Smart card solutions vendor Gemplus has entered an agreement with Texas Instruments to provide chip card reader functionality to notebook and desktop computers.
Under the agreement, TI will integrate Gemplus' GemCore smart card interface into its UltraMedia CardBus controller devices.
The combined products - which are EMV level 1, PC/SC and Microsoft's (MSFT) WHQL compliant - will enable PC manufacturers to offer users a simple and immediate way to use smart card technology for secure on-line shopping, Internet banking, network ID and data security, say the companies.
Alexandre Lorenzi, smart card interfaces director at Gemplus, says: "We believe that embedding the smart card readers into notebook and desktop computers will further enable the quick and easy mass adoption and implementation of smart cards."