Epson releases SDK for Android to support wireless POS printing

You see handhelds being used in businesses just about anywhere these days.  Your doctor probably uses one, so does the place you grab your coffee.  Heck, even some lumber yards use them.  Today, Epson is trying to make them easier and more efficient for businesses to use by releasing an SDK for Android (and iOS) that allows devices to communicate wirelessly with a POS (Point of Sale) printer.  The SDK will shorten development time and make it cost-effective to implement mobile technologies into the workplace.  A report from IHL Consulting predicts that by 2015, more than 2.7 million tablets a year will be sold to retail establishments for use as mobile POS devices and consumer information tools.  All of these need a way to print out their data, and Epson is ready to help provide one.  Read the full press release after the break.

Source: Press release

Epson Announces SDKs for iOS and Android Devices

Speeds Retailer Support for Wireless POS Printing

NEW YORK, Jan 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention and Expo, Epson America, Inc., a leading supplier of value-added point of sale (POS) solutions, announced the immediate availability of software development kits (SDKs) for mobile printing applications. The Epson SDKs are designed to shorten the development time required to implement mobile POS applications, enabling support for wireless POS printing from handheld peripherals like Apple's iPad(R), iPod touch(R), iPhone(R) and devices using Google's Android(TM) mobile technology platform. Available immediately for Epson's most popular thermal and multifunction receipt printers, Epson's new SDKs provide developers with fast, convenient, and cost-effective tools to connect iOS and Android devices to networked POS printers, enabling wireless printing throughout the store from a wide range of input devices.

"Today's retailers are deploying mobile technologies in record numbers, at lightening speed," commented Mike Helm, Director of Sales for Epson America's Business Systems Division. "Epson's mobile SDKs simplify the development process, saving retailers time and money, while allowing them to provide customer access to receipts and information throughout the store printed from a variety of mobile devices."

As the number of tablets in retail skyrockets, retailers require more flexible, wireless printing options for customers to access receipts and printed information in various locations throughout store. NRF's digital division, Shop.org, recently released its State of Retailing Online Report which showed that 30% of retailer respondents said a main objective for their mobile platform will be to provide store associates with tablets to improve selling. Another report from IHL Consulting entitled Mobility -- A Gutenberg Moment for Retail, A Threat to Point of Sale predicts that by 2015, more than 2.7 million tablets a year will be sold to retail establishments for use as mobile POS devices and consumer information tools.

Click here to access Epson's mobile SDKs.

About Epson America, Inc.

Epson is one of the world's leading manufacturers of highly reliable point-of-service technology, including printers, precision printing mechanisms and digital image scanners. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Long Beach, CA, Epson America, Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. The Seiko Epson organization is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment, and for the third year in a row is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index -- an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria. Epson offers the most comprehensive line of POS printers, as well as the widest selection of ENERGY STAR qualified models available today. To learn more about Epson America Business Systems Division, please visit: http://pos.epson.com . You may also connect with Epson America Business Systems Division on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Epson-America-Business-Systems-Division/229866910383642 ), Twitter ( http://twitter.com/EpsonB2B_PR ) and YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/user/EpsonSD ).

Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.