Smartcard and non-password methods (was Re: Password repository)

[Sean Donelan]

Are any network providers supporting smartcards or other non-password 
based authentication methods?  Passwords always end up blaming the 
user for choosing/not remembering good passwords instead of blaming the
technology for choosing/not doing things so the user isn't forced to
work around its flaws.

I know about the DOD Common Access Card.  One-time code-generator tokens 
seem more widely used by single enterprises.  But inter-operable 
credentials still seem to be one of those great unsolved problems for 
compter security.  Are passwords still the only lowest-common-denominator?