"Even here at this show, I still see a lot of people who are using, for lack of a better term, the legacy systems," said David Meany, senior executive management advisor, Cisco Systems. "But there are companies here, like GestureTek and other interactive companies like them, that will be the future of the industry, I think. This show has different ends of the

Kiosk Information Systems' Karla Guarino speaks with an attendee at the first spring Kiosk Show.

Terry Cooper, regional sales manager for Telpar, said, "This is a butt-kickin’ show. Compared to some of the other kiosk shows we’ve been in, this is primo."

Have a seat. San Diego-based APUNIX COMPUTER SERVICES showed its Mini Kiosk, a self-contained unit with a 10.4-inch monitor that is mounted in restaurant booths. With a touchscreen, restaurant patrons place and confirm their own orders at the Mini Kiosk.

Six Mini Kiosks were deployed about four months ago at Budweiser’s Brew House in the Miami Airport, said president Peter Berens. The company will roll out 40 more over the next quarter.

On a quest for knowledge … and design. Milwaukee, Wis.-based D2 SALES caught attendees’ attention as soon as they rounded the corner into the exhibit hall with its Tree of Knowledge and Burger King Kids Virtual Fun Center-Gen3 kiosks.

The Tree

D2 Sales' Tree of Knowledge proves kiosk design can definitely be "outside the box."

“It’s the anti-box,” Nix said. “It was a statement about who we are and what we want to build.”

D2 Sales and Chicago-based NUWAY TECHNOLOGIES have been collaborating for the last year to design and build outside-the-box kiosks, said Don Southwell, director of business development for NuWay, a steel fabricator.

For the Burger King project, initiated in 1999, the two companies have just released a third-generation unit — the Burger King Kids Virtual Fun Center-Gen3 — with a design that’s a cross between a robotic hamburger and a spaceship. D2 has deployed more 1,000 units in the United States, Canada, Central America and the United Arabic Emirates.

Other units on display at the D2/NuWay Sales booth included the SBC Trade Show and D2’s next generation standard-built kiosks. SBC’s kiosk, an informational, modular stack unit designed for SBC’s marketing and promotions team, launched in January 2004. And D2’s next generation, standard-built kiosk, which was introduced at the Boston kiosk show in October, is a powder-coated, stainless unit that comes in two parts with a 17-inch LCD.

Like all of D2’s units, the new standard model is equipped to run on Macintosh OS/10 or Windows.

Beyond the basics. GESTURETEK, a Toronto-based technology company, was one of The Kiosk Show’s must-see booths. In the GestureTek booth, attendees interacted with advertisements via the GroundFX system, a projector shooting full-motion video images on the ground, and a football goal-shaped device GestureTek calls HoloPoint. 

The HoloPoint system works like a touchscreen — but without the touching.

With GroundFX, released in 2003, visitors experienced Xtreme Motion, chasing and touching 3-D images on the floor. The HoloPoint system, released in 2001, is more like a touchscreen that can be “as interactive as you want it to be,” said Ed Betts of GestureTek’s New Business Development division. HoloPoint detects movement and direction when users wave their hands within its tracking frame

Founded in 1989, GestureTek believes virtual reality software is taking retail self-service to a new level with Gesture Xtreme, a virtual reality kiosk that’s currently used in theme parks and educational institutions. Now GestureTek is marketing the same technology to retailers, Betts said. All applications are Windows-based.

Another wave of technology. THE KIOSK FACTORY, another Toronto-based company, also comes at kiosks from a different angle, said company president Julian Bowron. The 10-year-old company, a division of Feature Factory, creates kiosks with character. From museum exhibits to theatrical displays, the designs mastered by the parent company are now applied to kiosks, said Feature Factory industrial designer Helen Casanova.

During the show, The Kiosk Factory showcased its newest kiosk, the modular Minnod. The Minnod can take on any design and peripherals, Casanova said. Bowron demonstrated a CAD system on the Minnod that resembled one used for a power-plant application. With a 17-inch monitor, Minnod is one the company’s largest-screen kiosks.

But perhaps even more eye-catching at the show was the company’s Multi-Purpose Kiosk, more commonly known as MPK, which can be used for a range of applications. A modular kiosk, MPK’s screen size ranges from 17 inches to 22 inches, Bowron said. All of the modular units are made of powder-coated steel, but customized units also are available.

It’s good to be king. Ontario, Canada-based KING PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS grabbed attendees’ eyes with its 30-inch LCD that showed movie trailers while it towered above the G5 Plynth kiosk. Guy Markus, a senior sales executive, said KING is taking its impressive G4 base model and its 6-month-old G5 into the retail arena, developing more robust retail-based applications “that will better satisfy the hunger and need of the retail sector.”

Running both on Windows XP, the G4 is primarily used for informational applications while the new G5 will offer more flexibility for transactional applications and additional peripherals, Markus said. It can be configured with screens ranging from 18 inches to 40 inches.

Everybody knows TIO. Burnaby, B.C.-based INFO TOUCH TECHNOLOGIES CORP. and California-based PALM DESERT NATIONAL BANK showed off their newest ATM/kiosk, TIO. The brand, which translates into "uncle" in Spanish, is for a suite of kiosk applications, including check-cashing and bill payment, geared to the unbanked market.

