ne thing is true about the times we live in: The choices we have for keeping ourselves plugged in are plentiful.

Electronic gadgets that hang from holsters on our belts are the modern day equivalent of the pistols that cowboys carried in the old West. We're armed and can usually stay in touch by making phone calls and accessing the Internet when we want and from wherever we are.

Another thing is true about the times we live in: We sure have a lot of ways to send and receive information-not to mention a lot of things to carry around with us.

With so many available options for communicating, it seems logical to combine some of them and put them to work filling more than one purpose. Until recently, hurdles along the way to smoothly integrating the various systems and components have hampered the ability to use one tool for many jobs.

Especially in payments, taking advantage of advances in wireless technology, including better nationwide coverage, and connecting cell phones or personal data assistants (PDAs) and peripherals such as card readers or receipt printers to payment networks, gateways and processors hasn't been easy. Too many requirements involved in communicating all that information resulted in data that were too often lost in translation.

That's where AIRCHARGE comes in. Providing 'swiped' wireless payment solutions for processing credit card transactions and check guarantee using cell phones and PDAs, the company simplifies the connection between the origin and completion of those transactions. Its solutions are making it possible for merchants to conduct business at remote locations in order to optimize their opportunities for sales.

The idea for AIRCHARGE came together in an unlikely setting. Robert Wallace, the company's President, said he and a few friends were enjoying lunch with their kids at a hamburger place.

Their backgrounds were varied-some knew cellular, others knew merchant services and processing, programming and engineering or equipment set-up and deployment. While the kids played on the climbing equipment, he and the company's other founding partners jotted down ideas on napkins.

"All the pieces fell into place that day," Wallace said.

AIRCHARGE has been in business since 1999. Changes in technology since then-in wireless networks, software and hardware-have led to solutions that are less complicated and more cost effective than they have ever been. And AIRCHARGE has been instrumental in putting all those innovations together to create opportunities for merchants who may have shied away from wireless transactions in the past.

AIRCHARGE does not offer credit card merchant accounts or sell cell phones or PDAs. Instead, its solutions provide a catalyst to bring providers of merchant accounts and electronic communications tools together, expanding the reach to potential customers on both sides.

"In a simplified form, we take a cell phone or PDA, load software and pair it with a gateway," Wallace said.

"There are three pieces to the equation: the type of wireless device the end user has, which front end processor they use and what payment gateway is compatible. Our software is then configured to work with the swipe or swipe/printer equipment and the gateway," he said.

AIRCHARGE writes software that enables the hardware-including cell phones, PDAs, card readers and printers-to communicate the transaction information with payment gateways and front-end processors.

AIRCHARGE focuses on providing low-cost solutions to the merchant services industry to in turn offer their own customers reliable, affordable ways to make use of innovations in wireless technology.

Who's using AIRCHARGE solutions? They're designed for merchants who need to process transactions without the benefit of access to a landline terminal-and that's a broad sector of the market.

Plumbers, heating/AC technicians, taxi and limo drivers, shuttle services, locksmiths, delivery drivers, field salespeople, conventions center vendors and police departments are among those processing wireless payments thanks to AIRCHARGE.

One retailer implementing its solution on a grand scale is Jordan Kitt's Music, the largest piano and keyboard retailer on the East Coast. In addition to its own store locations, Jordan Kitt's Music participates in roughly 40 outside sales events every year at warehouse club stores.

The piano retailer is not allowed access to the club store's POS network for card authorizations and the wireless access service provided by its processor didn't give adequate in-store coverage; slow transactions, broken connections and unavailable service were common. Lost sales, and even worse, having to re-contact customers if a card that had been manually processed came back declined, were not unusual.

Representatives at the outside sales events now use a cell phone with an attached card reader and printer running AIRCHARGE software. Transactions are processed within 30 seconds, according to Tom Budsock, Controller at Jordan Kitt's Music.

Wallace described another area contributing to strong growth for his company-furniture delivery. One advantage the AIRCHARGE system provides retailers is less expensive swiped-card transaction fees.

For businesses like furniture companies, this can mean big savings. "They're taking big-dollar amounts-for a $13,000 transaction, the lower rates for swiped transactions can save them $60," he said. "They're getting better rates, fast card approvals and they're saving on back-end, administration and operation costs."

They also save money on the cell phone/PDA/card reader/printer configuration, which costs less than a wireless terminal would. Merchants can run multiple units on one account and terminal number, too; each unit is reported and totaled for easier backroom operations.

Transaction information is extremely secure on the AIRCHARGE system, Wallace said. It does not provide solutions using infrared or Bluetooth devices, or those that will not allow 128 bit security.

"It's more secure than phone lines," he said. "128 bit is very powerful security. There are three billion trillion possible encryption keys for any transaction. You use one key for each transaction and you have to be able to break the code for each key to get one credit card number."

The company does not use proprietary hardware in its solutions and has been certified and recognized by several major processors, wireless carriers and electronic equipment manufacturers.

In fact, AIRCHARGE says it offers more compatible hardware devices and cellular carrier choices than any other company, making it easier for its resellers, including ISOs and MLSs, to create made-to-fit solutions for their customers.

Resellers, or VAR partners, include banks, ISOs and cell phone dealers. According to Wallace, cellular and financial services are another excellent, mutually beneficial match. "If there are two industries that fit the VAR profile, it's cell phone retailers and MLSs," he said.

Most of AIRCHARGE's reseller base comes from referrals from companies that work with its partnering gateways or cell phone dealers-and word of mouth.

The solutions are easy to integrate, learn and use. Wallace said that AIRCHARGE resellers ask for help initially with one or two customers; after that, they're able to assess merchant needs and make decisions about the best equipment and gateway for them. He said that 70% of its resellers send orders directly to AIRCHARGE for shipping-the level of trust is that high.

Merchant support includes training by phone; information is also available for access on the Web. "Once we get them set up, we usually don't hear from them again," Wallace said.

AIRCHARGE offers buy-rates and pays monthly commissions. "We have a Value Added Reseller program that allows companies to make money on the AIRCHARGE solutions as well as ongoing additional revenues generated from our payment gateway partners," he said.

Wallace emphasizes that one of the company's main goals is to never compete with its reseller partners. "We don't want to step on our VARs' toes," he said. "We made that decision early on. We don't sell merchant services and we don't sell cell phones."

Wallace said that his company is dedicated to keeping ahead of what everyone else is doing in order to offer competitive solutions. Upcoming programs include AIRCHECKZ, which will enable check conversion on wireless devices. The company is also currently developing Java-based solutions for additional cellular carriers, 802.11b connectivity and an integrated GPS solution.

At AIRCHARGE, making the best use of all the tools of the trade has just been a matter of seeing the possibilities and making all the pieces fall into place.