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Exxon And Timex Release The Speedpass watch 362

Posted by timothy from the we're-actually-tracking-rfid-paranoia dept.
introverted writes "Exxon and Timex have released a Speedpass-enabled watch. From the article, this sounds like a regular Timex watch with an RFID chip in it. According to a radio news story, you can not only use the watch to buy gas, but at some locations in Chicago you can also use it at McDonald's. The watch is available from Timex. This was first mentioned on Slashdot in March last year."
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Exxon And Timex Release The Speedpass watch More

Exxon And Timex Release The Speedpass watch

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  • News? (Score:5, Informative)

    by elvum ( 9344 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:01PM (#7973847) Journal
    Swatch have been making them for years. [swatch-shop.co.uk]

  • Hi ... (Score:4, Funny)

    by B3ryllium ( 571199 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:02PM (#7973855) Homepage
    I'll have a filet-o-fish meal and a side order of invasion-of-privacy, please. :)

    • Re:Hi ... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Politburo ( 640618 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:05PM (#7973891)
      And I'll have a dose of common sense. Don't want your privacy 'invaded', don't buy the damn watch, don't use speedpass, don't use ez-pass, don't use credit cards, don't use a bank account. My message to all of you knee jerk "invasion of privacy" people is this: don't stop those of us (who clearly don't care for privacy) who want to use these products from using them. If you don't want to make things easier, you don't have to.

      • Re:Hi ... (Score:5, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:12PM (#7973979)
        Hey, it's our constitutional right to complain about the products we have willingly purchased without any forethought of consequences.

      • Get a life. No privacy issue here. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Kombat ( 93720 ) <kevin@swanweddingphotography.com> on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:17PM (#7974040)
        I love it when moderators mod posts as "Trolls" when they disagree or don't understand. The parent poster had a perfectly valid point. How is this an invasion of privacy? It's nothing more than a credit card you don't have to swipe or sign for. I've been using a Speedpass for my cars' gas for about 5 years now (Esso has 'em in Canada), and let me tell you, it's damn convenient. It's even faster than debit.

        Pull up to the pump. Exit car. Wave Speedpass over receiver. While it is authorizing, take off your gas cap, lift the nozzle, and select your fuel type. By then, the authorization's gone through and you're already pumping. When full, replace nozzle. By the time you screw the gas cap back on, the receipt is ready. Get back in car and drive off. And if you don't want to wait for your receipt, no worries, it doesn't have your credit card number on it anyway.

        Debit might sound like not much more hassle, but remember: I'm in Canada. It gets damn cold up here in the winter. I can pay with Speedpass and pump my gas without ever having to remove my gloves or mitts. Not so with debit. Try taking out your wallet, removing and swiping your card, then punching a bunch of buttons with mitts on in -35 degree weather. Aside from being slower, it's just plain not possible.

        People who shriek about "privacy" regarding these types of benign things have either never used them, or are just whoring for karma. There is no privacy issue. They're basically just a credit card you don't have to sign for.

        If you lose the tag, cancel the credit card. Same as if you'd lost the card itself. Since the Speedpass tags are almost always with your car keys anyway, if you lost your tag, then you probably lost your car keys too, and you've got more things to worry about than privacy. Like, say for example, canceling that credit card and finding your car!

        • Re:Get a life. No privacy issue here. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by LinuxHam ( 52232 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:30PM (#7974191) Homepage Journal
          Minor nit. Another multi-year Speedpass user here, and we were typing at the same time about using it in the cold. Nit: If you lose the fob, don't cancel the credit card! Just call Speedpass customer service and cancel the fob. That way, you can still get gas with your card until the replacement fob arrives..

          I'm surprised how many people have said, "just cancel the card" here. Its not THAT tightly bound to the card. I had mine bound to a check card a year before they approved it. Also, they call you when they detect unusual activity. I had to fill up every 2 days for 2 weeks, so they called to see if everything was ok.
        • If you lose the tag, cancel the credit card.

          Not sure how it works in Canada, but here in the Chicago Area, the Speedpass has a unique number that is tied to a credit card. Lose the Speedpass, you just cancel the pass and not the card itself.

          As for the privacy aspect, I've had one of these for about three years and it sure comes in handy. It gets cold here in Chicago as well so the less time standing by the pump, the better. We can also use them at McDonald's. I don't have to juggle the kids, keys, and ca

        • You don't have to sign for a credit card (Score:4, Insightful)

          by gosand ( 234100 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @01:25PM (#7974888)
          People who shriek about "privacy" regarding these types of benign things have either never used them, or are just whoring for karma. There is no privacy issue. They're basically just a credit card you don't have to sign for.

