Why and how to use an iPad for a Kiosk?
Why and how to use an iPad for a Kiosk? Besides iPad being great consumer devices they have quickly been adopted for Kiosk Use. There are many great Kiosk software apps that allow for all types of use. Two great examples are KioskPro and Pad Lock. These apps are great for simple single use Kiosk applications. Video and Data can be shown and input via a users touch. Simple, effective and more interactive than similar sized systems that are proprietary and more expensive. Large companies are creating their own apps that integrate into their existing software systems. Some examples would be merchant services, discount promotions, point of sale software and digital signage. Some of these integrated apps use the iPad camera for bar code or QR codes or a card reader through the data port on the iPad Kiosk. The iPad Kiosk can be more cost effective in small and large rollouts both mobile and fixed mount. There are some considerations that need to be addressed with all iPad Kiosk solutions. Is wifi or 3g needed for data mining? 3G is an easy solution for managing internet connectivty. Using 3g gives you a slower but more robust connection than relying on a third party wifi signal. Many digital signage companies have been using 3g for years so they did not incur the cost of bringing in internet connections and or relying on a locations wifi connection and firewall. If you are going to share a wifi connection be prepared to address security concerns with the locations IT department. Also plan on some wifi connectivity problems as wifi can have issues depending where you have placed the iPad and the traffic on the wifi connection. Power is another concern. You will need constant power to the iPad. Battery backup can be used as a temporary mobile solution when needed. The iPad Kiosk power should not be easily accessible. If the power is tampered with you risk losing important data and require costly service calls. Lastly what functionally is needed from hard buttons and inputs? It's a good idea to make sure the iPad Kiosk hard buttons that are not needed are hidden. An example may be the menu button as this would allow a user to possibly exit the kiosk app. The power button if exposed could allow user to shut off your kiosk. These features can be specified when purchasing your iPad Kiosk enclosure. There are many iPad enclosure solutions available. From plastic to metal they can be found with key locks or security screws. Can be tabletop, wall mounted or swivel mounted and come in a variety of colors. Prices range from $189.00 to $499.00. We are in the early adoption of iPad as Kiosk but as the price decreases in the tablet market you will see more of these devices used as Kiosk.
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I bow down humbly in the persecne of such greatness.
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