New Motorola device aimed at store-level worker 14 January, 2008 By Chris Talbot

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The CA50 is a VoIP-enabled wireless barcode scanner that is mainly aimed at retail environments (as well as healthcare and hospitality). However, unlike the company's higher-end MC50 device, which is meant to be used by managers, the CA50 was designed for use by in-store associates, said Tom Esposito, senior director of advanced data capture at Motorola Enterprise Mobility.

"It's basically a lightweight, compact-sized voice-over-IP-enabled wireless scanner. It's really designed for the everyday task worker ... in a retail environment, but we've also looked at other verticals for the device as well," Esposito said.

The CA50's design was based on discussions with retailers about their pain points, customer satisfaction issues and desire to increase worker productivity. With the CA50, an in-store associate has greater access to product information that they can gain by scanning a product's barcode. By tying it into the store's databases, it can provide stock and pricing information, but the VoIP capabilities also connect in-store associates. They can use the CA50 like a walkie-talkie to call an expert if customers have specific product questions the associates can't answer.

"The device is quite small. It's designed to be highly portable," said Charles Laforge, senior product manager of advanced data capture at Motorola Enterprise Mobility. "That was one of the key requirements from the customers. They want something that will be always with them." The CA50 is about the size of a candy bar, he added.

The device provides a Wi-Fi-based wireless scanner, messaging and paging functionality, group communications and a walkie-talkie-like voice interface for peer-to-peer connections.

"It's about providing a better level of customer service on the spot. It's also about increasing operational efficiency," Laforge said. Instead of a store adding more associates to improve customer service levels, the CA50 can be deployed to existing in-store associates, which puts more product information in their hands, which allows them to better serve customers.

Additionally, managers can use the MC50 to issue orders to employees that carry the CA50. They can send out pages to assign tasks to workers, he said.

Laforge said that while larger stores and chains have an interest in the CA50, smaller stores are also becoming increasingly interested in this type of device. While he said there's a higher need in mass market electronics stores, smaller footprint stores also have a need for such a device.

For partners, whether they're ISVs or systems integrators, they can add value to the CA50 sales by offering applications geared towards the retail space, Laforge said. They can add more value by doing site surveys, configuring the devices and servers, and offering management capabilities, he said.

The CA50 is priced at $540 (U.S.) for the device and $1,499 for the server (per on-site licence -- pricing per server is lower with the purchase of multiple licences).

"It really is an all-in-one device for that store level worker," Esposito said.