CreditCall Arcom
Embedded Chip and PIN Solution Saves OEM One Year’s Development Time
Business Situation
The business wanted an embedded software environment for a single board computer, which would support costefficientdevelopment of value-added applications.
CreditCall, based in the United Kingdom (U.K.), planned to develop a Chip and personal identification number(PIN) card payment system for manufacturers of parking, kiosk, and vending machines. Crucial to the system’ssuccess was the embedded software environment for the single board computer that processed the transactions.After a thorough assessment of all the options, the company chose Microsoft Windows CE 4.2 because it offeredgreater functionality than solutions such as Linux. The Microsoft solution supported rapid debugging andapplication development. Plus, with the support of the Microsoft Embedded Partner programme, managers wereable to make better business decisions. Windows CE technology unleashed the programmers’ creativity in anintegrated environment and, ultimately, saved a year of development time, reducing costs by tens of thousandsof pounds.
Solution
CreditCall chose an off-the-shelf single board computer from Microsoft� Embedded Partner Arcom that ranMicrosoft Windows� CE 4.2.
As well as the VIPER-Lite boards, CreditCall also bought the VIPER Development Kits for Windows CE. ThisDevelopment Kit provided a fully supported single board computer already pre-loaded with Windows CE as wellas all the supporting information and accessories needed to start developing a real application.
Benefits
For an off-the-shelf single board computer running Windows CE, theorganisation turned to Microsoft Windows Embedded Gold-level PartnerArcom. CreditCall said it wanted an off-the-shelf solution for a good price,available in high volumes that avoided a long delivery lead time, andarrived with the operating system ready for development. It chose the VIPERLite,a low-power single board computer based on the Intel 200MHz PXA255XScale RISC processor running Windows CE 4.2.
- Programmers maximise productivity, saving a year in development
- Employees unleash creative potential with Microsoft tool sets
- Developers capitalise on existing skill sets, avoiding extensive training
- Managers make better decisions with partner support
- People continue to achieve business goals cost efficiently
By choosing Windows CE, the company also continued its relationship withMicrosoft solutions, which had supported the business since it launched in1999. Gumbley comments: �A lot of things that we have accomplished havebeen possible because of Windows technology. It has given us a platform thatis widely deployed and supported and helped us to develop card paymentapplications that drive our business.�
The creative innovation of its people has been a key feature in the successof CreditCall. Employees at the company took full advantage of the developertools for Windows CE 4.2 to exploit their potential and create a marketleadingsolution.
�As the VIPER-Lite is a single board computer withWindows CE fully implemented, CreditCall could startadding value to it from day one, the moment it arrived.�
Glen Middleton, Managing Director, Arcom