The Japanese Smart Cards

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Way too busy to waste any time, on-the-go commuters stream through Tokyo train stations, chatting on mobile phones, listening with disc-player earphones, and flicking "smart cards" instead of stopping to pull out tickets.

Although the technology is generally a novelty elsewhere, gadget-loving Japanese commuters have embraced the cards -- plastic embedded with a tiny computer chip, permitting payments without the hassle of coins or making change.

Here, the challenge is not getting people to use them, but figuring out how to expand the system for shopping, concert tickets and other electronic purchases.

Similar cards have been introduced or tested in Washington, D.C., France and Hong Kong, and in the United States by retail chains like Target and ExxonMobil.

But Tokyo commuters outdo them all: Some 5.6 million people -- or roughly half the possible users -- have the green-and-silver Suica cards introduced about a year ago by East Japan Railway Co.

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Cool, but old news. Newer news is remote dog feeding machine.

Here we call them "Metrocards."

smartcards have been in effect in many colleges and universities in canada for the past 3 years, billing is payed through them ect...

Hmm, I should have picked different parts of the article instead of the above ones. It talked about newer uses. Read the full article if ya want.

If you read the article and summarized it yourself it would have been better

I dont see the importance of a computer chip...... ATM cards don't need it..

well, smart cards were i think designed to do multiple tasks, kind of an all in 1 bill payer, where you could assign a pin number and even have your SIN #, birthcard ect... and you could pay all bills through your smartcard as aposed to using the other credit card, you would need 1 for every company ect... with new technology comes more emprovements, at first it seemed shitty but think of the possibilities now....

how about just carry around alot of cash that works too ?

How about you do that... and I'll rob you.

How about you do that... and I'll rob you.

I think the smart card would be more valuable. Especially if it contains all that information. Bank account numbers, credit card numbers.. address, phone number..

I think advertisers would hire people to steal these from people, just to see what they purchased in the last 5 years and how to contact them about penis enlargement pills and weight-loss pills. Heck, any kind of pill-selling advertiser would love this thing.