Hitachi Gets Smart

Electronic News, May 31, 1999

Hitachi Software Engineering, a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd., has formed an alliance with SmartDisk Corp., Naples, Fla., to distribute SmartDisk's SmartyO smart card reader/writer throughout the world. Hitachi said it also would sell Smarty to banks affiliated with the Mondex smart card and electronic cash card payment systems.

Hitachi hopes that the agreement will broaden the acceptance of smart cards and electronic cash on a global scale. The SmartyO reader/writer acts as a bridge between a smart card and a PC. It has the same dimensions as a 3.5-inch floppy disc and includes a slot into which a smart card can be inserted. The SmartyO slides into the floppy drive, making it possible for every PC to have a smart card reader/writer at a lower cost than it would take to have a full-scale reader/writer that adds hardware to systems.