Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Fox UK Using Handhelds to Manage DVD Sales, Inventory
Posted by Jason Dunn in "NEWS" @ 04:30 PM
"Ian Fisk, managing director of Zync, said his company developed a system for Fox built around a Hewlett-Packard Co. iPaq handheld beefed up with an add-on digital camera module that uses the computer's screen as a viewfinder. The system also includes a bar code scanner and a wireless modem that sends data back to Fox over a mobile network in the U.K. The network is operated by the T-Mobile division of Deutsche Telekom AG in Bonn; Extended Systems Inc. in Boise, Idaho, provided the synchronization software.
The camera is key to ensuring that retail outlets install the promotional displays Fox expects, Stevens said, with the wireless link providing near-real-time snapshots of displays as the field sales force uploads pictures from various stores in their territories. The bar code scanning system allowed Fox to automate an earlier paper-based process, cutting the time that field workers spent on inventory by 30% and slashing the time needed for manual data input."
The camera is key to ensuring that retail outlets install the promotional displays Fox expects, Stevens said, with the wireless link providing near-real-time snapshots of displays as the field sales force uploads pictures from various stores in their territories. The bar code scanning system allowed Fox to automate an earlier paper-based process, cutting the time that field workers spent on inventory by 30% and slashing the time needed for manual data input."