All of Info Touch’s kiosks, including those already on the market in retailers like Circle K and Exxon Mobil, will take on the TIO name. Sam Shahbazi, Info Touch executive vice president, said the goal is to make TIO “a known brand.”

PDNB is working with Info Touch to track and monitor TIO’s cash flow, said Sandra Hartfield, president and CEO of PDNB's Electronic Banking division. “We call it our ‘reverse vault cash’ program,” she said. “We balance out the cash and monitor what’s coming in.”

The collaborative relationship with Info Touch marks PDNB’s first for an ATM/kiosk project of this scale.

The fx factor. Willett, Calif.-based METALfx showed off a design that looked more like a pinball machine than a modern-day kiosk. Alan Manns, kiosk national sales manager, said METALfx designs kiosks that can reflect just about anything. “We started in arcades in the 1980s, designing models that looked very similar to this,” Manns said, pointing to the retro-looking kiosk.

The Gem, also on display, is METALfx’s low-priced standard, multi-purpose payment kiosk. At about $4,000, it comes with a 15-inch LCD touchscreen and steel enclosure. Peripherals can be added.

Coming to America. Taiwan-based XAC AUTOMATION CORP., a 12-year-old technology company, introduced its Linux-based Embedded System Kiosk during the show. “Because this is an open-source platform, it’s more stable and easier to program,” said Bosin Liu, XAC product manager.

The kiosk/ATM, which is being marketed for its financial capabilities, Liu said, comes equipped with a magnetic-stripe or smart-card reader, 5.7-inch screen, encrypting PIN pad and thermal printer.

XAC also showed off its more retail-oriented Windows-based Kiosk Model 4, introduced in 2004. It is a 15-inch touchscreen model, equipped with an encrypting PIN pad and thermal printer and the option to add a card reader.  

Beyond the myth. MYTHOLOGY TECH EXPRESS (MTE) featured its Scorpio photo, Libra mini and new Poseidon modular kiosks. The Scorpio debuted at the October Kiosk Show in Boston.

The Libra mini, which is now available with a multi-media reader module, is touted as being an affordable photo-kiosk option. The new Poseidon kiosk is a modular tower that reflects a creative design with a high level of versatility.

New on the scene. Princeton, W.Va.-based CUSTOM MANUFACTURING SERVICES is a newcomer to the kiosk industry. At the show, CMS displayed its Total Kiosk Solution, TKS-2000, which is used for HR purposes, such as employee-benefits enrollment.

Using Benefitfocus.com's online enrollment software, TKS-2000 hit the market in October 2004, said David Graf, manager of business development.

With a 15-inch touchscreen and Windows XP Pro, the stainless steel base model can be adapted as a wall-mount, slim-line or box kiosk.

“The idea is to get rid of the paperwork between the primary care provider and the company that uses the insurance carrier,” Graf said.

At the touch of a finger. Menlo Park, Calif.-based ELO TOUCHSYSTEMS, a division of Tyco Electronics, provides touchmonitors and other touch technologies. The company provides desktop LCDs and Chassis CRTs built for public access and industrial applications, to name a couple.

Elo’s new surface-capacitive technology on the Entuitive 152L 15-inch LCD desktop and 1547L 15-inch LCD chassis touchscreen models was released this month. It’s being marketed for retail and entertainment and gaming applications.

The 152L comes with a choice of serial or USB touch interface, a sealed touchscreen, multilingual OSD and internal power supply. The 1547L includes a choice of serial or USB touch interface, multilingual remote OSD and internal power.

The surge. Zebulon, N.C.-based ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS PROTECTION caught a few attendees off guard with a pop and a flash during its surge presentation on the showroom floor. With a filter, Mike Honcomp, director of new market development, demonstrated how ESP’s surge protector filters out ground noise to mitigate a surge, protecting kiosk networks from downtime. ESP also provides Ethernet, CAT 5 and telephone modem protection.

Beyond the basic safe. Posen, Ill.-based CORPORATE SAFE SPECIALISTS showed off its Self Out System, which hit the market in 2003. A Windows XP Pro-based kiosk, SOS is a customer-facing solution that's equippped with a swipe card reader for credit card payments, touchscreen as well as a coin changer, acceptor and recycler.

With a coin recycler, SOS takes and counts change customers feed it. “Thirty percent of customers will give exact change at the point of sale, if they have the option,” reducing the need to constantly replenish the vault, said president Ed McGunn.

In the city. Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based DISPLAY CONCEPTS showed off its KioCity kiosk software that has been designed with the end-user in mind, said Kary Wall, vice president of development.

Wall said hospitality, retail and advertising industries, along with academic institutions, are the targeted users. KioCity, a Windows-based software, is compatible with most hardware and is designed to be interactive and user-friendly.

Display Concepts also designs kiosks, giving it the turnkey edge. On display at the show was one 19-inch touchscreen kiosk the company deployed six months ago for Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina. The college’s students use the kiosks to register for classes, check schedules and locate professors’ offices and classrooms, among other uses. “We’re trying to focus on software,” Wall said. “That’s our biggest edge.”

