This new 3M Mobile ID Reader could soon be used at events or in situations that require tight security. The idea is that it would scan your identification quickly to prove that you are who you say you are. Then you can be on your way in no time. It works like a credit card scanner and it would be used to scan things like your Visa card or passport, cross checking that info with watch lists of those who are threats.

It runs on Windows Mobile 6 and features WiFi, GSM/GPRS EDGE and a fingerprint sensor. It also has 8GB of storage for keeping track of those that have been scanned. That way they can leave all of that data sitting around somewhere and screw us all. Let’s hope not.

The State of New York has now begun offering driver’s licenses embedded with RFID chips, which they are calling enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs). This comes just after New York became the second state in the country to offer RFID embedded identification that can be shown at the border in place of a U.S. passport. The chip in the new licenses will have the ability to be scanned by authorities in order to identify citizens entering the state from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. International travelers still need to produce an old fashioned passport to enter the country.

Since New York knows that many people do not trust RFID technology, you can still get the old RFID-lite version which does not act as a passport. According to authorities, no personal information will be stored or transmitted by the chip, only an identification number. Should you be interested, the new licenses will cost you an extra $30 over the $50 licensing fee. Hopefully they’re working on technology that makes you not look like a dork on your DL picture.

If you are the type that is a perennial speeder you probably already have a radar detector in your car. Not all radar detectors are created equal and if you have an older one you know how each time you drive by a Wal-Mart it goes off.

Escort is one of the top names in radar detectors and its Passport line has a new item called the 9500ix. This radar detector has the 360-degree protection from radar and laser speed detectors. In addition to the standard radar and laser detection the 9500ix also has a GPS-enabled database for speed cameras.

WD launched the new My Passport Essential USB hard drive today with a new glossy look created to go along with the design of the company’s popular My Book hard drives. Like the My Book, the small new Essential drives have that “book” look to them with a bull-nose “binding” on one side.

But, aside from the new glossy digs this drive is still pretty much the same small pocket-sized portable drive that’s powered solely from its USB connection. It comes in sizes of 160GB, 250GB and 320GB with the largest capacity launching with a price tag of a penny under $200. They also come with some software to automatically sync up and store data from your computer along with some Google tools.

If you thought you had a big drive in a small package with Western Digital’s 250GB Passport you can think again. Hopefully you’ve come to expect it these days because soon after you get the biggest and the best something else will come along to out-do it.

WD has announced the launch of the latest in their line of the sleek, portable Passport drives with this one boasting a massive 320GB capacity of storage that is small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. The whole drive and enclosure weigh under a quarter of a pound does not require an external power source. The drive gets its power and transfers data through a single USB 2.0 connection and gives a 480 Mbps transfer speed (which will take you an hour and a half to fill the drive).

The Passport Portable Drive from Western Digital now comes in a larger 160GB capacity, but fortunately the new Scorpio notebook drive inside it has stayed the same physical size.

The sleek look of the Passport container for these 2.5″ drives has also improved by making them slightly smaller and lighter than previously. They have a sharp, hard and shiny looking black finish with a soft base and the total weight is under 5 ounces total! The Passport Portable is compatible with USB 2.0 for fast and easy data transfer to any USB 2.0 compatible …