Final Thoughts
The Smart Swipe is a great product for folks who are wary of on-line shopping and who aren’t confident in their ability to determine if a site is safe to input sensitive payment information.
That the Smart Swipe is compatible only with Internet Explorer is a drawback to those who have already chosen security. It could be argued that folks savvy enough to acquire an alternative and more secure browser such as Firefox or Chrome are unlikely to be the target market for the Smart Swipe. With IE’s market share falling (mostly recently falling below 60%), it could also be argued that the Smart Swipe is aimed at a shrinking market.
While the Smart Swipe secures the entry of payment card information, it will not protect against malicious folk cracking into your online retailer of choice and stealing saved credit card information (that is, if it’s stored unencrypted or otherwise unprotected).
With an $80 MSRP and $50 market price at a few online retailers, this device is likely to be an unnecessary one for anyone who has used the Internet regularly before owning it. It might be a neat thing for your not-so-savvy parents or grandparents, though. However, they’re safer using anything but Internet Explorer anyway, and it would be a pain to browse with Firefox or Chrome and then switch to Internet Explorer just to finish the transaction.
ThinkComputers gives the Smart Swipe a 7 out of 10 score. It’s a good concept and it works as advertised, but all but the most unconfident of folks would probably find it unnecessary.
Pros:
– Protects payment card information during entry
– A neat device for folks who aren’t confident in the security of the entry form
Cons:
– Internet Explorer only
– Windows only
– Unnecessary peripheral device for most folks
