Hardware devices

Applications of hardware devices

What Is a Point-of-Sale Terminal?

A point-of-sale (POS) terminal is a hardware system for processing card payments at retail
locations. Software to read magnetic strips of credit and debit cards is embedded in the
hardware. Portable devices (i.e., not terminals anchored to a counter), either proprietary or
third-party, as well as contactless capabilities for emerging forms of mobile payments,
represent the next generation of POS systems.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 A point-of-sale terminal is a hardware system for processing card payments at retail

locations.
 NCR developed the first PoS system. 1  In recent times, the market has grown to
include technology companies like Square.
 PoS terminals started out as manually-operated machines, transformed into mobile
PoSes with bar codes and scanners, and now are moving towards cloud-based PoS
systems.

How a Point-of-Sale Terminal Works

When a credit card or debit card is used to pay for something, a conventional point-of-
sale (POS) terminal first reads the magnetic strip to check for sufficient funds to transfer to
the merchant, then makes the transfer. The sale transaction is recorded and a receipt is
printed or sent to the buyer via email or text. Merchants can either buy or lease a POS
terminal, depending on how they prefer to manage cash flows. Buying a system involves
higher upfront costs while leasing levels out monthly payments, though total lease payments
may end up being more than a one-time purchase over the useful life of the system.

The current trend is away from traditional proprietary hardware and toward software-based
POS systems that can be loaded into a tablet or other mobile device. To stay ahead of the
curve, POS terminal makers are introducing their own versions of portable and mobile POS
devices.

Such devices can be seen at busy retail stores and restaurants where owners are cognizant of
the fact that customers generally do not like waiting around to pay for a product or meal.
Price, function, and user-friendliness are important criteria for POS system purchasers.
Extremely important in the growing interconnected world is the security of the systems.
Some high-profile hacks of customer data have occurred through POS terminals that did not
have updated operating systems.

Point-of-Sale (POS) Terminal Pioneers

The first point of sale system was developed by the National Cash Register (NCR)—the
company responsible for a majority of cash registers in the world today. The company
integrated new technology, such as bar codes and scanners developed during the 1980s, to
convert manual cash registers into mobile sale systems.
Square, Inc. has been an innovator in the PoS space in recent times. It introduced hardware
and software "to transform the checkout process and advance digital and mobile commerce
by untethering sales from long lines and antiquated cash registers," according to the
company in its Form S-1 filing.2

Its systems interface directly with the payment card networks, lifting the burden of
maintaining compliance with rules and regulations of the payment industry off the shoulders
of merchants. Business analytics in the company's POS systems is also another attractive
feature. However, this is a field with relatively low entry barriers—Square may have been
the pioneer, but there are many competitors.

ATM

What Is an Automated Teller Machine (ATM)?

An automated teller machine (ATM) is an electronic banking outlet that allows customers to
complete basic transactions without the aid of a branch representative or teller. Anyone with
a credit card or debit card can access cash at most ATMs.

ATMs are convenient, allowing consumers to perform quick self-service transactions such
as deposits, cash withdrawals, bill payments, and transfers between accounts. Fees are
commonly charged for cash withdrawals by the bank where the account is located, by the
operator of the ATM, or by both. Some or all of these fees can be avoided by using an ATM
operated directly by the bank that holds the account.

ATMs are known in different parts of the world as automated bank machines (ABM) or cash
machines.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Automated teller machines (ATMs) are electronic banking outlets that allow people
to complete transactions without going into a branch of their bank.
 Some ATMs are simple cash dispensers while others allow a variety of transactions
such as check deposits, balance transfers, and bill payments.
 The first ATMs appeared in the mid- to late-1960s and have grown in number to over
2 million worldwide.
 Today's ATMs are technological marvels, many capable of accepting deposits as
well as several other banking services.
 To keep ATM fees down, use an ATM branded by your own bank as often as
possible.

Understanding Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)

The first ATM appeared at a branch of Barclay's Bank in London in 1967, 1  though there are
reports of a cash dispenser in use in Japan in the mid-1960s. 2  The interbank communications
networks that allowed a consumer to use one bank's card at another bank's ATM came later,
in the 1970s.
Within a few years, ATMs had spread around the globe, securing a presence in every major
country. They now can be found even in tiny island nations such as Kiribati and the
Federated States of Micronesia.3

Types of ATMs

There are two primary types of ATMs. Basic units only allow customers to withdraw cash
and receive updated account balances. The more complex machines accept deposits,
facilitate line-of-credit payments and transfers, and access account information.

To access the advanced features of the complex units, a user often must be an account holder
at the bank that operates the machine.

Analysts anticipate ATMs will become even more popular and forecast an increase in the
number of ATM withdrawals. ATMs of the future are likely to be full-service terminals
instead of or in addition to traditional bank tellers.

 
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts can now buy and sell Bitcoin and other crypto tokens via Bitcoin
ATMs, internet-connected terminals that will dispense cash in return for crypto or accept
cash or credit card to purchase. There are now nearly 10,000 Bitcoin ATMs located
throughout the world.5

ATM Design Elements

Although the design of each ATM is different, they all contain the same basic parts:

 Card reader: This part reads the chip on the front of the card or the magnetic stripe
on the back of the card.
 Keypad: The keypad is used by the customer to input information, including
personal identification number (PIN), the type of transaction required, and the
amount of the transaction.
 Cash dispenser: Bills are dispensed through a slot in the machine, which is
connected to a safe at the bottom of the machine.
 Printer: If required, consumers can request receipts that are printed here. The receipt
records the type of transaction, the amount, and the account balance.
 Screen: The ATM issues prompts that guide the consumer through the process of
executing the transaction. Information is also transmitted on the screen, such as
account information and balances.

Full-service machines now often have slots for depositing paper checks or cash.

Special Considerations: Using ATMs

Banks place ATMs inside and outside of their branches. Other ATMs are located in high-
traffic areas such as shopping centers, grocery stores, convenience stores, airports, bus and
railway stations, gas stations, casinos, restaurants, and other locations. Most ATMs that are
found in banks are multi-functional, while others that are offsite tend to be primarily or
entirely designed for cash withdrawals.
ATMs require consumers to use a plastic card—either a bank debit card or a credit card—to
complete a transaction. Consumers are authenticated by a PIN before any transaction can be
made.

Many cards come with a chip, which transmits data from the card to the machine. These
work in the same fashion as a bar code that is scanned by a code reader.

ATM Fees

Account-holders can use their bank's ATMs at no charge, but accessing funds through a unit
owned by a competing bank usually incurs a fee. According to MoneyRates.com,
the average total fees to withdraw cash from an out-of-network ATM was $4.55 as of 2021. 7

Some banks will reimburse their customers for the fee, especially if there is no
corresponding ATM available in the area.

So, if you're one of those people who draws weekly spending money from an ATM, using
the wrong machine could cost you nearly $240 a year.

ATM Ownership

In many cases, banks and credit unions own ATMs. However, individuals and businesses
may also buy or lease ATMs on their own or through an ATM franchise. When individuals
or small businesses, such as restaurants or gas stations own ATMs, the profit model is based
on charging fees to the machine's users.

Banks also own ATMs with this intent. They use the convenience of an ATM to attract
clients. ATMs also take some of the customer service burdens from bank tellers, saving
banks money in payroll costs.

Using ATMs Abroad

ATMs make it simple for travelers to access their checking or savings accounts from almost
anywhere in the world.

Travel experts advise consumers to use foreign ATMs as a source of cash abroad, as they
generally receive a more favorable exchange rate than they would at most currency
exchange offices.

However, the account holder's bank may charge a transaction fee or a percentage of the
amount exchanged. Most ATMs do not list the exchange rate on the receipt, making it
difficult to track spending.

How Much Can You Withdraw From an ATM?

The amount that you can withdraw from an ATM per day, per week, or per month will vary
based on your bank and account status at that bank. For most account holders, for instance,
Capital One imposes a $1,000 daily ATM withdrawal limit and Well Fargo just $300. 8  You
may be able to get around these limits by calling your bank to request permission or
upgrading your banking status by depositing more funds.
 How Do You Make a Deposit at an ATM?

