FingerprintReader
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Hyundai will sell a car that can be unlocked with a fingerprint
Hyundai has unveiled a new car system that lets drivers unlock and start a vehicle using their fingerprints. The tech is built in to the door handle and ignition button of the new 2019 Santa Fe SUV, showcased at an auto show in China last week.
OnePlus 6T will include an in-display fingerprint reader
OnePlus' next phone, likely to be called the OnePlus 6T, will have an in-display fingerprint reader, CNET reports. OnePlus confirmed the feature, dubbed Screen Lock, saying it had initially planned for the fingerprint reader to be included in the OnePlus 5T, but that the technology wasn't quite ready for public release at the time. "We unlock our phones multiple times a day, and Screen Unlock reduces the number of steps to complete the action," OnePlus told CNET. "By adding this feature as an addition to other display unlocking options such as Face Unlock, users will have options to unlock the display in a way that is most efficient for them."
Samsung's Galaxy S10 may include an in-display fingerprint reader
The Galaxy S9 may have been a modest evolution of its predecessor, but you might not get to level that accusation against the S10. Korean financial news outlet The Bell claims that the Galaxy S10 (codenamed "Beyond") will include an in-display fingerprint reader similar to devices like the Oppo Find X or Vivo Nex. You wouldn't have to lift up your phone and hunt for the reader on the back. It's reportedly "considering" an iPhone X-style face recognition system at the same time, so you might even have a choice of cutting-edge biometric sign-ins.
Huawei’s latest Porsche phone has an in-screen fingerprint reader
Along with its P20 and P20 Pro, Huawei also unveiled its Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS smartphone today. Built with Porsche Design's signature aesthetic, the phone comes with a Leica triple camera -- which features a 40-megapixel RGP sensor, a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor with telephoto lens -- as well as a 24-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone also features an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Hover your finger over the screen to wake up the phone or touch the sensor to unlock it. Users can also unlock the phone with a back fingerprint sensor.
Under-display fingerprint reader arrives on 'major' phone in January
Under-the-screen fingerprint readers won't just be reserved for rough prototypes in the near future. Synaptics has sent word that a "major" smartphone manufacturer in the "top five" will unveil a phone using its Clear ID sensor at CES in January. It's not offering any clues as to who the mystery early adopter might be, although Vivo was the first to show it off. We wouldn't be surprised if one of Vivo's sibling brands (such as Oppo) had the honors, although we certainly wouldn't rule out competition like Huawei or Xiaomi.
Vivo beats Apple to an under-display fingerprint scanner
There have been rumours of Apple exploring under-display fingerprint scanning technology, but you probably didn't expect the first of such demos to come from China. At MWC Shanghai, Qualcomm announced its latest ultrasonic fingerprint solution, with the new highlights being its integration underneath OLED displays (up to 1.2mm-thick), as well as working fine even when the device is immersed in water. As before, this tech can tolerate dirt and sweat on skin better than its capacitive counterpart, and it also works underneath metal and glass (duh) but with increased penetration -- up to 800um for glass and up to 650um for aluminum, as opposed to the old 400um for either material.
Microsoft's Modern Keyboard hides a fingerprint sensor
Microsoft has quietly unveiled the Modern Mouse and Modern Keyboard, its next generation of Windows 10 input devices that match the latest Surface models in design and finish. Much like Apple's keyboard, the new model has "Chiclet"-style keys and aluminum frame that's heavy and "virtually indestructible," Microsoft says. The most interesting feature is a hidden fingerprint sensor located between the Alt and Ctrl keys so it won't interfere with the typing experience.
Apple is reportedly reinventing the iPhone's fingerprint reader
Future iPhones may revolve around more than just an eye-catching curved display. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who frequently (though not always) has a knack for hardware scoops, believes that Apple is designing a whole new Touch ID fingerprint reader for future iPhones and iPads. In order for Apple to virtually eliminate bezels, it needs a reader that sits under the screen -- and that means a brand new optical sensor. Development is underway, the analyst says, but development is still early enough that the technology might not be ready in time for the 2017 iPhone.
