RACO Wireless recently received a special award for its success in becoming the best M2M service provider.  The growth partnership company measured RACO Wireless' performance using these criteria: growth strategy excellence, growth implementation excellence, degree of innovation with products and technologies, leadership in customer value, and speed of response to market needs.

RACO Wireless specializes in providing wireless connectivity for M2M applications via T-Mobile's network. RACO Wireless makes it easy for companies to build, support and enhance wireless M2M applications thanks to its unique, streamlined approach to delivering customized M2M connectivity solutions.  To learn more about RACO Wireless, call 1-800-509-3677 or visit RACO Wireless's website. 

If you run a business that has many mobile workers, chances are your expertise is in something other than the mobile computers they use to do their job.  So all the options of connecting those mobile comptuers to your database can seem dizzying.  One mobility manufacturer, LXE, came up with this handy guide: Choosing The Right Connectivity.  

This document allows you to see some guidelines as to what kind of company should use 802.11, wireless widearea networks (WWAN) , or satellite as the backbone of their communications setup.  It does a great job of educating you on the specifics of the different technologies but also talks about big picture scenarios that will help you decide what is right for you.

To choose the right technology, do not focus on one major problem to the exclusion of other issues, because efficiencies in other areas may be missed. You solve one issue, only to leave others unsolved.

Start by breaking down your worker’s typical day into discrete tasks, a sort of day-in-the-life analysis. Identify what the worker does routinely, over and over. Then consider how to speed up these steps up by using various connectivity technologies. Rather than focusing on one or two steps, look at them all and determine ways the technologies can help speed up the entire process.  

Naturally, if you have questions about what would work best for your specific needs and mobile workers, contact one of our solution specialists at 1-800-446-1991. 

Gift cards are an extremely practical gift.  But they have the stigma of being an impersonal gift. Now you don't have to worry about that with the custom gift cards available from ConnectNow Kiosks. 

See how ConnectNow allows consumers to create a card with their own personal touch which transforms an ordinary gift card into a thoughtful and meaningful gift. 

For more questions about the ConnectNow Kiosk or other ways to improve your business processes with technology, contact a prodcut specialist at 1-800-446-1991. 

We've talked a lot on this site about how QR codes are easy to produce and a powerful promotional tool for your business or cause.  But there's something we haven't touched on too much yet.  Creating a QR code is only half the battle.  You have to put it someplace people will notice it and also be able to scan it.  And that's inspired some businesses and organizations to get a little clever in their attempt to get people to scan their code.

If they have already bought your product, there's a ready-made place for a QR code.  Not that long ago, Taco Bell put QR codes on their products.  Makes sense.  You're staring at the cup or food box while you're eating so scanning a QR code and seeing where it leads could lead to some mealtime entertainment.  Putting QR codes on cookies sounds like it's good use of the real estate.  At least until they get eaten.

You can put the QR code on something that will already have a person's attention.  If you put a code on your presents, you'll be sure to have the attention of at least one person.  This trend would let you make the most out of small spaces, especially places where lingering eyes would go.  In the upcoming Olympic games, you'll be seeing QR codes on bikini bottoms during volleyball matches.  I guess those advertisers believe someone will be looking there.  

Mobile devices and technology advances can make life a lot easier for those in the medical fields.  From ways to improve efficiencies in the pharma supply chain to remote patient monitoring, tablet and mobile computers can really be a benefit.  But it's not as simple as just buying one and bringing it into the medical workplace.

Check out these mobile health trends and challenges in 2012 and you'll see a few themes emerge.  One of them that I picked up on was the fact that medical technology is getting to the point where it not only improves medical care but can also save the facility some money.  As one official in the video said: "Right now, healthcare is remarkably expensive.  But a lot of these new innovative technologies are frugal innovations...  They not only have fulfilled unmet needs, but also lower costs."

Another popular notion on the video in the article is that the more time you can spend face to face with people and not at your tools, the better it is for the patient.  We completely agree.  If you're wondering how medical tech can help your process, call a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

As we progress further into the 21st century, we hear from more and more businesses that they no longer want to be held back by 20th century concepts.  No longer do they want their workers to be stuck at a stationary point of sale station where customers back up in a long line and clog up the store.  They want their workers to be able to leave this post and go into the store to directly interact with their customers, yet be able to have access to capabilities of a traditional point of sale terminal.

Mobile computers and even many smartphones can have the ability to transfer business critical information wirelessly while an employee is independent of the sales station.  But how do they take payment and produce proof of the sales transaction?  A built-in mag stripe reader on the mobile printer.  Here's an example of one of the printers we sell, the Star Micronics SM-S200 Portable Printer, interacting via Bluetooth with an Android-powered smartphone.

As you can see, you don't need a specialized POS system in order to print receipts, invoices, or coupons as well as swiping credit cards and communicating with your network. Printing from an iPad is also a realistic business application.

Retailers are rapidly adopting the iPad and printing applications to enhance the customer shopping experience, and add unique branding to propel them ahead of the competition. For instance, counter-based iPad kiosks provide a portal for shoppers to customize product selection, while the retailer gains opportunities for cross-selling and other sales-building opportunities. 

iPad-based self-service kiosks and mobile POS solutions take shoppers into the media-rich world they enjoy online, while providing an increasing range of options for on-the-spot product selection. 

If you're looking at printing receipts, reports, or anything else from mobile devices, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

Even if you have good product in your warehouse and good people working there, you can definitely improve the results.  Data capture technology can help an operation see its products in real time and take proactive steps to keep materials moving smoothly through the supply chain.  

If you're looking to learn more about using tech to solve warehouse issues, Intermec created a basic learning source called Equipment 101 that could be a helpful first step.  Implimenting mobile computing, barcode scanning, RFID, and/or voice technology are just some of the ways you can improve.  Even if you think things you have a handle on what's going on, you may need assistance from technology to see the big picture.

Intermec’s director of industry marketing for warehouses, Bruce Stubbs, puts it this way: “Product is not staying still.  Even though a warehouse seems static, product is constantly moving and going through the supply chain.”  So, how do you keep track with it?  Is it a reliable method that can be verified throughout the entire cycle?  Or is it a paper and pencil process that is easily disrupted and only one employee can follow?  The warehouse is a mission critical component of your business. Make sure it is operating at peak efficiency.

If you'd like to give your warehouse a complete makeover or just touch up an aspect, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

Running a business is hard enough without having your assets not be where you think they should be. If you spend too much time trying to figure out where important items are like your rental pods, construction equipment, scrap containers, roll-off boxes, or company cars, you should ask us to set you up with a geo-fence.  

A geo-fence is a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area.  Typically, this is used to keep track of mobile workers and ensure they are not going to places they shouldn't during business hours.  But we're starting to hear interest from companies who want to make sure assets are where they are supposed to be.

For example, this green highlighted section on the map to the left.  This is an area that was selected on a web-based platform and custom created by a customer to suit their needs.  If the asset in question would go outside of this property, they would be alerted through email or text message.  This is tracked by a GPS transponder that is attached to their asset.

If you're in the business of equipment leasing, construction, transportation, or just want to keep tabs on any high-value equipment, call a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991 and see how geo-fencing can work for you.

For just $9.99 a month (plus the cost of the GPS tracker), we can give you total transparency and peace of mind.