cardreader - Gizmodo

posts about #cardreader more →
Kingston MobileLite G2 Card Reader Protects Your Cards Like They're Delicate Flowers
I've Always Needed a [Perfume Bottle] USB [Card Reader]!
USB Keyboard Key Card Reader Has Enter and Ctrl But No W, T or F
Buffalo's microSD Card Reader Also Has 16GB On Board
SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
SanDisk ImageMate Card Readers Were Actually Designed
Medical Card-Reading Tester Can Produce Almost Instant Diagnosis
Griffin's Simplifi iPhone Dock/Card Reader Isn't a Crappy USB All-In-One Device
Sony Ericsson's HSPA Modems Triple-Up as Card Readers, GPS Receiver
Brando 3-in-1 Data Dock Saves Case Space With Multi-Use Trays

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Curves
09/29/09

In reply to I've Always Needed a [Perfume Bottle] USB [Card Reader]!
Does it come in my personal fav, Chanel No. 5?
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

Purple Umpteenth
09/29/09

@Curves: no but it does direct out on Port No. 80
Reply

dingus promoted this comment Purple Umpteenth was starred Purple Umpteenth was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
09/29/09

@Curves: Or SänDìsk no. 5GB
Reply

Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

dingus
09/29/09

@Purple Umpteenth: TCP/IP port 80 or PC BIOS POST code port IO 0x80?
Reply

dingus was starred dingus was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
09/29/09

In reply to I've Always Needed a [Perfume Bottle] USB [Card Reader]!
Eau De Readeur
Reply

Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

logruszed
08/08/09

In reply to Buffalo's microSD Card Reader Also Has 16GB On Board
If they want that much money for a 16gig card they are fucking mental.
Hell, even the 4 gig is stupid. You can get an 8-gig MicroSDHC and reader for 20 bux at Fry's. Yeah it's a little bit bigger, but not much.
Reply

logruszed was starred logruszed was unstarred

LolpantsofArabia
08/08/09

@logruszed: Even a 16GB USB is, what, $30? Fuggedaboudit.
Reply

logruszed promoted this comment LolpantsofArabia was starred LolpantsofArabia was unstarred

logruszed
08/31/09

@LolpantsofArabia: No, a 16gb microSDHC is pretty fucking expensive. But not $160.

If they were $30 I'd have one by now (I have a Sansa Fuze and have been waiting for them to come in to the $30 range).
Reply

logruszed was starred logruszed was unstarred

GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
08/08/09

In reply to Buffalo's microSD Card Reader Also Has 16GB On Board
Please ignore this post. The reply button decided to forget it's job.
Reply

Edited by GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag at 08/08/09 12:52 AM

guypatsy
08/07/09

In reply to Buffalo's microSD Card Reader Also Has 16GB On Board
I may be wrong, but I don't think that 16GB is on board. It looks to me like a 16GB card is included.
Reply

GitEmSteveDave_HasAList promoted this comment guypatsy was starred guypatsy was unstarred

GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
08/07/09

@guypatsy: So there's no baby on board, it should be baby included?
Reply

switchblade saints
08/07/09

In reply to Buffalo's microSD Card Reader Also Has 16GB On Board

I'm retarded and bored sorry haha
Reply

Edited by switchblade saints at 08/07/09 8:32 PM switchblade saints was starred

GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
08/07/09

In reply to Buffalo's microSD Card Reader Also Has 16GB On Board
That would be nice to stick some movies on so I can watch them with my OLPC.
Reply

RuBBa_cHiKiN: The real question is can it fit in the Batmobile?
08/07/09

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: OLPC? You're gonna be watching movies in Africa?

Wait a minute, I'm confused now. Do OLPC's take MicroSD cards natively?
Reply

GitEmSteveDave_HasAList promoted this comment Edited by RuBBa_cHiKiN: The real question is can it fit in the Batmobile? at 08/07/09 10:25 PM

GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
08/08/09

@RuBBa_cHiKiN: They take SD Cards. There are also USB slots on the side, but I am running Ubuntu off the SD slot, so a slim reader for the USB slots would be welcome.
Reply

RuBBa_cHiKiN: The real question is can it fit in the Batmobile?
08/09/09

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: Ahh, gotcha. Thanks.
Reply

TheWerewolf - Sotto voce
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
The best solution of this type was Amex's Blue. You got one of their cards and they sent you a smartcard reader. When you wanted to make a purchase, you went to their site, plugged your Blue card into the reader, entered the amount and it generated a one-time credit card number valid for exactly that amount for a limited time, then it expires.

You go back to the site, type in the new credit card number and voila. Secure.

Sadly, Amex discontinued this system.

When all credit and debit cards are chipped, we can use smartcard readers for this and they're VERY cheap (<$20) and far, far more secure than magstripe. But really, the only truely secure system is the one-time credit card number approach because it assumes failure and has a built-in mechanism to limit liability.

BTW, when Verified by Visa came in, they tried to pull a truely horrible fast one on people. The system is a simple PIN verification for web purchases, but they argued that it was SO secure that if any fraud happened, it must be your fault (ie: you gave out your PIN) and so as part of the agreement, you waived your right to challenge purchases.

Thing is, apparently it never occured to them that you can pull a very nice man-in-the-middle and/or a social reroute trick to get the PIN. You put up a fake Verified by Visa display, harvest the PIN and away you go. You still have to enter the credit card number and VVC, so they now have everything to 'be' you.

They finally gave in on this and withdrew the waver.

If Verfied by Visa actually used a chipped card, then it would be (fairly) secure.

Paypal now has a trick that's almost as good. Before you can use it, you have to validate yourself either with a SecureID token or.. and I think this is brilliant.. by having them SMS a 6 digit one time password to your phone. To break this, the crook needs to either hack your IMEI, or intercept an SMS message, or have your phone AND your Paypal password.

