Hannover, Germany — (press release excerpt) — Trintech Group Plc today unveiled PayWare OpenPOS, the world's first open source POS (point of sale) terminal architecture designed to run a range of secure PIN-based card payment applications.

Trintech plans to target OpenPOS at the estimated 18 million POS terminals installed today worldwide that are due to be upgraded to incorporate new technologies, including chip. The new technology will be available to create powerful product suites — including in-store applications, such as PINPads and PIN-enabled POS terminals, and applications in unattended environments, such as kiosks and ATMs. Trintech will make the products and technology modules available to Value Added Resellers (VARS), system integrators and OEM partners.

A broad range of open source software is immediately available for the OpenPOS platform. In particular, the embedded Linux real-time operating system from Lineo Inc., will allow Trintech's OpenPOS technology to overcome the real-time limitations of standard Linux faced by VARs and system integrators.

“The move to embedded Linux is a very significant evelopment for the POS industry as it signals a move away from proprietary and incompatible vendor and industry standards to a more widely available, open source development environment,” said John Harte, EVP and General Manager of Trintech's ePOS Division . . . “

OpenPOS can dramatically reduce the transaction time of secure PIN-based smart card payments. Higher encryption requirements of the EMV standard that are expected to be fully adopted by in Europe by 2005 will drive the demand for faster technology such as OpenPOS.

Modules for OpenPOS are being demonstrated in a range of concept devices at Cebit, including standalone PINPads, POS terminals with integrated PINPads and screen-based terminals. OpenPOS will also be incorporated into specific elements of Trintech's product set following close analysis of customer requirements and will be actively marketed to Trintech's growing international community of VARs.

 
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