Get ready for the future with the new IOGEAR USB Smart Card Access Reader. Smart Card readers are used as a communications medium between the smart card and a host (e.g. a computer, a point-of-sale terminal). A Smart Card is a small portable credit-card shaped pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits or IC chips which can process data. The combination of the small size and IC make them a valuable tool for security, data storage, and other special applications. The use of Smart Cards can improve user security by combining something a user has (the smart card) with something only the user should know (a PIN), this provides two factor security that is more secure than passwords alone. The traditional credit card uses a magnetic-strip which stores a very small amount of information and has no processing capability of its own. Smart Cards are the next generation of secure and user friendly identification, authentication & data storage solution. The IOGEAR USB Smart Card Access Reader uses a contact system where the card must be swiped through the card reader; this type of reader is less prone to misalignment and eliminates the possibility of being misread. Smart Cards are the next step in convenience and security.