Brother Announces an Entry in the Wireless Transaction Game

Brother International Corp., Bridgewater, N.J., a maker of office equipment such as computer printers and fax machines, has announced it is marketing a wireless device for use by mobile merchants and salespeople looking to be able to process credit card transactions in the field. The device, a Samsung SPH-i700 Pocket PC phone, is powered by mobile payment-processing software from MP2 Solutions and is linked via Bluetooth technology to a portable Brother printer, the MPrint micro printer, which is about the size of a paperback book. The Samsung handset comes equipped with a mag-stripe reader. In this way, the Brother system enables credit card transactions, captures digital signatures, and prints receipts. Brother says in a statement that the new technology allows the company to offer “mobility solutions” to its client base of corporate customers, adding the system is particularly suitable for home-based business owners as well as delivery persons.