          Not to mention the fact that you don't technically have to sign for a credit card either. Do you sign anything when you pay at the pump with your credit card?

          (sound of crickets)

          Yeah, that's what I thought. Even on purchases, you don't always have to sign. What do you sign when you make an internet transaction? If you go to a store, they technically don't have to make you sign something if it is under a certain dollar amount (can't remember offhand what it is).

          Personally, I don't use a Speedpass because I don't always go to Mobil. If I had one, I would probably always go to them, and I refuse to be controlled by their clever, evil marketing ideas. :-)

      • I was just trying to make a joke about the paranoia surrounding RFID ...
    • Thanks for your order! Please note that by entering our establishment, you authorize donations to the following Political Action Comittees....

  • Gas + Food (Score:5, Funny)

    by Washizu ( 220337 ) <bengarvey@co m c a s t . net> on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:02PM (#7973857) Homepage
    "you can not only use the watch to buy gas, but at some locations in Chicago you can also use it at McDonald's"

    Hello, I'll take premium fuel for my car and sub-standard fuel for my body.

    And Super Size it.

  • Y'know, I don't think... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by GTRacer ( 234395 ) <gtracer308@nOsPAm.yahoo.com> on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:03PM (#7973868) Homepage Journal
    ...this is gonna work. Many of my local Mac D's installed the receivers for GM's version of Speedpass, and handed out informational flyers about setting up the accounts and using the fobs.

    A month later, all of them has taken down the receivers and nary a word was said. I think the central problem in this one example is that nobody wants to hand 10 bucks to a holding company to buy burgers on 49-cent Wednesday.

    We want to use our debit cards like we do almost everywhere else.

    GTRacer
    - 1077, same as a cheese pizza and a soda...

    • I think the central problem in this one example is that nobody wants to hand 10 bucks to a holding company to buy burgers on 49-cent Wednesday.

      IMO the problem is only the lack of support, so to speak. If you can only use it at one or two places, the effort to setup an account and get the equipment isn't really worth the time.
      • Well, that, and I don't know how universal such an approach would be. Would BK join a "SpeedPass" program already used by Mickey D's?

        And as far as support goes, debit card acceptance has really taken off. There are few places I go now that I have to pay with anything other than debit (or the debit card acting in check card mode).

        One piece of plastic that I was already carrying, made more useful with the PIN Pad explosion. I don't have to remember fobs, dongles, or buttons.

        I'd be curious to see how man

        • I'd be curious to see how many Mobil SpeedPass holders pay some other way because they forgot the fob or out of habit...

          When my local Mobil was having trouble authenticating their Speedpasses to hq, they kept calling the cops with license plates of "non-payers". I found this out b/c my wife said it took a couple tries for the light to stay on the very first time she used it, but she showed me the receipt she ended up getting anyway. The next day, a cop was at the door and explained the situation. I told h

  • I need an RFID transceiver (Score:5, Interesting)

    by coinreturn ( 617535 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:03PM (#7973872)
    I want to pass an RFID receiver over everybody's watches (especially at gas stations), collect the RFID, and then transmit it every time I need some gas. Cool - free gas, MacDonalds, etc.

  • Great... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by JediDan ( 214076 )
    Lost your wallet?
    Lost the time?

    Which do you value more? I hope the watch band is sturdy.

  • Excellent, (Score:3, Funny)

    by Quasar1999 ( 520073 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:04PM (#7973877) Journal
    So now I can ask someone if they have the time beside a drivethru at mcdonalds, and have them pay for my meal! Sweet!

  • In related news ... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by operagost ( 62405 )
    The UN is offering an RFID-embedded tattoo! The bearer is guaranteed the ability to buy and sell in any member countries without currency! Suggested locations for the tattoo are on the back of one's hand or the forehead.
    • "The UN"

      ...isn't building the largest fingerprint database on the planet as a condition of entering it's nations.

      ...hasn't been holding hundreds of people without charge because it can't decide whether it declared war on Afghanistan.

      The UN may be many things, but the single world government it isn't. Imagine more a commitee of people that really loath each other...

  • Get them to pay for the privelege! But what if someone steals my watch?

    Well, there's only one logical solution. Implanted microchip in the index finger.

    And if you bitch about your "privacy," the terrorists win. Remember that.

