While I think that POS capability is essential to really see bitcoin take off in the brick and mortar retail setting, I'd like to point out that merchants don't really NEED all the stuff that was mentioned in the above abbreviated quoted post. Merchants already have their inventory control systems and cash systems and so on. Those systems are in place. What they really need is the bitcoin software that taps into that existing system.

For example: If you're going to pay with bitcoin, rather than getting a "slide your card" command on the card reader, maybe it pops up the QR code with the amount of sale. The buyer then reads that code from within whatever bitcoin app and whalla! Sale closed. If the merchant wants to expedite confirmation, they can add that fee into the price (or eat it, the way they already do with credit and debit card purchases). Again, this is already native to the existing bitcoin system. And from the merchant's perspective, it would be a "merchant services fee" or "bank transaction fee" on the accounting end. Again, their software already handles that. The bitcoin software would simply have to tap into their API.

Just my 0.02 BTC on mechant POS.