It's brilliantly simple.
Reply

Edited by TheWerewolf - Sotto voce at 07/14/09 2:37 PM

OMG! Ponies!
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
Whatever. If you've ever paid for dinner with a credit card, someone somewhere probably has your number.

This is no more or no less dangerous than letting an complete stranger who has a pen and paper in his apron take your credit card to another room for an indeterminate amount of time.
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

Maori_Yelir
07/14/09

@OMG! Ponies!: The good news is that most people are smart enough to know that if they steal a bunch of numbers from their job and use them all it's going to trace back to their resturaunt because the common link would point back. Granted there's a risk they can decide to take one card and it's yours but it's nothing to lose sleep over. Seriously, people take this stuff too far.
Reply

Maori_Yelir was starred Maori_Yelir was unstarred

Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
07/14/09

@OMG! Ponies!: Damn dude, now you're making me even more paranoid. What if that person in an apron with pen and paper breathes on my card wrong before handing it to me?

I mean, they could copy my info, wipe the magstrip with their halitosis, AND give me the bacon flu all in one go.

What was I thinking?
Reply

Geisrud
07/14/09

@Lite: is on a boat.: wow - bacon really does make everything better.
Reply

Geisrud was starred Geisrud was unstarred

350z-Racer
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
So I think this + PayPal = a merchant solution. Just plug the USB device in, open up a paypal invoice, have your client sit down and slide their cc and voila! Your paid. Pretty cool if it works, which I think it should. Yeah, I'm gonna do that now haha.
Reply

350z-Racer was starred 350z-Racer was unstarred

dingus
07/14/09

@350z-racer: A merchant solution is getting an account with Visa or Mastercard. Haha.
Reply

dingus was starred dingus was unstarred

Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
07/14/09

@dingus: Actually, this makes it a little easier for you to circumvent PCI regulations...rather than say pay Visa or MC directly AND have to pay for your audits.
Reply

Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
Am I the only person who read this as, and continues to read it as, smart wipe?
Reply

bosskev
07/14/09

@Lite: is on a boat.: Um...(half a day later)...apparently so.
Reply

bosskev was starred bosskev was unstarred

Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
How long until someone writes a piece of spyware for this thing that mails off your CC# every time you swipe it?
Reply

DeusExMach wonders what the hell happened to his star.
07/14/09

@Lite: is on a boat.: Considering that it's a card skimmer that has been reverse engineered for consumer use? I'd say we're actually working backwards on this one.
Reply

Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
07/14/09

@DeusExMach has jumped the snark: good point...
Reply

Kayonesoft
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
I don't see how this is any more effective than just entering your credit card number in manually.

I mean they claim that it leaves no trace, but obviously the data has to be transmited somehow and that's where the 'hackers' will be looking.
Reply

Edited by Kayonesoft at 07/14/09 12:41 PM Kayonesoft was starred Kayonesoft was unstarred

dingus
07/14/09

@Kayonesoft: My guess is that it encrypts the USB traffic and through some browser plugin magic keys data into fields. Presumably the site you're using is SSL'd so the connection from your PC to the retailer is secure. Other card readers behave like keyboards (HID class) and are vulnerable to keyloggers. Keylogging is the easiest and fastest way to steal numbers from PCs with malware.
Reply

dingus was starred dingus was unstarred

92BuickLeSabre
07/14/09

In reply to SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader Comes To US Shopaholics
Three questions:

1) How does the online store read the credit card information if it's been encrypted, scrambled, and coded?

2) Why is it so damned expensive? (For $30.00, I might consider it.)

3) If I'm that nervous about entering my credit card information online, how the hell am I supposed to purchase the SmartSwipe online in the first place?
Reply

92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred

Totalfixation
07/14/09

@92BuickLeSabre:

I'd also be worried someone can spoof my credit card information. Some way some how I feel there could be a flaw using this method.
Reply

Totalfixation was starred Totalfixation was unstarred

danger the pirate
07/14/09

@92BuickLeSabre: they dont actually tell you how it works or what it actually does on their website, but I assume that it encrypts your info, sends it to their (smartswipe) server then on to the website that youre purchasing from.
Reply

danger the pirate was starred

Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
07/14/09

@danger the pirate: I'm guessing that it doesn't do the encryption in the swiping unit unfortunately.
Reply

dingus
07/14/09

@Totalfixation: The only info on the credit card stripe is the number and date, info you'd enter by hand anyway.
Reply

dingus was starred dingus was unstarred

jdale
07/14/09

@92BuickLeSabre: As for question 3, curiously they have a warning about that on their site:

"Are you interested in purchasing a SmartSwipe? If so, the SmartSwipe Online Shop may be for you. Before you place an order, please familiarize yourself with some of the risks inherrent in online shopping. The SmartSwipe was invented to protect you from these very real, very dangerous threats."

Which is an odd mixed message. Buy our product! Don't buy our product, it's too dangerous!
Reply

jdale was starred jdale was unstarred

92BuickLeSabre
07/14/09

@jdale: Excellent research!

I think I'm convinced. The SmartSwipe is simply too dangerous for me to purchase at this time.
Reply

92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred

Monty
02/25/09

In reply to SanDisk ImageMate Card Readers Were Actually Designed
If I am going to stick my precious into something, it better be designed specifically for it. While I like the 2001 monolith design, unless it just appears out of nowhere when I need it full of stars (or my cards, as the case may be), then I am not certain this is designed for me. Still, it is nice to see SanDisk learning a thing or two from Cupertino - I hope they learn next how to provide Apple-level customer support.
Reply

Monty was starred Monty was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Gizmodo Team

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment