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Technology Stocks : Atmel - the trend is about to change -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: To_A_Million who wrote (9781)	5/7/1999 11:22:00 AM
From: Mario	Respond to of 13565

I'm posting an article below about smart cards, although Siemens is supplying the smart cards it is good to see the technology penetrating the U.S. Atmel should get their fair share. Mario IBM In Smart Card Test With U.S. Govt. NEW YORK (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - news) says it is set to offer a pilot group of employees at the U.S. government's purchasing agency new smart cards combining commercial and government applications. The agency, the General Services Administration (GSA), plans to test the IBM technology with 450 employees. Smart cards are a new generation of credit cards containing a computer chip capable of performing multiple functions such as storing financial data and personal information as well as acting as a secure identity card. While popular in Europe, the technology has been slow to catch on in the United States. The U.S. government has sought to boost acceptance through demonstration projects using government employees and military personnel. The GSA plans to test the IBM smart cards to act as employees' badges, among other uses. Swiping the card in front of special readers will give the employee access to secure buildings. The cards will also be used for computer security, giving employees access to personal computers and the computer network. The cards would store digital signatures that enable employees to ''sign'' electronic documents. The smart cards will be backed up by biometric technology requiring employees to prove their identity with fingerprints rather than passwords when using computers. The smart cards will be provided by Siemens AG's Siemens Microelectronics Inc. One side will look like the traditional Citibank -branded Visa card with a magnetic stripe for purchases. The other side will contain a chip running a new version of the Java Card operating system developed by IBM. Under an agreement with at least one airline, the card can be used as a substitute for a boarding pass at the gate, using software on the card that contains personal boarding information. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------