Ingenico, Panasonic Deliver Contactless Payment Tablet

Through a partnership with Intel, terminal maker Ingenico Group has developed a contactless payment technology that is being used in a Panasonic tablet.

Ingenico says the integration into the Panasonic Toughpad marks a significant step in its year-long partnership with Intel, established to advance secure payments solutions into connected objects.

The tablet will feature a built-in contactless smart card reader and a slot for inserting chip cards for contact payments.

The rugged Panasonic tablets, which are designed to resist shock, dust and other hazards — the company's "torture test" video shows one of its devices surviving a dunk in a tank with piranhas — are recognized as the "de facto standard for mobile workers," Mark  Thorne, director of computer products solutions in Europe for Panasonic, said in a Jan. 14 press release.

The solution combines POS, business applications and payment acceptance capabilities in one tablet, the release states.

"A combined professional tablet with contactless payment allows retailers to process sales wherever they are in the store, while providing a safe and optimal shopping experience for their customers", Michel Léger, executive vice president of innovation at Paris-based Ingenico, said in the release.