    • Get them to pay for the privelege! But what if someone steals my watch?

      What if someone steals my credit card? Come on, its the same threat you can make about anything (what if someone steals my wallet?).
      • What if someone steals my credit card?

        Sign the back. I don't see anywhere to sign the back of my watch.

        what if someone steals my wallet?

        So I don't carry cash. But I'll be damned if I'll go from a more secure to less secure method of transaction. I also imagine there's no credit protection for this speedpass system, as there is for all credit cards. No go.

        • Sign the back. I don't see anywhere to sign the back of my watch.

          1.) How many people really check the signature.
          2.) How many ways can you use it without a signature (like a gas station, etc...)?
          • 1.) How many people really check the signature.

            Right, but again, *I'm* not responsible if they don't, my credit card covers me completely. If Speedpass guarantees against theft, it's a different story, I thought they didn't.

            And believe it or not, more places check than you'd think.

            • And believe it or not, more places check than you'd think.

              My experience (and I'm sure other people will chime in) says the complete opposite. I've used my parents credit cards to buy many things. I'm not talking about going and buying a pack of gum. I'm talking about TVs, air conditioners, stereo systems. Thousands of dollars. I was almost never questioned, even though I was signing a different name than was on the credit card (some times I just signed anything, who can read the scribble that is some peop
        • So I don't carry cash. But I'll be damned if I'll go from a more secure to less secure method of transaction. I also imagine there's no credit protection for this speedpass system, as there is for all credit cards. No go.

          The rf only works for a distance of a couple inches for the keychain fob and wristwatch. No pringles can from across the parking lot, nor the ability to reproduce a keyfob with your RFID in it. Also, it only acts as a conduit to the frontend charge system for your Visa card. It is not ano
    • Well, there's only one logical solution. Implanted microchip in the index finger.

      No doubt many people would get the chip planted in their middle finger.

  • Keeps a lickin' (Score:3, Funny)

    by scovetta ( 632629 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:05PM (#7973895) Homepage
    Apparently, their motto of "Keeps a lickin but keeps on tickin" doesn't apply to their web site.

  • RF snooping (Score:2, Interesting)

    by computechnica ( 171054 )
    So how long until you can buy a small RF snooping device that lets you record and replay RFID signatures, kind of like the kind for garage door openers.

    Or is thinking of this a violation of the DMCA.

  • Time and money. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by wondafucka ( 621502 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:06PM (#7973900) Homepage Journal
    One of my friends and I were theorizing a money system where your total cost of existance (rent, food, hookers) was summed up and divided by a cost per second. I forget the exact numbers but somewhere around the poverty level is around 3 cents a minute. We were horrified at the implications and applications. (You can only enter The Demiplex Residencies of the New United Anglophyles if you have a time money index of 20 cents a minute or higher).

    It's kind of cool (not really) how when we were little we saw visions of distopia and laughed. Now we see the building blocks being built before our eyes.

    I sure hope they build tinfoil hats with "speedpasses" so I don't have to take mine off to get a cheeseburger.

    • Now we see the building blocks being built before our eyes.

      Please go on further about how a system which makes transferring money easier is a 'building block' to a world where one is classified by how much money spent per unit time. My hope is that you'll realize how stupid your statement was.
    • " We were horrified at the implications and applications."

      Now reread 'Ubik' by Phillip K Dick

  • I've had mine for almost a year... (Score:5, Informative)

    by jpellino ( 202698 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:06PM (#7973904)
    It's been a Mobil item for some time. Exxon is now equipping their stations faster and should catch up with Mobil-branded places.
    The RF chip is in the band, not the watch.
    I swapped the Timex watch body for a decent Casio
    The watch works much better at the POS terminals inside the stations/stores, where the key tags have always had mediocre luck.
    They both work well on the pumps.
    • Well, it sounds like I should be checking out the trash bin at the band-replacement desk of my local watch place... there might be a used for those old bands after all!

      I wonder if it uses the same module as the speedpass, just repackaged in the band? My speedpass had a glass oil-filled capsule inside it (so it's hermetically sealed), cradled in some rubber to insulate it from shocks. I put the thing in my pen and I have AFAIK the world's only speedpass pen. The glass module might not be a good idea for a b

    • Re:I've had mine for almost a year... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by LinuxHam ( 52232 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:24PM (#7974125) Homepage Journal
      I have 2 keychain fobs and 2 window transponders. The window transponders work about 1 out of every 10-20 tries. The keychain fob works great for me in the Northeast b/c, when it so damn cold out, its nice to just hold your keys inside your fist up against a "Place Speedpass Here" sign instead of taking off your gloves to fark with your wallet and credit card. The trick to get it to work inside is to pinch it between your thumb and index finger but rest your index finger's nail on the reader. Yes, radiate the RFID right through your fingertip. Works like a charm for me.

