Card Technology articles from August 2003

Card Technology archives from August 2003

Farewell To Britney And Friends.(Internet PLC closes its doors)
August 1, 2003... One of the industry's most talked-about stories last year was about a chip card that allowed fans of pop star Britney Spears to view photos and other material on her Web site that you could not see without the card. The company that developed...

PC Security Chip Gets Microsoft Backing.(firms are pushing ahead with plans to embed a smart card chip in personal computers and other devices)
August 1, 2003... An initiative with far-reaching implications for the smart card industry is gaining momentum, as such tech titans as Microsoft, IBM and Hewlett-Packard move forward with plans to embed a smart card chip in personal computers and other devices....

Visa Canada's Leisurely Road To Chip.(Canada's move to smart cards is up in the air)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... "Canada is joining the global migration to a new generation of Visa cards containing a chip," Visa Canada declared in a June press release. But just when the switch to smart cards will occur in Canada remains as much an open question as ever....

Cards in Canada.(there are 50 million credit cards and 38 million debit cards in use in Canada)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
August 1, 2003... Credit cards: 50 million Debit cards: 38 million POS terminals: 500,000 ATMs: 40,000 Source: Visa Canada, Interac, Canadian Bankers Association Copyright 2003 Thomson Media Inc. All Rights Reserved....

Chinese Operators Look To Java Card.(China Mobile and China Unicom are pushing for SIM cards with higher memory and more applications)
August 1, 2003... For the past few years, China has been in many ways a dumping ground for low-end subscriber identity module cards and the center of price wars among card vendors, both European and Chinese. That may be changing. While China's two wireless...

Card Technology Calendar.(upcoming card technology events)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Sept. 8-10: CardTech/SecurTech ID-Arlington, Va. Organized by CardTech/SecurTech For more information, contact CardTech/SecurTech at: Telephone: 800-442-CTST or +1 212-803-8777 E-mail: ctstinfothomsonmedia.com Web site:...

Regional News.(credit card industry news briefs)
August 1, 2003... Asia/Pacific China Moves Forward On New National ID: The volumes may be huge, but the profit margins are likely to be thin on the new chip-based Chinese national ID card that the government plans to begin testing early in 2004. China's...

AmEx And Chip Cards: Today And Tomorrow.(American Express has enjoyed success with its smart cards)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... American Express has used smart cards to win consumers and woo bank partners. A leading chip card executive at AmEx reviews the credit card company's smart card experience and offers hints of what's to come. New York-based American Express...

Where American Express Offers The Blue Card.(a list of countries)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Australia Austria France Germany Italy The Netherlands Spain Sweden United Kingdom United States Copyright 2003 Thomson Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.thomsonmedia.com...

Going Remote For Customers: Forget the electronic purse. Preauthorized debit may be just the product to wean the cardless masses in the developing world off of cash.(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... In India, it's still the case that when an acquiring bank signs up a merchant to accept payment cards, it sometimes has to install the shopkeeper's first phone line along with the point-of-sale terminal. Little wonder then that in this...

Indian Conglomerate Set To Take A New Leap of Faith.(Sahara India Pariwar plans to offer travel discounts and other perks to its banking customers)
August 1, 2003... One of the main obstacles to convincing consumers to give up cash and start using cards is convincing merchants to start accepting cards. To do that, banks often slash fees, offer free point-of-sale terminals and promise "exciting" loyalty...

Putting Biometrics To The Test.(a discussion of the unprecedented demand for biometric technologies)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... There is an unprecedented demand for biometric technologies, and a corresponding demand for trustworthy testers of biometrics. We look at the labs, consulting firms and government agencies responding to this demand to see whether potential...

Organizations That Test Biometrics.(a list)(Illustration)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... (part 1 of 3) Organizations That Test Biometrics 1 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. 2 National Biometrics Security Project (NBSP), U.S. 3 National Physical Laboratory, UK 4...

Just For Fun: Smart cards are turning up at a growing number of sports arenas, arcades, golf clubs and other leisure activities. There are serious business reasons why.(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... Soccer fans will enter PSV Eindhoven stadium in Holland this season by waving contactless chip cards, use those cards to pay for snacks and souvenirs, and store the loyalty points they earn on the chip. In Ireland, golfers update a national...

Experiencing History With Smart Cards?(a discussion of the use of smart cards by the Technisches Museum in Vienna)
August 1, 2003... When the Technisches Museum or technology museum in Vienna launched its permanent exhibition on the history of the mass media this past spring, curators hit upon the idea of giving visitors their own little piece of media to make their...

Looking For Magic In Australia.(several smart card projects are underway in Australia)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2003... While smart cards are still not commonplace in Australia, there are significant projects under way in banking, transit and universities. And lately the government has been pushing smart card technology by setting national standards and breaking...

Where The Smart Card Action Is In Australia.(a breakdown of smart card markets within the country)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Banking ANZ has issued more than 600,000 smart cards and upgraded nearly all its 80,000 POS terminals to accept chip. American Express has issued some 350,000 chip-based Blue cards. The balance of the country's 12 million credit cards and...