Card Briefs: Hand-Held Terminal For Remote Locations

Symphony Inc. announced the availability of the Soloist, which it said is the first hand-held, battery-powered terminal for authorizing card transactions in remote locations.

The Soloist uses the wireless communications technology CDPD to communicate authorization details. The company said it can complete a transaction in as little as three seconds at a lower cost than with traditional dial-up terminals.

Bob Hunsberger, staff director of wireless data applications for Bell Atlantic, said, "We're excited to be able to offer our point-of-sale customers a hand-held unit for wireless credit card transactions."

Symphony said some applications for the device are taxis and limousines, buses, cruise ships, and pizza and other types of home delivery.

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