he containers from its balance sheet. The RFID technology, on the other hand, should let Trenstar cut the losses Carlsberg- Tetley was experiencing from lost and stolen kegs. "That's the result of the need to attach tags to over 1 million containers," Dixon notes. 6.4.2 Tag and Read As RFID evolves and the prices fall, an ever-wider array of objects will be tracked. Many observers also expect RFID to eventually find a home inside a variety of everyday business and consumer products. "RFID is actually already deployed in many retail environments. People just don't think about it that way," says Woods. For many years, in-store theft prevention systems have relied on RFID-tagged merchandise to snare shoplifters. More than 6 million consumers also carry RFID tags on their key chains in the form of Exxon Mobil Speedpass tokens. The device, when waved in front of a gas pump-mounted reader, sends an identification code that allows the merchant to deduct the purchase amount from a linked credit card or checking account. "It's a great application," says Joe Giordano, vice president of Speedpass network business and product develop- ment at Exxon Mobil in Dallas. "I think it could benefit any retailer, particularly retailers who have convenience-type transactions." Tiny, cheap tags will allow the efficient tracking of even the smallest items, such as overnight letters and packages. An RFID tag attached to a letter would not only tell a shipper the package's current location but also where it's been and where it's scheduled to go. "Pieces of mail will probably wait until [tag prices] get down to one or two cents," says AMR's Abell. Miniature tags- perhaps in the form of an implantable chip-will also allow pet owners to affordably and conveniently track the movements of Fido and Fluffy. "[Wild] animals have been tracked with RFID for a long time," says Abell. "They even put them on hummingbirds." Then there's the potential for people tracking. Sporting event and concert tickets could incorporate tags that allow event organiz