J2 Retail Systems introduced a 15-inch terminal targeting the POS (point of sales/service) and hospitality industries. The Linux-friendly J2 650 supports processors from 1.6GHz Celerons up to 3GHz Core2 Duos, along with dual drives, optional RAID, and an integral UPS.

(Click here for a larger view of J2 Retail Systems J2 650)

The J2 650 is an all-in-one computer that has a 15-inch touchscreen display with 1024 x 768 resolution. The screen is available with both resistive and SAW (surface acoustic wave) technologies, each with its own advantages, as J2 explains. Resistive screens are unaffected by dirt, liquids, or other foreign matter. Meanwhile, SAW screens can be temporarily affected by contaminants, but never wear out, the company says.

The device may be wall-mounted using VESA brackets, or placed on the countertop base included with the unit. In the latter case, the J2 650 will enjoy solid support in more ways than one, because the base contains batteries and a built-in UPS. The UPS supplies power to the J2 650 and any connected peripherals continuously, and can support battery operation for up to two hours if necessary, says J2.

The J2 650 includes a 24VDC power output for industry standard POS printers, plus two 24VDC outlets for cash drawers. It also accepts an optional MSR (magnetic stripe reader), fingerprint reader, and 2-line x 20-character customer display, says J2.

Beyond these POS-specific characteristics, the J2 650 has other interesting design details. For example, its main board — sporting an Intel LGA (land grid array) connector, Q965 northbridge, and ICH8R southbridge — is said to accept 25 different processors from the chipmaker's “Conroe” and “Wolfdale” processor families. CPU choices range from the 1.6GHz Celeron 420, with an 800MHz FSB (frontside bus), to a 3GHz Core2 Duo with 1066MHz FSB.

Because of the wide range of CPUs, thermal loads on this system can range from 20 Watts to 80 Watts, says J2. Accordingly, two “smart fans,” as used in blade servers, are capable of ranging from 2500rpm to 13,500rpm automatically, as required.

According to J2, the device is also capable of running fanlessly in a BIOS-selectable “green mode,” when the 1.6GHz Celeron 420 is employed. In this mode, the processor is underclocked, yet still achieves the same performance as a 1.3GHz Celeron M system, claims J2.

The J2 650 has two 240-pin DIMM sockets that accept up to 4GB of memory. For mass storage, users can employ either its single Type I/II CompactFlash slot, or its dual 2.5-inch hard drive bays. The dual bays may be employed to double up storage, or to establish a RAID 1 configuration.

The interior of the J2 650
J2 adds that in a RAID 1 configuration, the device's two hard disk drives are readily hot-swappable, via slide-in drive carriers. Further, the J2 650 can be easily opened (as shown above), and a complete motherboard swap could be carried out in under two minutes, the company claims.

In addition to the 24VDC ports for peripherals already mentioned, the J2 650 has seven USB ports, three DB9 serial ports, a DB25 parallel port, and a gigabit Ethernet port. Also included is a VGA output, for a secondary external display, says J2.

Features and specifications listed by J2 Retail Systems for the J2 650 include:

• Processor — 1.6GHz Celeron 420, ranging up to 3GHz Core 2 Duo (“Conroe” and “Wolfdale” cores)
  
• Memory — 2 x 240-in DIMM sockets accept up to 4GB of memory
  
• Display — 1024 x 768 touchscreen display with resistive or surface acoustic wave technology; optional secondary VGA screen
  
• Storage — 2 x 2.5-inch SATA hard drive bays; CompactFlash Type I/II slot
  
• Networking — 10/100/1000 Ethernet port
  
• Other I/O:
  • 7 USB ports (2 internal, 5 external)
    
  • 3 x serial
    
  • 1 x parallel
    
  • Audio — headset out, microphone in
    
  • 3 x 24VDC ports, for dual cash drawers and POS printer
    
  • 19VDC power input

• Operating temperature — 0 to 40 deg. C
  
• Weight — 16.4 pounds (7.45kg)
  
• Dimensions — 14.5 x 13.3 x 9.84 inches (370 x 340 x 250mm)

According to J2, the J2 650 can run Linux. The company's case studies page includes several customer wins with Linux and its earlier 560 terminal. The 650 also supports Windows XP Embedded, WEPOS (Windows Embedded for Point of Sale), Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows CE 5.0/6.0, and DOS.

The J2 650 is available now, with pricing starting at approximately $1,500.

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