Other input technologies:
Magnetic stripe technology is a familiar form of data entry that helps computers read credit cards. The dark magnetic stripe on the back of such cards is the same iron oxide coating as on magnetic tape. Customer account numbers can be recorded on the mag stripe so it can be read by bank ATMs, credit card authorization terminals, and many other types of magnetic stripe readers.
Smart cards that embed a microprocessor chip and several kilobytes of memory into debit, credit, and other cards are popular in Europe, and becoming available in the United States. One example is Holland, where over 8 million smart debit cards have been issued by Dutch banks. Smart debit cards enable you to store a cash balance on the card and electronically transfer some of it to others to pay for small items and services. The balance on the card can be replenished in ATMs or other terminals.
The smart debit cards used in Holland feature a microprocessor and either 8 or 16 kilobytes of memory, plus the usual 200 byte magnetic stripe. The smart cards are widely used to make payments in parking meters, vending machines, newsstands, pay telephones, and retail stores.
Digital cameras represent another fast growing set of input technologies. Digital still cameras and digital video cameras (digital camcorders) enable you to shoot, store, and download still photos or full motion video with audio into your PC. Then you can use image-editing software to edit and enhance the digitized images and include them in new letters, reports, multimedia presentations, and Web pages.
The computer systems of the banking industry can magnetically read checks and deposit slips using magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) technology. Computers can thus sort and post checks to the proper checking accounts. Such processing is possible because the identification numbers of the bank and the customer’s account are preprinted on the bottom of the checks with an iron oxide-based ink. The first bank receiving a check after it has been written must en-code the amount of the check in magnetic ink on the check’s lower right-hand corner.
Magnetic stripe technology is a familiar form of data entry that helps computers read credit cards. The dark magnetic stripe on the back of such cards is the same iron oxide coating as on magnetic tape. Customer account numbers can be recorded on the mag stripe so it can be read by bank ATMs, credit card authorization terminals, and many other types of magnetic stripe readers.
Smart cards that embed a microprocessor chip and several kilobytes of memory into debit, credit, and other cards are popular in Europe, and becoming available in the United States. One example is Holland, where over 8 million smart debit cards have been issued by Dutch banks. Smart debit cards enable you to store a cash balance on the card and electronically transfer some of it to others to pay for small items and services. The balance on the card can be replenished in ATMs or other terminals.
The smart debit cards used in Holland feature a microprocessor and either 8 or 16 kilobytes of memory, plus the usual 200 byte magnetic stripe. The smart cards are widely used to make payments in parking meters, vending machines, newsstands, pay telephones, and retail stores.
Digital cameras represent another fast growing set of input technologies. Digital still cameras and digital video cameras (digital camcorders) enable you to shoot, store, and download still photos or full motion video with audio into your PC. Then you can use image-editing software to edit and enhance the digitized images and include them in new letters, reports, multimedia presentations, and Web pages.
The computer systems of the banking industry can magnetically read checks and deposit slips using magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) technology. Computers can thus sort and post checks to the proper checking accounts. Such processing is possible because the identification numbers of the bank and the customer’s account are preprinted on the bottom of the checks with an iron oxide-based ink. The first bank receiving a check after it has been written must en-code the amount of the check in magnetic ink on the check’s lower right-hand corner.
The MICR system uses 14 characters (the 10 decimal digits and 4 special symbols) of a standardized design. Equipment known as reader-sorters read a check by first magnetizing the magnetic ink characters and then sensing the signal induced by each character as it passes a reading head. In this way, data are electronically captured by the bank’s computer system.
