Ingenico is one of the largest integrated payment solution providers in the world. Even if you haven't heard the name previously, if you've used a credit card reader at a retail store recently, chances are it was made by either Ingenico or Verifone. Ingenico has been offering POS (point of sale) systems for over 35 years, and the company is now rolling out its next-gen mobile POS solution, dubbed the Moby/M70.
The highlight of the Moby/M70 is that it runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. There have been mPOS solutions based on Android before, but where the Moby/M70 differs is that it comes with full access to the Play Store. That's a huge deal as it gives developers the ability to distribute apps directly through the Play Store.
Traditionally, Android-based POS solutions were locked down, and any apps that were designed for a particular platform had to be certified individually. Ingenico is getting around that by decoupling the card reader — the bit that handles the transactions — from the tablet itself. Essentially, the Moby/M70 is an Android tablet that is paired with Ingenico's RP457c card reader.
Coming to the hardware on the tablet side, the Moby/M70 features four Cortex A35 cores along with dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 4.1, and a 4160mAh battery.
Ben Wagner, Director of Product Management, Solutions at Ingenico North America offered more insights into how the Moby/M70 functions. The RP457c is a standalone unit that undergoes PCI and EMV certification, and then the module is connected to the back of the Moby/M70 tablet via USB. The card reader itself is certified for PCI PTS SCR 4.1, EMV L1 and L2, EMV L1 contactless, Visa payWave and Mastercard contactless, which means it'll work with a majority of credit and debit cards as well as mobile payments services available today.
Wagner also mentioned that Ingenico is rolling out an SDK that gives developers the ability to create customized apps that take full advantage of the tablet. The goal with the Moby platform is to reduce time to market for merchants.
The POS is sold as a turnkey solution, and while the first variant in the series has a screen size of 7 inches, Ingenico is envisaging variants with screen sizes varying from 8 to 12 inches to cater to various use cases. For instance, in a restaurant setting, where a more portable solution would be needed, the 7-inch Moby/M70 would come in handy.
The Moby/M70 is now widely available to merchants in the U.S., and Ingenico is also offering a white-label solution for those looking to customize their tablets.