      But, boy is it nice when it's about 3 below, and the pump is ready to go by the time you get out of your car. Privacy, shimvacy, its effin' freezing out! I only wish they, and more, places would take EZ Pass.. especially parking garages. Sometimes I just want to drive without stopping or rolling my windows down, is that too much to ask?

  • Ohhhhh, shiney! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Thud457 ( 234763 )
    Step right up!

    Come on people, form an orderly line! There's enough for everybody to have one!
    Get your own mark of the beast right here!

    You idiot geeks and your gadget fetish. You'd scream bloody murder if GW Bush forced you to wear one of these. But since it's a neat gadget and a convienence, you'll don your shackles eagerly. ex - see CELL PHONES

    • Not shiney, you blithering idiot, SHINY. And by the way, not "SHINY," but BLINKY! I turn off the lights at night and watch the blinkies go on and off! Sometimes I even put my so-called "shackle" into diagnostic mode and watch the test lights go blinkey, too! (It looks damn cool on a T68i)

      By the way, I can't see myself messing with one of these RFID things for the near-term, but I've gotta say, better to wear it AROUND your wrist than INSIDE it.

  • This won't work for many reasons.

    First of all, its a luxury, which is good during great economy times (which hasn't happened in over a year, now).

    Second, it will only be effective if speedpass is common in a populous area (and does the seconds faster it takes than a credit card really make it that much better?).

    Third, people freak out when they see RFID even though it gives out as much info as using the credit cards everyone uses.

  • User verification... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by perly-king-69 ( 580000 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:08PM (#7973920)
    What sort of security is built into these things? If it's stolen can anyone just go and use it to buy some fries, or does it require some sort of user interaction like a credit card (pin/signature)?
    • What sort of security is built into these things? If it's stolen can anyone just go and use it to buy some fries, or does it require some sort of user interaction like a credit card (pin/signature)?

      I don't know about the watches, but I have a speedpass, and there's no security. Just swipe and go. I got it when they first came out, long before the whole RFID craze, and I admit, I didn't really think about the privacy implications. (OTOH, it can be used while wearing gloves, and getting a card out of you

  • Great Geek Watches? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Cpt_Kirks ( 37296 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:08PM (#7973932)
    What are some of the current great geek watches?

    There are: watches with simple computer functions, watches with atomic clock radio recievers, watches with digital cameras, watches with IR remotes, watches with calculator/basic PIM functions, watches that run on Mars time and pager watches.

    Any others? What is your fav?

    • My fav is my Seiko Chrono. Actually has hands that move, tells me the day, counts seconds and minutes. $375. Nice toy, does what a watch should do, and nothing more.

    • Mine tells time. It has a big hand, a little hand, and a big but thin hand that moves frequently.

    • Re:Great Geek Watches? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by n9fzx ( 128488 )
      Casio's Wristech [casio.com] product line has been the standard bearer for Geeks for nearly two decades. Highlights include:
      1. The legendary CFX-200 Scientific Calculator watch
      2. MP3 Player watch
      3. GPS unit watch
      4. IR Remote watch
      5. Camera watch

      Of these, only the IR Remote and Camera watches have become part of the permanent product line. Casio still produces calculator watches, but without scientific functions.

  • It's nice, but (Score:4, Funny)

    by Tibor the Hun ( 143056 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:09PM (#7973940)
    does it support Ogg? because if it doesn't support Ogg, who's gonna buy it?

  • Lovely (Score:2, Redundant)

    by e2d2 ( 115622 )
    So I can use my watch to pay for my SUV's gas AND buy a triple cheese burger without having to break a sweat by pulling out my wallet? Lovely.

  • Hacking for fun and profit? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pesc ( 147035 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:10PM (#7973952)
    How long until (1) someone makes a device to read others RFID chips (without them noticing), and (2) can create RFID tags with programmable IDs?

    Really, how is the security / authentication implemented here?
    • Slightly better than the method of paying at most restaurants: handing your credit car to a waiter/waitress getting paid less than minimum wage and letting them, away from your eyes, handle the transaction.
    • If you notice how close you have to get your keychain to the pump at a Mobil station, you'll see that you have to pratically touch the sign with the keychain to get it to read. Therefore, there's a pretty good security against unauthorized reading in just plain the physics of the situation.

