Hewlett-Packard has developed a tiny Wi-Fi memory chip which could eventually be sold in booklets as self-adhesive dots.

But with potentially greater functionality than RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tags, will the HP Memory Spots, as they're being called, join RFID as new privacy threats?

Some 2- to 4-mm square with a built-in antenna, the experimental chis have a data transfer rate 10 times faster than Bluetooth wireless technology and could be embedded in a sheet of paper or stuck to any surface.

And, “With a storage capacity ranging from 256 kilobits to 4 megabits in working prototypes, it could store a very short video clip, several images or dozens of pages of text. Future versions could have larger capacities,” promises HP.

“Information can be accessed by a read-write device that could be incorporated into a cell phone, PDA, camera, printer or other implement. To access information, the read-write device is positioned closely over the chip, which is then powered so that the stored data is transferred instantly to the display of the phone, camera or PDA or printed out by the printer. Users could also add information to the chip using the various devices.”

Like RFIDs, Memory Spot chips store data and have a built-in radio transmitter, but the similarities end there, a CBS News story points out.

“RFIDs store a very small amount of data – enough to identify and describe an object but not nearly enough for, say, a photograph.,” says the story. “And they are able to transmit up to 15 feet, which makes them ideal for inventory control. Memory Spots, on the other hand, can transmit only about 1 millimeter so the reader has to come into almost touching distance. That limits the applications but increases privacy and security because you don't have to worry about someone reading your data from across the room."

But perhaps that should read, "can transmit only about 1 millimeter for the moment".

Meanwhile, “The Memory Spot has a fully integrated antenna that's part of the same silicon as the chip itself while RFIDs have attached antennas. Some RFIDs need a power source but the memory spot will never need any type of battery. The power necessary to transfer data from the spot to the device is embedded into the reader. When the reader gets within a millimeter of the chip, it provides the necessary energy to transfer the data.”

Also See:
self-adhesive dots - HP's tiny memory chip, July 17, 2006
CBS News - Tiny Chips Could Change Our Lives, July 18, 2006