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PC-based ATMs have big presence at NACS 2003

The ATM companies in the NACS 2003 exhibit hall -- including manufacturers Tidel, Triton and NCR -- believe the market is finally warming to the idea of advanced functionality. They showed a line-up of new, PC-based machines designed to capitalize on the trend.

October 19, 2003

The weather outside Chicago's McCormick Place on the last day of NACS Show 2003 was cold, rainy and unpleasant -- which didn't do this editor's sinus infection much good. Inside, however, it was a different story.

The ATM companies in the exhibit hall -- including manufacturers Tidel, Triton and NCR -- believe the market is finally warming to the idea of advanced functionality. They showed a line-up of new, PC-based machines designed to capitalize on the trend.

Tidel showcased its new 3800, a reworked version of its Chameleon terminal that runs on a Windows NT operating system and offers the capability for transactions such as money order purchases, check cashing, money transfer and bill payment. (See related story Tidel shows reworked Chameleon at NACS)

Triton's RL5000, introduced at last May's Distributor Conference (see related story Triton refines the product rollout ), generated plenty of positive buzz at the Triton booth. The machine performed well in beta tests and is now being introduced in the UK as well as the United States. It runs on Windows CE and features an Intel Xscale processor.

NCR debuted its EasyPoint 57. The new machine, which is based on a Windows XP platform and has a Pentium III 850 processor option, is a step closer to the high-end Personas 77 unit than the other members of the EasyPoint line, the 53 and the 55.

NCR's new EasyPoint 57

Dan Palcyznski, of NCR's Financial Solutions division, said the EasyPoint 57 offered a logical entry into the retail market for NCR's multivendor APTRA software. Palcyznski said this would be especially appealing for deployers who have already migrated to APTRA at some ATMs -- financial institutions at branches, for instance -- and wanted a consistent platform throughout their network.

Palcyznski said NCR's iATMglobal, a program which offers advanced ATM transactions such as prepaid cellular top-ups and movie ticket orders, is moving to an APTRA platform to make it a solution capable of running on any Windows-based machine. NCR demonstrated an APTRA-enabled version of iATMglobal on a Personas 77, notable mainly for the eye-popping graphics on a 15-inch touchscreen.

NCR hopes to introduce an APTRA version of iATMglobal in 2004's first quarter.

Other items of interest on the show floor, ATM and otherwise:

Seeing double: A notable new product found in several booths, including Access Cash/eFunds, was Triton's new TDM-150 dispenser. It doubles the capacity of the manufacturer's TDM-100 dispenser, which has been wildly popular with its distributors.

Triton's Mark Smith said the TDM-150 holds 1,500 brand-new notes, making it well suited to high-volume sites, especially ones served by armored carriers. The dispense rate has also doubled, to two notes a second. The TDM-150 will be available in the RL5000 as well as the 9100.

Retired or restless: Frank Capan, one of the original founders of Access Cash, and Sam Jonas, founder of Cash Resources, seemed to be having a fine time meeting and greeting old pals on the show floor. What are the two men, both of whom sold their businesses to eFunds, doing now? Not much beyond enjoying some quality time with their families, they insist.

The truth is in the topper. Cardtronics is offering surcharge-free access to Chase cardholders at 215 ATMs in Texas.

The brand's the thing: It was hard to miss an ATM with a prominent topper reading "Chase," as in JP Morgan Chase, in the Cardtronics booth. The ISO is in a branding deal with the prominent financial institution, providing surcharge-free ATM access to Chase customers at 215 Chase-branded ATMs in ExxonMobile stations in Texas.

Going for the bronze: Triton is rolling out the shade it calls Bayou Bronze across its ATM product line, including the 9100, its top-selling model. In this editor's unscientific survey of Triton distributors at the show, all gave the nod to Bayou Bronze over Triton's bright blue shade.

Shoulda been in product development: A U.S. Cooler representative told me his company sells lots of walk-in models, similar to the 6-foot-by-10-foot one on display. Most retailers stack them high with beer. "Great idea," he said when I suggested it would make sense to install some kind of a card reader on the door that could scan driver's license info to ensure that only folks of legal drinking age were allowed inside.

Most mysterious tchotke:Like countless others before me, I was puzzled by a pile of round flexible pieces of plastic with holes in the middle at the Harco Industries booth. A coaster, I guessed, or maybe a doughnut holder. The gizmo is actually used to prevent gasoline splash back while fueling one's vehicle. "You know, thousands of people have walked by here, and only three or four of them knew what these were for," mused the booth representative.

I like my gratification instant: While I am impressed with the relative ease and intuitiveness of the transactions offered via NCR's iATMglobal program, it bothers me a bit that they are not consummated at the ATM. Folks who purchase CDs or other merchandise from SonyMusic.com receive a receipt that directs them to the Web site to complete their order. Those getting floral arrangements from Flowers USA get a receipt printed with an 800 number to wrap up their order. Discounts on merchandise provide the incentive for the two-part transactions, said NCR's Duke Hoffer.

These boat races, complete with women in skimpy sailor suits, had something to do with cigarette rolling papers.

Phoning it in: In the Tidel booth, a company called Cash Express showed a money transfer transaction that featured an ATM/cell phone combination. Senders and recipients are identified via biometric voice analyses and PINs. Struck me as a handy application for those without bankcards. Based on the demo, the transaction is slightly less complicated than the Z-Cash method used by Western Union for its ATM-based money transfers. Andrea Chiappe, an engineer with the company, said there is currently a pilot underway at several convenience stores in New York.

Covering of America: Was it just me, or was there far less gratuitous skin this year?

Scratch that itch: In the same vein as those handy "as seen on TV" products that hit the cable airwaves during the holiday season -- like the device that saves folks from the tedious minute of whisking required to prepare a scrambled egg -- was the TicketScratcherlottery tool. Resembling a tiny letter opener, it eliminates the labor-intensive use of a finger or coin to uncover the lucky numbers.

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