Portable data terminals and hand-held computers

A Portable data terminal (PDT) is a little hand-held device usually used for inventory control. PDT’s are generally used in the warehouse and are useful when making stock inventory counts, receiving merchandise from your suppliers or when shipping off goods to your customers. Typical portable data terminals are rugged and run Windows CE, Windows PocketPC or a proprietary operating system. They usually are equipped with a barcode, magnetic stripe or RFID reader and communicate with the POS or business software through a wireless connection (WiFi) or by synching the PDT with a data cable. Main manufacturers of portable data terminals include Intermec and Symbol.

Devices with more functionality than PDTs are generally called hand-held computers. They allow for more functionality such as creating purchase and sales documents, without needing a full POS system. Hand-held computers are of great use in big warehouses or on the road. They can be considered an extension of you Point Of Sale. Hand-held computers are common in bars and restaurants with big terraces. Modern hand-held tools include the possibility to print a receipt on a portable Bluetooth receipt printer and sometimes even contain a magnetic stripe reader to accept credit card payments. Hand-held solutions run on commonly available hardware on which special software has been installed.