Welcome to Smartlink, the first issue of Smart Technology Solutions Limited's newsletter. Smartlink aims to showcase and share our industry knowledge with our existing and future industry partners. In this inaugural issue, we will provide you with an update on the new Version 5 of SmartNS and Emvelink.

We also feel it timely to look at the new wave of EMV products and how retailers can benefit from their new technology as well as provide an insight into what's happening with chip & PIN in the hospitality sector. Smartlink also offers an update on the latest addition to the STS supported family of hardware, VeriFone's exciting new MX870. Ollie's Opinion will be an on-going spotlight in various trends in the payments industry. This edition delivers Ollie's look at the world of Hand Held Terminals and the retail space during the Christmas shopping season.

Finally, on behalf of STS, we would like to wish all of our customers, partners and industry contacts a Merry Christmas and happy and safe New Year.

Kind Regards

CEO, Smart Technology Solutions Limited

   
1. Emvelink Adds Multinational Support
2. EMV - The Next Phase
3. Industry Spotlight - The Perfect Solution for the Hospitality Industry
4. Product Spotlight - The New
Multimedia VeriFone MX870
5. Ollie's World: 2007 - The year of the HHT?
 

Smart Technology Solutions has strengthened its software offering through the release of the new version of its world's leading EMV Level 2 software, Emvelink.

The benefits of the market-leading advancements in the STS software include:
- Support for multiple-language selection at the Point of Sale
- Support for online PIN functionality as required by countries such as Spain and Portugal
- Updates for all new EMVCo specifications and bulletins

 
 

With the recent finalisation of the chip and PIN migration in the UK, Smart Technology Solutions Limited finds it timely to look at what the future holds for both EMV and smart cards in general in the UK. Will the UK be a prelude to how EMV will be rolled out in other countries and a predictor for future technology globally?

 
 

The chip and PIN rollout in the UK has seen a delayed take-up from the hospitality industry, primarily due to the specific needs for the acceptance of payments. These needs include the ability to manage both mobile and fixed PIN pad payment devices and bespoke functionality such as allowing users to split bills at the table and accepting different forms of payment, for example, cash, cheque, voucher or card. These factors, combined with a lack of integrated payment solutions for this market, have hindered wide scale deployment of successful solutions in the market.

 
 

STS continues to position our partners at the forefront of new technology with the release of support for VeriFone's new MX870 system. With this support, STS becomes the only systems integrator globally capable of supporting the MX870 with full EMV Level 2 functionality.
VeriFone's exciting new system is seen as an insight into the future of payments technology, providing standard PIN pad technology, but also adding full-motion video, a 65,536 colour display...

 
 

I made three mistakes this weekend, the first was agreeing to go shopping with my wife, the second was opting to drive into central London on a drizzly day near Christmas and the third was entering one of London's biggest department stores on a drizzly day near Christmas...