According to this article in InfoWorld, Dutch smart-card vendor Gemalto will be demoing a USB smart card at the upcoming RSA Conference in San Francisco. The card secures the user's information in a system called the Network Identity Manager, allowing them to log into bank websites, make online purchases, etc. without compromising the security of their data. The card doesn't need additional software to run, so a user can bring it around with them without worrying about compatibility and, best of all, needs to be plugged in and authenticated before the user can access the secure websites, making it virtually impossible for someone to fall for phishing or keylogging schemes.

While InfoWorld questions whether or not consumers will want to Tote around another device just to make sure they can bank online, I think using a smart card for authentication is a great idea - much easier than having to enter a user id and two passwords, one using a virtual keyboard, as you have to do to log on to HSBC's bank website, for example. It's not necessarily something I'd go out and buy, but if enough banks got together to promote the technology (and gave it away for free), like MasterCard is doing with the PayPass.