The world’s first Point-Of-Sale (POS) system has been released.
The Casascius Bitcoin POS system is a desktop retail point-of-sale acceptance system for Bitcoin “in a box”. The system is based on a VeriFone Vx510 or Vx570 payment terminal, and allows merchants to easily accept Bitcoin payments from customers. It can optionally allow merchants to dispense (sell) Bitcoins.
The POS system features an Ethernet network connection, a 128×64 pixel backlit monochrome display, a receipt printer, and a 24-key keypad, all in a compact terminal. The Vx570 terminal also includes a USB port, to which a QR barcode scanner can be attached.
The POS system is a client-server application with the client application run on the payment terminal, and the server application run on any machine that is available to the shop. Known herein as Somebody, Inc.
The POS system acts as a client for a central server run by Somebody, Inc. It does not maintain a Bitcoin block chain, but rather, sends SSL-encrypted queries to servers belonging to Somebody, Inc. in order to retrieve rate quotes and perform transactions. Consequently, it requires a constant Internet connection in order to function. Transactions cannot take place and rates cannot be quoted without a functional connection to the Internet.
The POS system and its server are an open source project that is mainly in the planning stage. The POS system is not fully functional.
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