A credit card with a built-in microprocessor and memory used for identification or financial transactions. When inserted into a reader, it transfers data to and from a central computer. It is more secure than a magnetic stripe card and can be programmed to self-destruct if the wrong password is entered too many times. As a financial transaction card, it can be loaded with digital money and used like a travelers check, except that variable amounts of money can be spent until the balance is zero. See digital money, SIM, Java Card, UltraCard and contactless smart card.
The Smart Card
Widely used in Europe, the smart card is rapidly gaining acceptance in North America.
Reading Smart Cards on Laptops
SwapSmart from SCM is a PCMCIA card that contains a smart card drive. SwapSmart plugs into the laptop, and the smart card plugs into SwapSmart. (Image courtesy of SCM Microsystems Inc., www.scmmicro.com)
Smarty Turned a Floppy Drive into a Reader
Fischer International's Smarty allowed a PC's floppy drive to read smart cards. The card was inserted into Smarty, whose circuits emulated the magnetic field of a rotating floppy disk and transferred the data to the floppy's read/write head. (Image courtesy of Fischer International Systems Corporation.)
The Smart Card
Widely used in Europe, the smart card is rapidly gaining acceptance in North America.
Reading Smart Cards on Laptops
SwapSmart from SCM is a PCMCIA card that contains a smart card drive. SwapSmart plugs into the laptop, and the smart card plugs into SwapSmart. (Image courtesy of SCM Microsystems Inc., www.scmmicro.com)
Smarty Turned a Floppy Drive into a Reader
Fischer International's Smarty allowed a PC's floppy drive to read smart cards. The card was inserted into Smarty, whose circuits emulated the magnetic field of a rotating floppy disk and transferred the data to the floppy's read/write head. (Image courtesy of Fischer International Systems Corporation.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Mainstream media writes Windows obit
- Mainstream media writes Windows obitMS should have never...killed off XP. Especially when such a huge segment of the market is tired of being forced fed what they do not want.This article makes a good point about users beginning to realize that as long as they can hit the web rather...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-05
- 2011, A News Odyssey: Digg-ing Meets Up With Digging
- The crossover is close. The Internet is poised to overtake the newspaper industry in total size as an advertising medium. And the question is whether it can also overtake it as a news medium. Says here, the year will be 2011. That is likely to be when...
- Blog posts 2008-09-05
- Echelon wins smart meter project in Germany; plus insight on smart grid in Europe
- A reseller for smart grid technology player Echelon announced a deal this week to deploy an advanced metering infrastructure system that will serve roughly 10,000 customers in Hassfurt, Germany. The contract, which will be rolled out over the next three years, is being handled by EVB Energie AG. The utility...
- Blog posts 2008-09-05
- Google Chrome vulnerabilities starting to pile up
- [ UPDATE: See below for Google's official response to these issues ] Security vulnerabilities in the new Google Chrome browser are beginning to pile up. Following our coverage of the carpet bombing combo threat and denial-of-service crashes, several readers have sent pointers to...
- Blog posts 2008-09-05
- Wireless Access: What Price Speed
- Wireless Access: What Price SpeedQuick Question.....Why do people still stand for "locking-in" a 2 year contract to do anything with Verizon?No contract, free WIFI and same speed.... seem's like a no-brainer to me.RE: Wireless Access: What Price SpeedAt least here in NYC Metro area they have you coming and...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-05
- Seinfeld becomes McCain
- Seinfeld becomes McCainMyth?So, is John McCain's patriotism a myth? Perhaps his leadership abilities? Or maybe it is a myth that John McCain is actually qualified for the job of Commander in Chief?The only myth here relates to you feeling somehow qualified to offer political commentary.dude you really need...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-05
- Should political postings stay or go? A survey.
- Should political postings stay or go? A survey.Please Speak FreelyAdmittedly, the subject matter was off-topic but adding the occasional non-relevant opinion is a very human thing to do, certainly not to be chastised, regardless of idealogical objection.Kevin, G-Portal UKhttp://cms.da.gpRE: Should political postings stay or go? A survey.Mitch you have at...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-05
- Dolce Music Flash Cards (exe)
- Get a head start or improve skills in reading music notation with Dolce Music Flash Cards. Program features dual question counters, score counter, optional timer, and results of each round may be printed with student name and time/date stamp for record keeping. Round length and card selection limited. Version 3...
