Drexler card combines optical, smart features.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Drexler Technology Corp. has unveiled a card that combines the company's laser-optical storage technology with the computer chip system common to smart cards.

Unveiled last month at a card technology conference in Paris, the multifunction credit-card-size plastic device has an integrated circuit chip on one side and more than one megabyte of optical data storage on the other.

Drexler, which has been marketing its own technology through its LaserCard Systems Corp. subsidiary, said the optical memory capacity adds a dimension to transaction-oriented chip cards, making them more attractive for keeping health care, vehicle warranty, and frequent shopper records.

The combined card can be adapted more quickly to market changes than either technology alone, Drexler said, and its price can be held down by using a small-memory, rather than large-memory, chip.

The company plans to display the product at CardTech West, a conference scheduled Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Santa Clara, Calif.

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