Pradotec Corporation and SMI UK signed a memorandum of understanding to form strategic partnership as SMI UK seek to expand and strengthen its mobile applications

November 17, 2009: Pradotec Corporation (Pradotec), the specialist of multiple application terminals, signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday, with Smart Media Innovations Ltd. (SMI) to embark on a stronger working partnership to address the emerging needs in mobile Identification and Authentication solutions. In Suffolk, SMI’s headquarter in United Kingdom, Pradotec Chief Executive Officer, GK Yeoh, and his team met with the Director of SMI, Dick Clark to officially sign the memorandum of understanding and to discuss the partnership strategy. This includes the plan for SMI to develop new mobile ID solutions to be built on Pradotec’s terminals, to radically improve mobile identification and authentication specifically for law enforcement purposes. “We are very pleased to be chosen by SMI as their terminal provider of choice,” said GK Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer of Pradotec Group. “This marked a significant milestone for Pradotec and we believe Pradotec’s mobile terminal will be proven to be ideal for SMI’s mobile ID solutions especially for location-challenged applications.” SMI’s Director, Dick Clark further added that, “SMI’s strength is in mobile ID solutions that extend the capability of the standard security/database systems, and our vision is to extend the reach of our identification solutions beyond the traditional mechanism where identification and authentication can be carried out anytime in any location.” In addition to the new development, the memorandum of understanding allows both companies to gain access into each partner’s extensive network where Pradotec and SMI will market and commercialize both companies’ products and solutions. The memorandum of understanding aims to identify areas of common interest between Pradotec and SMI on which a strategic alliance could be developed.
About Pradotec Corporation Pradotec is the specialist in Security, Identification, Payment and Authentication Devices. The core offering of Pradotec Corporation is its ability to integrate multiple functions into a single handheld device; the company’s innovative offerings provides an unchallenged convenience to its worldwide users to make contact/contactless Identification, Authentication, Security Enforcement and Automation as well as payments transactions in a mobile location. As an OEM/ODM provider, Pradotec has successfully designed & developed many innovative devices for established System Integrators as well as Government Agencies worldwide. For additional information, visit Pradotec’s website at www.pradotec.com.hk About Smart Media Innovations Ltd Contact: Grace Liew Pradotec Corporation graceliew@pradotec.com.my

3rd Annual Payments Summit

February 23-25, 2010
Marriott City Center Hotel
Salt Lake City, UT

The Smart Card Alliance will hold the 3rd Annual Payments Summit on February 23-25, 2010, at the Marriott City Center Hotel in Salt Lake City, UT. This 2.5-day meeting will focus on exciting new trends and projects that are accelerating the widespread acceptance, usage and application of contactless and NFC mobile payments technology for transportation and general retail payment applications. The transit and retail markets have many common industry stakeholders including the chip and card manufacturers, terminal manufacturers, payment brands, issuing banks, payments processors, systems integrators and new mobile technology suppliers. Having a summit for Alliance Councils and common stakeholders to meet in joint sessions to discuss the opportunities and obstacles ahead will allow everyone present to gain more insight into the commonalities that connect these two markets. Also, time is set aside in the agenda for separate breakout sessions focused on topics relevant to each market and for discussions about emerging developments in the transportation, retail payments and evolving mobile and NFC markets.

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TSA agents subpoena bloggers to find out who leaked new security document

By Alison Grant, The Plain Dealer

December 30, 2009, 5:14PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two East Coast travel bloggers who posted a sensitive airport security memo on their Internet sites have been subpoenaed by federal officials trying to find out who sent them the document.
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One of the writers, Steve Frischling, also had his laptop seized by agents looking for evidence of his source for the Transportation Security Administration directive. It outlined stricter security guidelines adopted by TSA in the wake of a failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines flight.

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Single form for visa and ID cards in UAE from this year

Abu Dhabi: Effective this year, expatriates can apply for three official documents — residence visas, labour cards and identity cards, with a single visit to an authorised typing centre, a top official has told Gulf News.

"About 200 typing centres in the country are already helping expatriates to process the application for residence visa and labour card, and they will have a greater role in the new system. A single application form will be introduced for residence visa, labour card and ID card as part of integrating various official documents with ID card by fourth quarter of [this] year", said Dr Ali Al Khoury, Acting Director General of Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA).

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Mobile Biometrics

From law enforcement, to military, public transportation, border control, and commercial shipping authorities, mobile biometrics are quickly becoming a lifesaver to these industries in order to speed up processing of people and goods.

In a fast paced society of higher productivity, international competition, and just-in-time manufacturing, it is becoming a necessity to implement systems that can deliver the demands of our global economy. Governments and industry are turning towards mobile biometrics to meet this need.

Governments are implementing mobile biometric solutions for passport processing, voter registration, and SIN and SS cards to help reduce ID misrepresentation and lower the risk of human error.

Law enforcement are supporters of mobile biometrics, as it speeds up the identification of individuals in-the field, saving time, resources and quickly identifying threats.

Employee time-keeping, access control and security systems, are mobile biometric applications being used by commercial businesses to improve productivity, and reduce loss & waste.

Fraudsters get the red flag

Security company Active Customer Credibility Scan and Security Alerts (ACCSSA) is bullish about using technology to curb escalating fraud in the car rental industry.
ACCSSA has partnered with MaxID, a South African company which managed the IEC fingerprint machines this year. ACCSSA offers its subscribers a handheld MaxID device which scans driver's licences, IDs, passports and performs barcode decryption. It is also a smart card reader that scans fingerprints and credit cards.

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Handheld Touch Screen Device May Lead to Mobile Fingerprint ID

Newswise — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Hostage Rescue Team had a problem—they needed a small, portable tool to identify fingerprints and faces, but couldn’t get anyone interested in building a solution for such a limited market.

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