Synaptics' under-glass fingerprint reader is almost here
It was just a month ago when LG Innotek unveiled its under-glass fingerprint sensor, but it's clearly not the only company working on this space. At Computex, the folks over at Synaptics were kind enough to let me take a sneak peek at a similar technology that they've been working on for two years. For some reason, photography was forbidden, but the prototype was simply a special glass trackpad -- with extra details which I am not at liberty to disclose -- retrofitted into an existing laptop. It'll essentially be a spiritual successor to Synaptics' SecurePad (pictured above), but rather than having to cut a hole through the trackpad, the next-gen fingerprint sensor will simply sit underneath the glass layer, so that when it's idle, you can still use the entire trackpad area for the usual cursor and gesture controls.
Acer reveals Intel Skylake laptops with fingerprint readers
Acer will be launching quite a few devices at Computex this year, including a range of Windows 10 laptops that come with fingerprint readers. Two of those laptops, a 14-inch and a 15.6-inch TravelMate, are powered by Intel's 6th-gen core (aka Skylake) processors that became available late last year. They're also equipped with NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics cards, can support up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and will ship with Windows 10 Pro. These models are geared more towards small businesses, so they come bundled with some enterprise-level software. But if you're shopping for Skylake-based laptops and think either model could be a contender, you can check them out yourself when Acer releases them in North America sometime in the fourth quarter. One will cost you at least $599.
Qualcomm's next chips will help smartphones think for themselves
Qualcomm teased the prospect of smartphones that learn a couple of years ago, and it's now much closer to making them a practical reality. The chip designer has revealed its next big mobile processor, the Snapdragon 820, will be one of the first that can handle its Zeroth cognitive computing platform. In short, it'll let your phone learn about you (and the world around you) to take action on its own. You should see photo apps that detect whole scenes, security tools that protect against unknown viruses and interfaces that depend more on expressions and head movement than button taps. It gets more ambitious than that, though. Zeroth allows for always-on sensors that detect your surroundings (such as through motion or sound) and help your phone anticipate what you want.
The Galaxy S5's fingerprint reader can be fooled by fake digits
It looks like the iPhone 5s isn't the only smartphone whose fingerprint reader can be fooled by fake digits. SR Labs has just posted a video (shown below) showing that Samsung's just-launched Galaxy S5 is susceptible to the same trick: as long as you have a good photo of a latent print (such as one from the touchscreen), you can create a mold that passes for a real finger. The lab also claims that Samsung's approach may ultimately be less secure than Apple's, since you're not forced to enter a passcode under certain conditions (such as a reboot) and can use the fingerprint to make PayPal transactions.
Dual-SIM HTC One Max for China Unicom leaked, may pack a fingerprint reader
Much like HTC itself, leaksters have also been hard at work to help promote this company. Courtesy of ePrice, the latest spy shots feature the upcoming 5.9-inch One Max, and specifically, this is a dual-SIM model destined for China Unicom. Like the One Dual (or better known as 802w, 802t or 802d in China), this much bigger device sports a removable metallic back cover for access to the dual SIM slots, along with what appears to be a microSD slot at the top right corner. There are also a set of docking pins towards the bottom right on the back, so chances are we'll see official dock accessories for this bad boy.
Precise Biometrics' Tactivo for iPhone, iPad locks data by fingerprint and smart card, is overkill for your diary (video)
iOS device security has regularly been a concern of the government, but locking down one of Apple's devices for the government is still fresh. Precise Biometrics hopes to have the problem licked through the Tactivo, a combo fingerprint and smart card reader for the iPhone 4 / 4S (and the iPad, in the summer). Either method keeps data inside an app away from prying eyes, and while they won't tighten the security around the built-in apps, they do make sure a third-party app's data meets US and international government privacy specs without having to use a BlackBerry. We're not surprised that the Tactivo needs to engulf the iPhone in a full case to work its magic, although there's a micro-USB port to keep it powered and synced up. It's all a bit much if you're just trying to make sure your list of high school crushes stays a secret, and the price reflects that -- at $249 a pop, the Tactivo is really meant for agencies and companies for whom losing the data on an iPhone would cost a lot more. Still, if you're running an outfit encouraging BYOD phone use or just really, really want your secret passions to stay private, both the iPhone case and a BioSecrets app are ready today.