If you are a bank's customer you may be able to deposit cash or checks via one of their
ATMs. To do this, you may simply need to insert the checks or cash directly into the
machine. Other machines may require you to fill out a deposit slip and put the money into an
envelope before inserting it into the machine. For a check, be sure to endorse the back of
your check and also note "for deposit only" to be safe.

Data capturing system

Data capture refers to the process of collecting information from any type of structured or
unstructured document and transforming it into a computer-readable data form for further
use.

Technological advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have taken data
capture to new heights.

A classic example of data capture being used is a hospital pharmacy. Data capture technology
is used to extract data for medicines or medical equipment billed in sales and to automatically
calculate stock left for those relevant items ensuring a smooth flow of information in
inventory management.

Data Capture Process

For most businesses, the data capturing process begins with a form filled by an individual.
Digitizing the collected information makes the data more accessible. A data capture form is
designed with designated spaces or boxes. This facilitates accurate data extraction,
consumption of less disk space, faster validation, and reduced search-time of information on
databases.

Data capture can be done by using different methods or tools. Businesses can use data
capturing tools that are compatible, organize workflows, and allow rapid movement of data to
required destinations. These tools make the collection process simple, accurate, fast,
transparent, and effective.

Methods of Data Capture

Data capture has been used in one form or the other for decades now. The method of data
capture used depends on the type of business and information required. Capturing data from
written forms, emails, PDF files, etc. is all made possible using the right kind of technology.

Let’s explore in detail the different methods used to capture data today.

 Manual Data Capture: This method uses manual keying of required data from written
forms into a computer for digitized access. It is suitable for businesses where the volume of
data is low and variable. Manual data capture depends on human labor making it
susceptible to errors or data omissions, the very reason why automated data capture
technology is becoming an ideal solution.
 Automated Data Capture: Automated data capture ensures that businesses can function
smoothly not only by managing data but also by reducing cost and labor inefficiency.
 Varied forms of data capture are available to suit the requirements of different businesses,
the types of which are detailed below.
o OCR: Optical Character Recognition technology identifies machine-generated
characters and typefaces to extract text from scanned documents, PDF files, etc. for
editing. OCR is widely used in healthcare, insurance, and finance where there is a high
volume of data with similar nature.
o ICR: Intelligent Character Recognition is the next-generation technology of OCR. It is
designed to read handwritten characters of any font from forms and convert them into
meaningful data for further use. Banks and finance organizations adopt ICR technology
solutions for their businesses.
o IDR: Intelligent Document Recognition combines AI technologies such as natural
language processing(NLP), OCR, Computer Vision, etc. to recognize patterns, index
them on content type, and verify against lookup tables for accuracy. IDR is used mainly
for forms or invoice processing, customer service interactions, mailrooms, and more.
 Barcodes and QR codes: Barcode technology contains encrypted information as 1D
barcodes that are read using a barcode scanner. The technology is accurate and used on
shop floors to track inventory or employee logs, check patient details in hospitals, print
bank passbooks, and so on. Quick Response (QR) codes, also called 2D barcodes, are more
complex. They are useful to capture documents, webpages, etc. for a variety of purposes.
QR codes are popularly used in shop establishments, courier services, advertising, product
packaging, etc.
 OMR: The Optical Mark Reading technology is an electronic data capture method that
identifies human-filled data such as darkened fields or checkboxes in a document. Its high
accuracy makes it an ideal tool for use in survey forms, ballots, or objective-type
examinations
 Digital forms: This method facilitates data capture through the web or a mobile
application. It is customizable and eliminates the need for paper-based forms. Done online,
data can also be integrated easily with back-end systems for security and instant access.
 Digital Signatures: Considered equal to a handwritten signature, digital signatures are used
to authorize approvals and permissions in computerized messages or documents. They are
legal, tamper-proof, and provide high security against impersonation.
 Web Scraping: This type of data capture uses tools called web bots or web crawlers to
search and collect specific data from the World Wide Web and transfer it to relevant
databases for use. Web scraping can collect changing data such as news updates, policy or
price changes, forex, weather, stock markets, and more.
 Magnetic Stripe Cards: These cards contain encoded data via magnetic stripes that are
decoded using reader devices. They are quite safe and used in credit/ debit cards, ID cards,
access cards in hotel rooms, and transport cards.
 MICR: Magnetic Ink Character Recognition recognizes data encoded in magnetic ink-
printed machine characters using a MICR reader. Banks use this highly accurate
technology to process and clear cheques quickly for payments.
 Smart Cards: Used for identification purposes, smart cards store encrypted information on
a microprocessor chip for added protection. Organizations use smart cards for employee
identification and chip-based smart debit cards enable secure financial transactions.
 Voice Capture: This type of data capturing uses speech recognition technology to process
data. It is programmed to understand and interpret words or spoken commands and can be
used for voice-based access, setting reminders, placing weather or music requests, etc.
Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Apple’s Siri are classic examples of voice
capture technology.
 Video/ Image Capture: Image or video capture uses AI technology to identify and extract
accurate data regarding individuals. Useful for real-time analysis of data, it finds vast
applications in workplace security, database matching, security scanning at airports,
biometric identification, and theft prevention.
Why Use Automated Data Capture

