Card Briefs: POS Terminal Supplier, Microsoft in Alliance

IVI Checkmate Corp. said it has an agreement with Microsoft Corp. to co-develop systems for the retailing industry based on the Windows CE operating system.

Windows CE is designed for compact devices such as personal digital assistants and set-top television boxes. Microsoft sees the alliance with IVI, a fast-growing supplier of point of sale terminals, as an opening for CE into the retailing community.

"This development agreement demonstrates that Windows CE has gained acceptance in the retail industry and provides viable solutions for it," said Tony Barbagallo, group product manager in Microsoft's productivity appliance division.

"The solutions resulting from this joint development will position both companies to provide leading-edge, Windows CE-based platforms in the store locations that lower a retailer's operational costs while dramatically enhancing the number and quality of services offered to consumers," said Greg Lewis, president and chief executive officer of IVI Checkmate's U.S. operations. The company is based in Toronto.