Lenovo adds ThinkPad X1 to laptop comparison guide, outs IPS screen, USB 3.0, and optional SSD
If you've somehow not heard of the ThinkPad X1 yet, you join us at a good time. The well leaked laptop has shown up at an X Series comparison site, put together by Lenovo itself, where yet more specs have been made known. The 13.3-inch display is dubbed a SuperBright HD inifinity panel, which to you and us simply means it's built using IPS technology. There's also an integrated fingerprint reader, a buttonless touchpad, USB 3.0 connectivity, and a promised 10-hour battery life with a slice battery. Weighing in at 1.36kg (3lbs) and measuring about 16mm (0.625 inches) in thickness, it's described as Lenovo's thinnest ThinkPad yet. Last time we heard, we were told to expect it on May 17th, guess those webmasters are getting the show started a little early. One more glamor shot of the X1 can be found after the break. [Thanks, Jesse]
Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 business slate up for US pre-orders, starting at $729
We're still not sure what's stylistic about Smart Card readers, fingerprint scanners and TPM modules, but you won't find them in many slates, so if you've been considering the Fujitsu Q550 -- which has one of each -- today's your lucky day. The Oak Trail-powered Windows 7 tablet with a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS screen is ready for US pre-orders today, with $729 bringing you the base model with a 30GB solid state drive and a two-cell rechargeable battery. $849 upgrades the slate to 62GB of storage and four cells worth of swappable Lithium-ion joy, while both sport front and rear cameras, HDMI out, a bootable USB 2.0 port, a full-size SD slot and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi. Let's just hope the UI is a tad more optimized than last time. [Thanks, Manish]
Atrix 4G's 4.1.57 update spruces up a few things, patches known root methods
The HSUPA-enabling update? No, not yet. The voice call quality fix? In the pipeline. The mission-critical Bluetooth multimedia experience improvements? Oh yes, we've got those right here! Motorola is preparing to deliver an imminent OTA update to its Atrix 4G super phone, which will fix up battery performance, overall software stability, and car dock, headphone jack, and fingerprint reader performance, but will regrettably leave the two major drawbacks to the AT&T-riding phone untouched. Alas, if you've rooted your Atrix, you'll have to pay a dear price to benefit from these upgrades as users over at xda-developers, who've obtained the pre-release build, report the new 4.1.57 update disables their previous superuser privileges. C'est la vie. Update: Word is this update will be released to the general public tomorrow. Sit tight. [Thanks, Daniel]
Lenovo's P960 handset packs a fingerprint scanner
Samsung's P960 handset has a built-in DVR, while Lenovo's P960 includes a fingerprint scanner. Pointless trivia aside, the latter is also Lenovo's first commercial mobile phone to incorporate fingerprint biometrics. Atrua Technologies has provided a fingerprint scanner that resides on the handset's edge in order to provide additional security for folks (read: cheaters, FBI agents and Segway users) who simply cannot afford to let their contact list be known. Even dodgier, the phone has a VIP recording feature which "automatically records calls from designated numbers" -- something that's sure to provide hours upon hours of merriment. We'd bemoan the fact that pricing information isn't readily available, but we just can't get over that whole automatic recording thing.
UPEK Eikon To Go RSA key comes with a built-in fingerprint reader
Although RSA's SecurID two-factor authentication system is pretty solid (except for when the keys go out of sync), it looks like organizations with even more stringent security requirements might be interested in UPEK's new Eikon To Go RSA key, which adds a fingerprint reader to the mix. Yep, nothing really too wild -- but it's definitely one of the cooler-looking SecurID keys we've seen out there.
Smokescreen biometric reader keeps track of the nicotine crowd
Life is tough for a smoker: not only are you slowing killing yourself from ten different cancers, it's getting harder and harder to enjoy that rich, deadly tobacco in public venues. Smokers in most big cities are already accustomed to heading outside for a nicotine break, and now some are being confronted with a fingerprint reader called 'smokescreen' that controls re-entry to clubs and bars after they've sucked down those precious puffs of smoke. Made by UK manufacturer idscan, smokescreen is marketed as an easy way for owners to combat bracelet or hand-stamp fraud, and also keeps track of how many people are outside at any given time. Best of all, those nic-heads loitering for too long and killing the ambiance can be locked out after a preset amount of time, either forcing them to the back of the line or perhaps giving them the kick in the pants they need to quit.[Via CNET]
