![]() Shortly after it launched last year, some Galaxy users reported that they were able to use photographs to gain access. Samsung pushed the security envelope in a different way with facial recognition. Unfortunately, the system was frustratingly inaccurate and error-prone. Motorola’s idea seemed like a good one at the time since it played off a typical gesture that users were familiar with and added an extra layer of security. In the case of the Atrix, the sensor read fingers as they swiped across the back of the phone to unlock. Apple is not the first mobile device makers to try, as anyone who used a 2011 Motorola Atrix can attest. See also: What You Need To Know About The iPhone 5Sįingerprint scanning may seem like an exotic technology, but that didn’t stop Tim Cook and his crew from pursuing it. If that happens, we could be looking at a Touch ID-fueled wave of smartphone-enabled e-commerce ( at least someday). This may seem like a modest tidbit, but it could usher in a major development: If fingerprint-authenticated transactions prove popular, it’s quite likely other shopping apps and services will want to get in on biometric authentication. Thanks to Touch ID, your fingers will be able to approve iTunes purchases, including App Store and iBooks transactions. However, transactions green lit by this security are another matter. Neither Apple servers nor other mobile apps can access it. The company made a point of emphasizing that the fingerprint data is not only encrypted, but stored in a secure, separate area of the A7 chip that’s walled off from all other software. ![]() And if it should ever fail, users can still access the device using a password or pin. The accuracy of Touch ID progressively improves over time. Fingers can be placed in any direction and the scanner can read a variety of fingerprints-from the same user or different ones. Touch ID seems intentionally designed to minimize the fuss and hassle usually necessitated by smartphone security. Apple Puts A Finger On Security, Privacy & More A severed finger obviously would be useless in that grisly scenario. It points out that modern scanners look for vital signs. But no, that won’t work, notes The Wall Street Journal. The ring is an activation mechanism that detects when a finger is present and tells the phone to begin scanning.Ī natural (and indeed horrifying) thing to wonder about is whether a criminal could access a person’s iPhone by, say, chopping off his or her finger and placing it on the button/scanner. The button-which shed its familiar square icon-sits inside a shiny steel ring. ![]() The scanner essentially captures an extremely high resolution image (of the sub-epidermal layers of your skin at 500 pixels per inch), which the software uses to detect and analyze specific micro points in the print and identify the user. ![]() It features a sapphire crystal overlay that not only protects the underlying sensor, but works as the lens. Touch ID’s motive is to square two opposing factors in one fell swoop: people’s need to lock down their handsets and their desire to avoid cumbersome processes, like incessant pin code entry.Īpple’s attempt to tackle this problem comes via a new Home button that acts as a fingerprint scanner. According to the company, it comprises the most advanced hardware and software it has put in any device. Apple’s new Touch ID will use human fingerprints to unlock iPhone 5S handsets with a single touch. Say goodbye to pin codes or swiping to unlock.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |