Android For Digital Signage: A Closer Look At Nanonation’s Showcase

April 17, 2013 by Dave Haynes

This is the fourth in a running series of closer looks at digital signage solution providers who have started working with the Android operating system and low-cost, ultra-small ARM processors.

At least 20 companies have introduced products based on the open-source Android operating system that is very widely used for smart devices like handsets and tablets, all of them using CPUs based on ARM reference designs. Most smartphones and tablets use ARM.

It is likely that much of the industry will shift to ARM-based devices using Android or Linux in the next 1-3 years because ARM devices now rival the processing power of lower cost x86 personal computing devices, but at a fraction of the cost and, in most cases, size.

NANONATION

Nanonation has been a long-time player and innovator in the digital signage sector – working with the Mac OS when people were still wondering why and seeing the retail opportunities for the iPad pretty much the day the product was first announced.

The Lincoln, Nebraska-based company is also well known for its retail-centric work with clients like Build-A-Bear, Mazda and Harley-Davidson.

Nano has had, which was news to me, an Android offer since last August. Unlike some other companies, it has focused on the software side and does not have a specific, branded device it sells. Instead, it has at least a couple (like the one below) it recommends, and intends to broaden that count as it grows more comfy with what’s coming over by the container from China. They cost roughly $150 with a one-year warranty.

Geniatech_Option2

The company says its  Android digital signage solution leverages its CommandPoint content management system, which supports tens of thousands of digital signs, digital audio, and interactive solutions worldwide. The solution is now available on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms. The Android solution was developed to provide an attractive hardware price point for deployers of digital signs, in-store music systems, and digital menu boards.

The Android offer is part of what Nanonation calls its Showcase product.

Nanonation and Android

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