Microsoft Windows® Embedded POSReady 7 (POS = Point of Service) is a cheaper version of Windows® 7 that has been optimized for retail point-of-service (POS) devices. POSReady 7 is based on Windows® 7 (POSReady 2009 on XP Professional). Point of Service delivers improved customer service through the use of flexible devices such as self-checkout stations, self-service kiosks, information kiosks, food ordering kiosks, and more.
Specifically, it provides the following advantages:

• POSReady 7 is the point-of-service operating system platform that is easier to install, setup and manage. No activation like Windows® 7 Professional is needed. POSReady is the first POS operating system platform to provide plug and play peripheral support, enabling retailers to quickly install and integrate current and legacy retail device peripherals into a point-of-service system. This standard platform is also optimized for retail and hospitality applications and provides support for familiar network management technologies.
• POSReady empowers retailers to create the most compelling customer interactions by providing retail-specific technologies and full support for standard retail applications and device peripherals.
• POSReady provides low retail point-of-service life cycle costs by decreasing operating system and application development costs, deployment costs, servicing, and maintenance costs as well as POS hardware costs while providing the longest published product support life cycle for point-of-service systems until 2026. Microsoft has designed Windows® Embedded for Point of Service to enable OEM partners to build POS devices that provide the functionality that retail customers desire. It provides a standard, retail-optimized platform that ISVs can use as a flexible, secure foundation for POS applications targeted to the retail marketplace. It also provides support for device peripherals that implement the Unified POS (UPOS) specifications, enabling peripheral vendors to integrate their devices into a POSReady based POS system easily.

Find here an Overview Datasheet about Microsoft POSReady 7.
Visit the secured download section for an Overview Presentation about Microsoft POSReady.

POSReady System and POS.net Layer

POSReady System overview

POSReady 7 comes with all of the tools needed to design, create, build Windows® Embedded for Point of Service. It enables original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners to build easy-to-use, secure, cost-effective POS solutions that provide the broad range of functionality that retail customers want. Based on the technologies available in Windows® 7 with Service Pack 1, Windows® Embedded for Point of Service provides POS platform Plug-n-Play functionality for retail device peripherals. It also provides support for device peripherals that implement the Unified POS interoperability specifications published by the Association of Retail Technology Standards (ARTS). This includes peripherals based on OLE for point of sale (OPOS) and JavaPOS (JPOS) implementations, as well as peripherals based on the POS for .NET implementation. Windows® Embedded for Point of Service enables peripheral vendors to integrate their devices into a POSready based POS system easily and ensures that the operating system provides lower development, deployment, management, and hardware costs than other POS environments. Microsoft has committed to support POSReady for up to 15 years after its initial release. So retailers and OEMs are assured that Microsoft is supporting their needs for the life cycle of the next generation of POS systems.

POS.net Layer

• .NET class library based on UPOS 1.9
• Supports legacy (COM-based) COs/SOs
• API for enumeration of POS devices
• Exposes plug-n-play notifications as UPOS-like events
• Exposes device statistics as PerfMon counters
• Instantiation of service objects
• Unified POS/ OPOS/ JavaPOS support
• Win32 and .NET framework
• Java VM support.

Windows® Embedded POSReady 7 Key Features