displays and can be placed on a counter, pole, bracket, or wall.

NCR announced its RealPOS 25 and RealPOS 50 in conjunction with this week's National Retail Federation show in New York. At the time of writing, the company still hadn't responded to our request for hardware details, but the new devices (left) appear to be all-in-one versions of the RealPOS40 and RealPOS 60 announced last July.

The company's release said only that the RealPOS 25 runs fanlessly, delivering "exceptional energy efficiency," while the RealPOS 50 includes a "powerful and energy-efficient processor to run the latest graphical touch-based applications." The systems include an integral touchscreen (size unspecified) that allows them to function as either POS systems or self-service kiosks, according to NCR.

Like the RealPOS 40 and RealPOS 60, the new terminals are said to support multiple operating systems, including either Microsoft's Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 or Novell's SUSE Linux for Point of Service. The systems can also run Windows 7 and Windows XP Professional, says NCR.

Background

Until any evidence arrives to the contrary, we're assuming that the RealPOS 25 and RealPOS 50 are essentially display-screen-equipped versions of the RealPOS 40 and RealPOS 60 (right). Measuring 10 x 8.9 x 3 inches, these earlier devices look like any other compact PCs, but were adapted to support typical POS peripherals such as cash drawers, card readers, and barcode scanners.

For example, says NCR, the devices come with five USB 2.0 ports — three carrying the standard 5 Volts of power, one offering 24 Volts for a printer, and two offering 12 Volts. They're optionally available with a further three 12V USB ports, and, in addition, each sports four RS232 ports with selectable power (0/5/12VDC), according to the company.

The difference between the models is that the 40 comes with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, plus the usual 945GCSE northbridge and 82801GBM southbridge. The 60, on the other hand, employs the 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 CPU with the GL40 Express (GL40 northbridge and ICH9M southbridge).

According to NCR, the RealPOS 40 expands up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, while the RealPOS 60 expands up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. Both devices are said to come with a choice of 2.5-inch SATA hard disk drives — 40GB or 160GB.

NCR says the RealPOS 40 and RealPOS 60 also each offer a cash drawer port, dual video outputs (DVI and VGA), a PS/2 port, and an audio output. Ethernet connection speeds are 10/100 on the 40 and 10/100/1000 on the 60, the company adds, but a Wi-Fi option doesn't appear to be offered.

The RealPOS 40 and RealPOS 60 are said to run via 150 Watt external power supplies and to meet the Energy Star 5.0 qualification. The 40 is capable of running fanlessly, adds NCR.

Further information

NCR did not cite pricing, nor did it state when the RealPOS 25 and RealPOS 50 will go on sale. More information on the devices may be found at the company's NRF booth, #1903, and should eventually appear on the company's website.

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