Smartcards

Smartcards - CHIP cards

Description: Smart cards are wallet-sized plastic cards with a microprocessor that interface to network terminal devices. They are programmable, with applications divided into three areas: Data Carriers, Identification and Financial. All applications require security features.

Industry, government, and educational institutions are increasing their use of Smart Cards as cash replacements, for identification cards, and to record and store data in a highly-portable medium.  This growth can be attributed to factors such as the maturing technology (cards are getting smarter), decreasing costs, increasing need for transaction security.

Links:

Gemplus - Gemplus S.A. is the world's leading provider of plastic and smart card-based solutions. Gemplus sells magnetic stripe cards, memory and microprocessor-based smart cards, smart contactless cards, electronic tags and smart objects. : www.gemplus.com 

Multos - MULTOS is the first, open, high security, multi-application operating system for smart cards (hence 'MULT-OS'): www.multos.com 

Schlumberger Smart Cards - Cyberflex™ Access is the first commercial smart card to combine Java programmability and strong cryptography: www.cyberflex.com  

IDTEK™ ID Technology - includes patented and trade secret technologies allowing the biometric (skin surfaces, including finger and thumb prints) identification of authorized card, document and item users [authorized users] by means of self-authenticating panels / substrates which register and re-authenticate authorized users without the assistance of external devices of any sort: www.idtek.com 

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for profit, multi-industry association of over 185 member firms working to accelerate the widespread acceptance of multiple application smart card technology. The Alliance was created when the industry’s key organizations, the Smart Card Industry Association and the Smart Card Forum, joined forces in early 2001. www.smartcardalliance.org

Smartcard Developer Association -  The Smartcard Developer Association was founded when experts in the field of security software realized that there was little non-proprietary information about smartcards available.: www.scard.org 

Java Card Forum - promotes Java as the preferred programming language for multiple-application smart cards: www.javacardforum.org 

Smart Card Central - The source for information on smart cards: www.smartcardcentral.com 

The Smart Card Resource Center: www.smart-card.com