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Technology Stocks : Identix (IDNX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David who wrote (6491)	2/2/1998 12:16:00 PM
From: David	Respond to of 26039

Keeping an eye on the Smart Card market . . . . I did a little reading on the players in the smart card market, which you all may remember is a huge possibility down the road for biometrics. The players in that market are fighting it out over technical operating systems. In particular, Visa and Mastercard (via its 1997 51% acquisition of Mondex) don't agree on operating systems. Visa is using a Java approach, while Mondex seems to have a universal API approach within, I am guessing, Microsoft's domain. (Kinda reminds you of a couple other companies, doesn't it?) There are signs, however, that Visa and Mastercard may get together and combine capabilities as a credit card standard. Meanwhile, Belgian banks are leading a European system called "Proton" which has some installations worldwide; the telecoms have their own technology that Visa/MC have not joined; and American Express, mass transit and government agencies also seem to be going their own way. Mondex now has a pilot going with Burger King, as well as their NYC pilot with a bank. The SET agreement, however, has already united MC, Visa, AmEx, and Discover/Novus. Smart card biometrics is still a little way off, but I think it would be helpful if this industry sorted itself a little in the meantime.