Automated data capture can help organizations reduce human dependency and promote the
smooth flow of business processes. Data capturing technology makes data readily available
from any document workflow, reducing cost and human effort in the process.

AI technology has phenomenally enhanced the way data is procured and processed. It mimics
human intelligence to perform cognitive capture of data with accuracy and speed. The
availability of content at the right place at the right time, makes it ideal for a business to
respond better to clients/customers and improve service efficiency.

Advantages of Using Automated Data Capture

Automated data capture provides leverage to organizations to smoothen data flow and stay on
top of their business. Let’s look at some of the major advantages that automated data capture
can provide to improve business efficiency.

 Lowers occurrence of errors: Automated data capture scores over manual data capture by
eliminating the risk of error. Since human effort is reduced, the accuracy of data is
heightened and the cost incurred to rectify an error is almost nil. Extraction of data
becomes easier leading to better efficiency

 Enhances employee satisfaction: Manual data capture can take a toll on human effort as it
is time-consuming and monotonous. This can lower productivity and result in lower
morale. Automated data capture technology can reduce workloads and monotony leading
to better focus on other important work. People too are happier to accomplish more
resulting in enhanced productivity and employee satisfaction.

 Reduces operational costs: Operational costs occur in every business and include
inventory, rent, payroll, and so on. Maintenance of manual data for these involves huge
costs besides being prone to human error. Automatic data capture helps to eliminate
additional costs by automatically updating data where required, leaving no room for errors.

 Enhances security and data storage: Paper documents are prone to damage and occupy
space through physical storage in files and folders. Confidential papers or documents also
need to be stored separately for restricted access. With data capture, all these restrictions
are removed. Encryptions protect data from unauthorized access, less disk space is used,
and backups prevent loss of data.
 Centralized Access: Many organizations require data in centralized locations. With
manual data that is near to impossible as it means constant investment in resources to get it
done. Automated data capture provides centralized access using cloud storage as a one-
stop solution. Hence, various people/departments with access permissions can get the
required data to complete business transactions without any delay.

 24/7 Availability: Businesses that have global operations need to ensure their availability
to customers across time zones. Similarly, industries such as health care, hospitality,
shipping need to have their data available at any time to ensure business efficiency. AI-
enabled automated data capturing helps such businesses achieve data availability during
non-working hours and without geographical restrictions.

 Improved customer service: Error-free data capture ensures top-quality data to enable a
better understanding of customers and client requirements. Businesses can make better
offers, lure more customers, and provide increased customer satisfaction while ensuring
better revenue.

 Better decision-making: Data capture can benefit decision-making to a great extent.

Thanks to the different forms of data capture available, businesses can collect more and
new information to implement detailed data analysis to ensure faster and profitable
decision-making.

