More details emerge on HP's Memory Spot chips

A commercial release is still a couple of years away, but some more details are coming out about HP's Memory Spot wireless chips, and we thought we'd fill you in. Originally conceived as a way to add audio to physical picture print-outs, HP is envisioning all sorts of uses for their technology, which they say "complements" RFID. The magic is in the 2.45GHz operation frequency, which allows for about 1000 times the storage and 100-1000 times the data transfer rate of RFID. The reading distance is considerably shorter, though, at roughly 1mm, which does allow for improved security, along with location-specific operation, but provides an unfortunate lack of juicy memory theft opportunity. HP is of course imagining all sorts of uses for the tech, but it looks like one the earlier markets could be health care, since medical institutions can presumably stomach an initial $2 to $3 per Spot cost, though as costs decrease it seems like doting parents will be a prime cash cow, seeing the Memory Spots as a nifty way to preserve memories of their precious child. Of course, it'll all depend on HP managing to get phone manufacturers and other purveyors of gadget ubiquity to get the readers into the hands of average consumers -- along with a few dozen other factors of market readiness -- but ourselves, we just can't wait for the day we'll be able to embed embarrassing childhood images into our foreheads.

[Stainworker @ Oct 10th 2006 8:29AM]

I'm quite disturbed with the idea of a possibility to store information in such a small thing as RFID, so that it can be implanted in your body!

It's like the fingerprint-database system, but even more convenient: with fingerprints you need a database server with the information about its' owner, and with RFID you don't need even that, only an RFID-reader with the appropriate decryption software installed...

A simple way to remove privacy and enforce totalitarism as a governing system.

P.S. The issue above does not depreciate the benefits of laser-code replacement with RFID and other usefull RFID applications, though.

My home: http://www.sanitarywareitems.com

[MikeTLive @ Oct 10th 2006 8:35AM]

would like to see this used in passports instead of the longer range RFID specificly because of its "lack of juicy memory theft opportunity"

[theChad @ Oct 10th 2006 8:39AM]

This just seems like an enhanced cue cat to me.

[Michael Chastain @ Oct 10th 2006 3:24PM]

1. It seems like it would be easy to damage.
2. What are the odds this will catch on outside of vertical apps?

It seems to me there are much better ways to store your data.