On the cutting edge. Interaction is the name of the game for Lincoln, Neb.-based NANONATION. Brian Ardinger, director of business development, said Nanonation’s focus at the show was to demonstrate its self-service applications.

With Nanonation’s CommandPoint software, Ardinger said, customers remotely monitor their networks, while its NanoPoint software manages the system's front end of the system.

On display at Nanonation’s booth was a program developed for Mazda — a system that allows end-users to get specific information about specific vehicles. “We try to create a unique customer service,” he said.

Nanonation also works with Target and Petro Travel Centers.

The company provides digital signage for interactive retailing, Ardinger said. It supplied D2 Sales, which also exhibited at the show, with software for the Burger King Kids Virtual Fun Center kiosk and Yahoo! Interactive bus shelter project. And like D2, Nanonation designs software that runs on Windows XP and Mac OS/10. The company is in the process of developing software for Linux as well.

Higher maintenance. New Brunswick, N.J.-based TAP SERVICES approaches kiosk management and maintenance holistically, said Tom Pappalardo, president. As a first- and second-line maintenance company, Pappalardo said, TAP is getting more involved in the overall project management of its clients' kiosk networks.

Founded in 1986 as a PC manufacturer, TAP has experience handling the more technical side of maintaining a kiosk, said Joyce Hansen, account director.

Roam if you want to. THE RHOMBUS GROUP focuses its business on keeping kiosks up and running. The company has nationwide network of kiosk maintenance, installation and service technicians. During the show Rhombus educated attendees about its full installation package, which includes logistics, telecom, data-cabling and electric and satellite hook ups.

The revolution. SOLARA TECHNOLOGIES is focused on revolutionizing the way kiosks are programmed and managed. Kevin Doherty, vice president of sales, demonstrated Solara’s remote management technology for self-service and vending applications. With Solara’s Windows-embedded RMT software, users can remotely manage and change their kiosk prices and graphic displays via the Internet, he said.

At the show, Doherty demonstrated a retail application of Solara’s software.  “With this software you can control up to 30 motors and can do 1,500 total functions,” he said.

Out on a wire. Florida-based WIRESPRING TECHNOLOGIES demonstrated its interactive Linux-based platform for kiosk applications and digital signage. On display was FireCast OS, the platform that runs WireSpring’s FireCast ClientCenter and FireCast Media Appliance. ClientCenter is a remote-management, ad-scheduling and monitoring suite. Media Appliance is media-player hardware that can be integrated into a turnkey solution, said Michael Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for WireSpring.

On display was a kiosk equipped with a 42-inch plasma screen running a program that WireSpring designed and recently installed for Kane's Furniture. Smith said similar interactive applications, which encourage customers to enter contact and purchase information about themselves, increase a retailer’s overall sales by between 15 percent and 20 percent.

“We provide a user-friendly solution that is immune to most viruses,” Smith said. “It allows you to manage your kiosk and digital signage as if it’s all part of the same network. Everything communicates," he said, so that what you’re offering customers across all channels is identical.

A word from the wise. WISEVILLAGE displayed its WiseNav spatial navigation kiosk interface and management software during the show. The company also featured information about its WiseStation virtual business-center kiosk solutions and announced that it will launch its new WiseStation Grand and WiseStation Concierge models for hotels and casinos in the near future.

It’s not just paper. Lancaster, Penn.-based MAX INTERNATIONAL introduced its colored-type receipt paper. With the color option, which includes black type with red, green or blue, images can be targeted to specific customers’ needs, said Michael Vigunas, MAX president. “The messages aren’t preprinted,” he said. “For instance, you would scan your loyalty card and then you would have special advertisements and an individual message printed for the customer.”

The technology is more expensive, but MAX representatives said studies have shown that related sales at retail locations, such as grocery stores, increase an average of 70 percent with targeted receipt printing.

A printer for every kiosk. Dover, N.H.-based TELPAR displayed its Telpar C56 and KCP 200. Introduced to the market about a year and a half ago, the C56 is a printer equipped for outdoor applications that can be customized to fit any kiosk or ATM. The KCP 200, which will be launched during the second quarter of 2005, is a smaller kiosk printer designed for indoor use.

Canada-based NANOPTIX, another ATM and kiosk printer company, introduced its

Nanoptix's Spillproof printer is protected from liquid damage. The display featured a fountain pouring a steady stream of water over the device, which kept on ticking.

The Spillproof protects its mechanisms and paper from liquid damage. The EZ Tear 65 is a Clamshell-designed printer that features a self-tear system. De Vincenzo said the EZ Tear gives merchants as many as 1,200 tickets per roll.

Shoot for the stars. Edison, N.J.-based STAR MICRONICS AMERCIA, which provides POS printers, thermal card-reader and writer systems and audio components, highlighted its TSP700 series of high-speed thermal printers during the show.

The TSP700 is a two-color thermal printer that comes equipped with an automatic cutter that makes full and partial cuts. Additional features include three adjustable paper widths, internal and external paper-loading and dual cash-drawer drivers.