      Besides, the actual credit card number isn't on the tag, simply a tag ID value that converts back to a credit card on file at SpeedPass headquarters. This creates an extra layer of transaction approval, as Mobil can quic
  • The article (I know, crazy talk here) states, "inside the watchband is a miniature Speedpass radio frequency transponder."

    This means the watch band could possibly be attached to different watches. It also means you better be careful with that old, broken watch band!

    Think this could be a good deal for the people at Target who get stuck replacing watch bands for people?

    (Imaginary conversation)
    Clerk: Here you go. I just put the new band on your watch to replace your broken one. Do you want me to throw away
  • Timex also sells the RFID enabled watches at the east-coast based Stop & Shop

  • I got mine for free. (Score:2, Informative)

    by aknodle ( 316355 )
    A chain of grocery stores near my home ran a promotion: spend at least $30 and pay with your speedpass, get a free Timex/Speedpass watch.

    The grocery chain is running a pilot program in my area-- as soon as we found out about it, we went up to the customer service desk, hooked our speedpass into their accounting system and a month later had a new watch!

  • Five finger pass (Score:3, Interesting)

    by MrEd ( 60684 ) <`ten.liamliah' `ta' `godenot'> on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:18PM (#7974045)
    I wonder how easy would it be to clone someone's SpeedPass. It's an RFID chip with a unique serial number, I take it?


    Do PROM-style RFIDs exist? Could you overhear the challenge-response interaction at the pump and make your own copy?


    Enquiring thieves want to know.

  • PROBLEM (Score:3, Insightful)

    by RMH101 ( 636144 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:19PM (#7974060)
    ...we like new tech, we like gadgets and we're usually early-adopters.
    however, ALL gadget watches (with the sole exception of the Breitling with the emergency beacon in it) look like cack on your wrist and mark you out as a sad sack.
    USB watch storage? Ugh. Microsoft Spot? Ack. That Fossil Palm-on-your-wrist? Please.


    Real men buy Omega Seamasters and leave the gadgets in their pockets.

  • This is not an invasion of privacy any more than using a credit card or debit card at a checkout or gas pump. In fact, it's probably less so, since there will most likely be a way to use prepaid accounts (not sure if that is available yet based on the web site but it seems logical).

    Also, the RFID-enabled watch is not mandatory for purchases. Want anonymity? Pay cash.

    Also, no personal data is stored on the watch, according to the manufacturer. All it does is link back to a Speedpass account number.

    Per
  • I have one.
    pretty convenient, to have ability to pay for gas and food even if you lose your wallet.

    I'm a privacy bigot, but to me this is acceptable.
    I KNOW they're tracking these purchases (they have to for it to work) and their ppolicy is fine.

  • Do you still need an SSN? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by billh ( 85947 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:24PM (#7974119)
    Years ago, when speedpass first came out, I filled out an application, but declined to put my SSN on it. If I link it to a credit card, why should you have my SSN?

    Needless to say, I never heard back, and I don't intend to ever get one if the SSN is required. Or maybe I'll just make one up and see what happens.

    For those who don't know - it is not a credit device, it is a billing device. It links to an existing credit card. They may have expanded to granting credit, but it was not part of the deal when I tried to sign up.
  • I like the speedpass idea in principle - digging around for change wastes everyone's time. However why does it always have such a privacy-invading solution? Many people don't want to have their movements tracked, it wierds them out - and as a result there are still long queues in front of the toll stations. Acceptance is a lot lower than what it could be.

    I don't have a complete alternative, but I'm thinking of something like "digital money" i.e. you purchase tokens (digital coins, generated with a public

  • People will flock to buy them in droves, to trade off some more of tiher privacy and anonymity for a tiny bit of 'convenience'.

    Its no wonder that judges and congress see no problem in re-interpreting our basic foundation on a whim. People don't seem to care about their rights and freedoms, so why should they be protected?
  • What if I want to pay cash instead of using my RFID wristwatch? I pull up to the drive-thru window, but because my watch is close enough to the receiver to be picked up, it automatically registers my payment, despite my yelling at the droid behind the register: "Wait wait! I have money!"

    I think the RFID system would be better if I had to press a button on the watch to register my acceptance of their payment request.