- Software downloads 2008-09-05
- Vista Audio Changer (zip)
- A system tray application which allows the user to switch their Default Audio Output Device at the click of a mouse - extremely useful for users with multiple sound cards, or multiple outputs on a single sound card. Version 1.01b has added Hotkey support and Device Ordering for computers which...
- Software downloads 2008-09-05
- First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?
- First Microsoft make-over ad airs: $300 million well spent?Hmmm ....Could be worse ....Homer: [narrating a TV commercial] Are you tired of having your hands cut off by snowblowers? And the inevitable heart attacks that come with shoveling snow?Maybe......they should hire the company that does the Mac commercials....
- Discussion threads 2008-09-04
- Microsoft finally earns a passing grade (barely) for WGA
- Microsoft launched its Windows Genuine Advantage WGA anti-piracy program in early summer 2006. Its first year was, to put it charitably, a disaster. An epic fail. A big fat F on the year's report card. Things didn't get much better in 2007, either, as a server failure and other outages...
- Blog posts 2008-09-04
- Is Microsoft is putting Windows 7 on a diet?
- Is Microsoft is putting Windows 7 on a diet?How did we not see this?This is brilliant on Microsoft's behalf. They do get rid of the anti-trust sentiments at least the plausible ones and still have their share in the market.Now, don't misunderstand me. It's going to take a lot more...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-04
- 81.2 mln smart meters in Europe by 2013
- According to Berg Insight, the installed base of smart electricity meters in Europe will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.6% between 2008 and 2013 to reach 81.2 mln at the end of the period. After massive rollouts in Italy and the Nordic countries, the turn has now...
- Blog posts 2008-09-04
- 81.2 mln smart meters in Europe by 2013
- According to Berg Insight, the installed base of smart electricity meters in Europe will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.6% between 2008 and 2013 to reach 81.2 mln at the end of the period. After massive rollouts in Italy and the Nordic countries, the turn has now...
- Blog posts 2008-09-04
- First 'Fiji' Media Center systems start rolling out
- First 'Fiji' Media Center systems start rolling outYes, they mustIf they want all of their products to be able to interoperate in a way that makes the end user happy, they have to create a way such that media can be transferred between zune, xbox, and media center. Why zune...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-04
- The power of standard protocols
- I've spent the past few months as the primary developer at a very small company. An important technology to this company is Instant Messaging, as it plays an essential part in our approach to unified messaging. This has meant that I have had to build, in-house, our...
- Blog posts 2008-09-04
- Wireless Access: What Price Speed
- Is Verizon missing a trick in its trench warfare with Cablevision? Or has the maverick cable operator found an Achilles heel in the telephone operator's methods of providing TV, phone and particularly Internet access to customers in the New York area – and possibly nationwide? One...
- Blog posts 2008-09-04
- My first Linux laptop is the Asus EeePC netbook
- My first Linux laptop is the Asus EeePC netbookTotally different machines.A netbook is a full laptop. Yes, the industry is trying to keep the impression that it is only for casual use, etc, but there is little only constrained by ram these netbooks can't do (well, with Linux). ...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-04
- Ten key differences between Linux and Windows
- Ten key differences between Linux and WindowsRe: Shouldn't this be titledNot everything; for example 1) hardware support - not all closed source OS has the same level of hardware support. 2) Command line vs no command line : Many closed source OS has fully functional command line support.3) Multilayered run...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-04
- Ten key differences between Linux and Windows
- Before debating the relative merits and shortcomings of Linux and Windows, it helps to understand the real distinctions between them. Before debating the relative merits and shortcomings of Linux and Windows, it helps to understand the real distinctions between them. Here are the key differences distilled into one list....
- News items 2008-09-04
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- ZDNet News Videos
-
Tech news covering the latest in products, conferences and blog commentary, from ZDNet video.
- Watch the latest video >>
- Demo: Virtualization with the Intel® Xeon® Processor
-
In this Flash demo, you'll learn about virtualization performance and features ideal for consolidation, load balancing, and disaster recovery with leading enterprise reliability.
- Watch how the Intel Xeon processor can increase performance and reliability of your servers >>
Ultraportables
- Understanding Ultraportable Laptops (BNET)
- Five steps to protect mobile devices anywhere, anytime (TechRepublic)
- View all ZDNet Toshiba laptop reviews
- From our sponsors
- Toshiba Satellite® U400 Series
-
- The ultra-portable, ultra-stylish Satellite® U405 is a smart choice for you and your small business. Only from the laptop expert, Toshiba. Explore the complete laptop lineup »
-