Conclusion

Data capture has become an inevitable tool to drive businesses towards better functioning and
productivity. The advent of AI has enhanced the way data is captured to create new
possibilities. Data is exceedingly accurate, highly accessible, and has opened new gateways
for businesses to ensure they stay right on top. It is safe to say that automated data capture
technologies have truly become the game changers for businesses today!

Operating system

What is an operating system?

An operating system (OS) is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer
by a boot program, manages all of the other application programs in a computer. The
application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for services
through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly
with the operating system through a user interface, such as a command-line interface (CLI) or
a graphical UI (GUI).

Why use an operating system?

An operating system brings powerful benefits to computer software and software
development. Without an operating system, every application would need to include its own
UI, as well as the comprehensive code needed to handle all low-level functionality of the
underlying computer, such as disk storage, network interfaces and so on. Considering the vast
array of underlying hardware available, this would vastly bloat the size of every application
and make software development impractical.

Instead, many common tasks, such as sending a network packet or displaying text on a
standard output device, such as a display, can be offloaded to system software that serves as
an intermediary between the applications and the hardware. The system software provides a
consistent and repeatable way for applications to interact with the hardware without the
applications needing to know any details about the hardware.

As long as each application accesses the same resources and services in the same way, that
system software -- the operating system -- can service almost any number of applications.
This vastly reduces the amount of time and coding required to develop and debug an
application, while ensuring that users can control, configure and manage the system hardware
through a common and well-understood interface.

Once installed, the operating system relies on a vast library of device drivers to tailor OS
services to the specific hardware environment. Thus, every application may make a common
call to a storage device, but the OS receives that call and uses the corresponding driver to
translate the call into actions (commands) needed for the underlying hardware on that specific
computer. Today, the operating system provides a comprehensive platform that identifies,
configures and manages a range of hardware, including processors; memory devices and
memory management; chipsets; storage; networking; port communication, such as Video
Graphics Array (VGA), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and Universal Serial
Bus (USB); and subsystem interfaces, such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
(PCIe).

Functions of an operating system

An operating system provides three essential capabilities: It offers a UI through a CLI or
GUI; it launches and manages the application execution; and it identifies and exposes system
hardware resources to those applications -- typically, through a standardized API.

UI. Every operating system requires a UI, enabling users and administrators to interact with
the OS in order to set up, configure and even troubleshoot the operating system and its
underlying hardware. There are two primary types of UI available: CLI and GUI.
 The architecture of an OS

The CLI, or terminal mode window, provides a text-based interface where users rely on the
traditional keyboard to enter specific commands, parameters and arguments related to
specific tasks. The GUI, or desktop, provides a visual interface based on icons and symbols
where users rely on gestures delivered by human interface devices, such as touchpads,
touchscreens and mouse devices.

The GUI is most frequently used by casual or end users that are primarily interested in
manipulating files and applications, such as double-clicking a file icon to open the file in its
default application. The CLI remains popular among advanced users and system
administrators that must handle a series of highly granular and repetitive commands on a
regular basis, such as creating and running scripts to set up new personal computers (PCs) for
employees.

Application management. An operating system handles the launch and management of

every application. This typically supports an array of behaviors, including timesharing
multiple processes, or threads, so that various tasks can share the available processors' time;
handling interruptions that applications produce to gain a processor's immediate attention,
ensuring there is enough memory to execute the application and its corresponding data
without interfering with other processes; carrying out error handling that can gracefully
remove an application's processes; and performing memory management without disrupting
other applications or the OS.
An operating system can also support APIs that enable applications to utilize OS and
hardware functions without the need to know anything about the low-level OS or hardware
state. As an example, a Windows API can enable a program to obtain input from a keyboard
or mouse; create GUI elements, such as dialog windows and buttons; read and write files to a
storage device; and more. Applications are almost always tailored to use the operating system
on which the application intends to run.

Additionally, an operating system can perform the following services for applications:

 In a multitasking operating system, where multiple programs can be running at the same
time, the OS determines which applications should run in what order and how much time
should be allowed for each application before giving another application a turn.

 It handles input/output (I/O) to and from attached hardware devices, such as hard disks,
printers and dial-up ports.