    Chip H.
  • ...it's time for a slashdotting

  • Using a Speedpass to buy McDonalds... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by molafson ( 716807 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:30PM (#7974202)
    Using a Speedpass to buy McDonalds... is probably a sign that you're eating too much McDonalds!
  • It used to be the Chicago muggers would leave your watch alone unless it was a Rolex. Now they're gonna take my plastic Casio SciCalc Compass Watch too, "just in case."

  • Invasion of privacy? How about credit card fraud? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by joshamania ( 32599 ) <jggramlich&yahoo,com> on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:36PM (#7974254) Homepage
    How hard would it be for some unscrupulous person to just hood up a speedpass reader in a high traffic area and try to read, and charge, every speedpass that happened to pass within a foot or so?

    Wireless internet connection + speedpass reader + batterys or whatever power source...

    I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have my pocket picked electronically...
    • [ti.com]
      http://www.ti.com/tiris/docs/news/news_releases/ 90 s/rel04-05-99.shtml


      "RFID systems feature a digital signature encryption protocol that has a challenge/response authentication to ensure complete consumer protection.

      This technique makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible to duplicate the transponder (tag), or the secret encryption key. And, even if the key were duplicated, it would only be valid for one tank of gas, making it a very expensive tank of gasoline for a would-be criminal. "

      My ta

      • Is it more secure? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by joshamania ( 32599 )
        It's my understanding that the best kind of security is physical security. i.e. Don't put your credit card out over the air...even if it is only six inches.

        Though you may have a point there. I guess I don't see RFID being any less secure, than, say, the internet. And I'm sure as hell not going to stop using Amazon.

  • I-PASS watch? (Score:4, Funny)

    by dexter riley ( 556126 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:37PM (#7974272)
    I can't wait until they create a watch that works with the I-PASS [illinoistollway.com] system. You know, the little box that automagically pays your toll as you drive past the toll gates at 20 mph? If I only had an I-PASS watch, I could just stick my arm out while I drive past the scanner like this and AAAAAGH MY HAND!!! THE BLOOD!!! OH GOD THERE'S SO MUCH BLOOD!!! AAAGGGHH!!!

  • Compared to credit cards -- (Score:5, Insightful)

    by conan_albrecht ( 446296 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:38PM (#7974288)
    how is this different in security? Everyone is doing the standard "invasion of privacy" and "lack of security" response here. I'll agree it lessens privacy a little more (as if it could go any lower), but is it any less secure than anything else.

    Consider, for example, the following:
    1. We give our credit cards to a less-than minimum wage employee each time we pay for a meal at a restaraunt. The credit card leaves our sight for several minutes.
    2. We give our credit card with no signature over the phone and internet all the time.
    3. Does anyone match the signature on the credit card with the signature you provide anyway? I've seen it done in some cities, but here in the West people normally give you the card back before you even sign.
    4. This could go on, but the point is made.

    Credit cards work because the companies cover the losses (for the most part). It's cheaper to cover losses than to prevent them. These watches and whatever else comes in the future will probably work the same.

    Nothing's changed here, people. Move along...

  • Universal ID (Score:4, Interesting)

    by WindBourne ( 631190 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @12:46PM (#7974360) Journal
    With Pat. Act II, we no longer need SSNs or universal IDs. Now the government can locate us quickly via the use of corporate DBs. I am guessing that in the future if you do not have one of these marvelous devices, then the government will simply focus on your movements in the traffic cams.

    Yeah, yeah. No doubt several of you will post something about tin foil hats and all, but then you obviously do not read your history.

    First they came for the jew, but I did nothing....

  • More and more... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dentar ( 6540 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @01:41PM (#7975095) Homepage Journal
    ... I keep wanting to go back to using CASH for everything.

  • So when can I... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by kindbud ( 90044 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @02:39PM (#7975810) Homepage
    Get a clock embedded in my credit card?

    Get a calendar printed on paper currency?

    Get a sundial added to Sacagawea dollars?

    I can go on.... ;)

  • make your own. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Wednesday January 14, 2004 @03:06PM (#7976192) Homepage
    I made my own 2 years ago.

    I simply ground down my speedpass dongle until I got to the thickness I desired and then ground down the sides for length. Then after I broke that one, I did it to the second one knowing what to expect and called in the first one as lost.

    I then superglued it inside the leather band of my watch.

    really simple and sounds like the exact same thing they did.

    NOTE: record your speedpass numbers and keep them in a safe place when you need to report it lost/stolen.

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