Shiji pairs Infrasys POS Move with FreedomPay so one handheld takes the order and the payment

Shiji has combined Infrasys POS Move with FreedomPay payment processing on one handheld device, so a server can take an order, manage the check, split the bill and take payment without switching hardware.

The device is the Castle S1F4 Pro. Shiji lists a 6.7 inch HD+ touchscreen, an octa-core processor, PCI PTS 6.x security certification and Android 13.

Why this matters at the table

The problem being solved is mundane and expensive. In most hotel outlets, taking an order and taking a payment happen on different devices, which means a walk to a fixed terminal, a queue behind it at the end of service, and a guest waiting while somebody fetches a card machine.

Combining them removes that trip. Shiji points at the places where it costs the most: restaurants, bars, lounges, pool service, conference venues, event spaces and leisure facilities. Pool and event service are the strongest cases, because there is no terminal nearby and the alternative is a server carrying a paper chit across a property.

For hotels, the folio angle matters too. Charging to the room and charging to a card at the point of service are the two things a server needs to do, and a handheld that does both means the choice stops being a workflow problem.

What Shiji has not said

A fair amount, and it makes this hard to plan around.

The update names no regions or markets. That is the first question to ask, because payment availability is jurisdictional: FreedomPay's acquiring coverage determines where this actually works, and the announcement is silent on it. If you operate outside the markets FreedomPay serves, none of this reaches you regardless of what your POS supports.

There is no availability date, no pricing, and no statement of which Infrasys versions or licences are required. There are no customer quotes and no numbers, so there is no evidence here about service speed or table turns, only the reasonable expectation that fewer trips to a terminal is faster.

The hardware commitment

Worth thinking about before you get attached to this. The workflow is tied to a specific device model, which means a hardware purchase, a device fleet to manage, and a dependency on that model staying available and supported.

Handhelds in food and beverage live hard lives. They get dropped, they get wet by the pool, batteries degrade over a season. Ask about the replacement path, battery life under a full service, how many devices you need per outlet, and what happens to in-progress checks when a device dies mid-service. Ask also whether a payment can be completed on a different device if the one holding the check fails, because that is the scenario that ruins a Saturday night.

What to do

If you already run Infrasys and your payments go through FreedomPay, this is a straightforward conversation with your Shiji contact about timing and cost.

If either half is missing, this is not a small change. Moving payment processing to FreedomPay to get a handheld workflow is a bigger decision than it looks, and should be priced as a payments decision rather than a POS one.