| Device Profile: Banksys Xentissimo secure wireless payment terminal |
(Dec. 1, 2005)
 Belgian electronic payments specialist Banksys is shipping a Linux-powered secure payment terminal with cellular networking capabilities. The Xentissimo is a portable, battery-powered device based on an SoC (system-on-chip) with dual ARM cores, the company says. It targets on-the-road transactions, in-store promotions, and the hospitality sector.
The Xentissimo secure wireless payment terminal
The Xentissimo operates on rechargable lithium-ion batteries that support up to 300 transactions with printed receipts between charges, Banksys claims. It is available with a variety of wireless networking options, including 802.11 (WiFi), and two varieties of tri-band GSM/GPRS (900-1800-1900 MHz, and 850-1800-1900 MHz).
What's under the hood?
The Xentissimo is based on the same SoC as the company's cube-shaped Xenta secure payment terminal for fixed applications. That device enjoyed one of the most widespread deployments of any embedded Linux device in Belgium, according to embedded development specialist Mind, which developed the Linux port for the product.
The Xentissimo's embedded computer is built around a dual-core SoC with two 32-bit ARM processor cores, along with 32MB each of Flash and RAM memory. The SoC integrates various cryptographic accelerators, allowing the Xentissimo to support DES, 3DES, AES, and RSA encryption, along with master/session and DUKPT key management, and SSL. Additional security capabilities are available upon request, Bansys says.
Other features
The Xentissimo includes a built-in thermal printer that uses 58mm wide, 10M long rolls of paper. It also has a backlit 128 x 64 pixel LCD display, and the "ergonomic" keypad is also backlit, and shrouded by a patented revolving privacy shield, Banksys says.
The Xentissimo boasts a triple-track ISO 1/2/3 magnetic stripe reader, Banksys says, along with a chip-card interface that conforms to EMV 4.1 level 1. It also has a serial interface for attachment to electronic cash registers or other devices. It further offers dual SAM type ID 0 slots, and one SIM slot.
The Xentissimo measures 7.3 x 2.6 x 1.6 inches (185 x 75 x 40 mm), and weighs about 14 ounces (380 grams), including printer, paper, and battery. It is available with a belt-clip, as well as a cradle for table operation, and comes with an adapter/charger.
The device is specified for operation between -10 and 50 degrees Celsius, and between 20 and 95 percent non-condensing humidity. It can withstand drops up to 1.2 meters (about 4.75 feet). It complies with the European Union's RoHS act (reduction of hazardous substances), according to Banksys.
On the software side, the device runs a "full-featured Linux operating system," Banksys says. A Java/C++ SDK (software development kit) is available for the device.
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