 It sends messages to each application or interactive user -- or to a system operator --

about the status of operation and any errors that may have occurred.

 It can offload the management of batch jobs -- for example, printing -- so that the
initiating application is freed from this work.

 On computers that can provide parallel processing, an operating system can manage how
to divide the program so that it runs on more than one processor at a time.

All major computer platforms (hardware and software) require, and sometimes include, an
operating system, and operating systems must be developed with different features to meet
the specific needs of various form factors.

Device management. An operating system is responsible for identifying, configuring, and

providing applications with common access to underlying computer hardware devices. As the
OS recognizes and identifies hardware, the OS will install corresponding device drivers that
enable the OS and applications running on the OS to use the devices without any specific
knowledge of the hardware or devices.

Other Operating system functions

In any computer, the operating system:

 Controls the backing store and peripherals such as scanners and printers.
 Deals with the transfer of programs in and out of memory.
 Organises the use of memory between programs.
 Organises processing time between programs and users.
 Maintains security and access rights of users.
 Deals with errors and user instructions.
 Allows the user to save files to a backing store.
 Provides the interface between the user and the computer - for example, Windows
Vista and Apple OSX. For more information, see the User Interfaces study guide.
 Issues simple error messages.
In a larger computer such as a mainframe the operating system works on the same
principles.

Mobile operating System

A mobile operating system is an operating system that helps to run other application software
on mobile devices. It is the same kind of software as the famous computer operating systems
like Linux and Windows, but now they are light and simple to some extent.

The operating systems found on smartphones include Symbian OS, iPhone OS, RIM's

BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm WebOS, Android, and Maemo. Android, WebOS, and
Maemo are all derived from Linux. The iPhone OS originated from BSD and NeXTSTEP,
which are related to Unix.

It combines the beauty of computer and hand use devices. It typically contains a cellular
built-in modem and SIM tray for telephony and internet connections. If you buy a mobile, the
manufacturer company chooses the OS for that specific device.

Popular platforms of the Mobile OS

1. Android OS: The Android operating system is the most popular operating system today. It

is a mobile OS based on the Linux Kernel and open-source software. The android operating
system was developed by Google. The first Android device was launched in 2008.

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2. Bada (Samsung Electronics): Bada is a Samsung mobile operating system that was

launched in 2010. The Samsung wave was the first mobile to use the bada operating system.
The bada operating system offers many mobile features, such as 3-D graphics, application
installation, and multipoint-touch.

3. BlackBerry OS: The BlackBerry operating system is a mobile operating system

developed by Research In Motion (RIM). This operating system was designed specifically
for BlackBerry handheld devices. This operating system is beneficial for the corporate users
because it provides synchronization with Microsoft Exchange, Novell GroupWise email,
Lotus Domino, and other business software when used with the BlackBerry Enterprise
Server.
4. iPhone OS / iOS: The iOS was developed by the Apple inc for the use on its device. The
iOS operating system is the most popular operating system today. It is a very secure operating
system. The iOS operating system is not available for any other mobiles.

5. Symbian OS: Symbian operating system is a mobile operating system that provides a

high-level of integration with communication. The Symbian operating system is based on the
java language. It combines middleware of wireless communications and personal information
management (PIM) functionality. The Symbian operating system was developed by Symbian
Ltd in 1998 for the use of mobile phones. Nokia was the first company to release Symbian
OS on its mobile phone at that time.

6. Windows Mobile OS: The window mobile OS is a mobile operating system that was
developed by Microsoft. It was designed for the pocket PCs and smart mobiles.

7. Harmony OS: The harmony operating system is the latest mobile operating system that
was developed by Huawei for the use of its devices. It is designed primarily for IoT devices.

8. Palm OS: The palm operating system is a mobile operating system that was developed
by Palm Ltd for use on personal digital assistants (PADs). It was introduced in 1996. Palm
OS is also known as the Garnet OS.

9. WebOS (Palm/HP): The WebOS is a mobile operating system that was developed

by Palm. It based on the Linux Kernel. The HP uses this operating system in its mobile and
touchpads.