RFID protection for documents

NEC has been contracted by a Japanese bank to develop an RFID-based document management system, which NEC claims is the world`s first to use radio frequency identification for this purpose, reports Computerworld.

The system will use omnidirectional antennas attached to bookshelves and filing cabinets to communicate data from RFID tags embedded in documents to a software system that offers real-time document tracking.

NEC is co-developing the system with Nikko Telecommunications for financial institutions, libraries, hospitals and other organisations that store sensitive documents.

Several countries around the world are about to launch trials of passports and visas that incorporate basic biometric information in addition to the traditional photograph and passport number, reports ZDNet.

The data will include a digital image of the passport holder`s face that will be compared to a facial scan taken at the airport. The report says Belgium is likely to be the first country to introduce e-passports.

The UK passport office has called for volunteers to help test the recording and verification of facial recognition, iris and fingerprint biometrics. New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the US are also said to be considering trials.

Nortel Networks is to announce preliminary first- and second-quarter results today in the shadow of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police criminal investigation into the company`s financial accounting.

Reuters reports that the company, which is combing its books as it prepares to restate faulty financial data stretching from 2003 back to 2001, said it will release "estimated" and unaudited results for the first half of 2004 and an update on the impact of its restatements.

Nortel has also appointed a committee to investigate allegations by a shareholder group that Nortel directors and officers breached their fiduciary duties. Nortel says the shareholders are seeking damages.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has launched the AMD Athlon 64 processor 3700+ for desktop-replacement notebooks.

Like other processors in the AMD Athlon 64 family, the new 3700+ offers dual 32- and 64-bit compatibility, features HyperTransport technology for improved application performance, and an Enhanced Virus Protection security feature enabled by Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

ZDNet says Macromedia hopes to boost use of its Flash format for delivering streaming video by releasing a new development kit.

The Flash Video Kit allows users of Macromedia`s Dreamweaver Web authoring application to add Flash video to their pages without using the full set of Flash development tools.

ZDNet says Macromedia is promoting Flash as a vehicle for delivering slick Web applications and streaming video.