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Optware says that the Holographic Versatile Card (HVC) will be ready towards the end of 2006 and it expects to charge around 100 Yen (currently around 51p) for the translucent cards. Card readers, however, are expected to cost nearer £1,000 while read-write devices may be up to five times that.

The

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launch of the first products is due to coincide with the standardisation of the technology. Initially each HVC will be approximately the size of a credit card while drives will be a similar size to those used for other storage systems. In the longer term smaller HVCs may be developed to fit in portable and other small devices.

The cards use collinear holographic technology, developed by Optware, which uses a single lens and laser beam for both reading and writing. Hologram data are recorded in either longitudinal or lateral directions and the reader or read-writer moves both the medium and the optical head horizontally to pickup specified holograms.

Prototypes were first shown back in 2004 - Holograms make light work of 300GB - by Optware, which became one of the founders of the Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) Alliance.