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Sharp's latest 2.6-inch LCD touts integrated touch sensor
We know you were probably delighted by Asahi Kasei's Rain Sensor, but Sharp is taking its sensors to a more sophisticated realm with its latest LCD. The 2.6-inch panel has been primarily designed for use in mobile / portable applications, and aside from sporting a 640 x 480 resolution, it also "incorporates an image sensor in the drive circuit." The sensor, which boasts a frame rate output of 30Hz, would allow companies to offer up "touchscreen input and biometric capabilities" in mobile devices, and although other firm's have offered up somewhat similar offerings -- not to mention thrown down a eerily similar patent application -- Sharp's rendition claims uniqueness by integrating the image sensor with the drive circuit of the panel and by using a "one transistor, one capacitor (1T1C) circuit structure" to boot. No word on when we'll see these fingerprint reading screens in cellphones or PMPs, but there's always the vibrating kind for those who just can't get enough functionality out of their mobile display.
Sarnoff wants to scan your iris without your knowledge
Okay, so it's more like the US government wanting to snag shots of your eyeballs sans your knowledge, but still, Sarnoff Corporation (yet another New Jersey firm interested in ocular studies) has recently filed a patent application that spells out a snazzy method of quickly photographing a helpless individual's facial region multiple times in order to (hopefully) capture one solid look at the iris. This newfangled manner of jacking biometrics from clueless pedestrians is actually being requested by the American government, as it apparently hopes to use it to run constant background checks with the information on file in order to peg a threat as they're strolling through. The device is slated to beam a "powerful, infrared strobe light" onto the subjects' faces, which syncs up with the camera exposures and creates a bank of hopeful photos for each individual, presumably chewing through terabytes of hard drive space in the process. Regardless, even this tactical approach probably won't be effective for long -- you know, considering every potential baddie now knows to rock the welder's glasses from here on out.[Via ]
Toshiba's Portege R400 convertible goes on sale
If you somehow managed to skim through the CES mayhem and notice this gem, chances are it immediately landed on your wish list, and if you're looking for an ultralight, well-spec'd, EV-DO-equipped convertible tablet, here's your chance. The Portégé R400 was peeked, revealed, cuddled, and reviewed, but now the time has finally come for you to lay claim to your own. Hitting Toshiba's webstore for a (slightly steep) base price of $3,149, this unit packs an energy-efficient 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo U2500 processor, Vista Ultimate, 2GB of RAM, 12.1-inch LED-backlit LCD, XGA resolution, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, fingerprint scanner, gigabit Ethernet port, built-in microphone / mono speaker, headphone out, six-cell Li-ion battery, PCMCIA, and a pair of USB 2.0 connectors. You'll also find a bevy of Microsoft and Toshiba software pre-installed, and while it only tips the scales at 3.79-pounds, you'll have to lug around an external optical drive if you need to spin any discs. But hey, at least you've got a tick to think things over, as it looks like even today's orders won't ship "for one to two weeks."
Airport shoe scanners holding up the show
Although it shouldn't take you by surprise to get held up a bit while going through airport security these days, a good few travelers are a bit perturbed by the Clear's problems with metal-infused footwear. Passenger's that spend more time cruising the friendly skies than motoring around in their own vehicle have the option to submit to a federal background check and cough up $100 in order to pass through newly-installed biometric scanners at certain airports such as Orlando International and New York's Kennedy Airport. However, even the snazzy scanners can't distinguish between benign and harmful metals, so customers who thought they'd save themselves the inconvenience of kicking off their kicks are still being forced to remove their shoes if even the slightest hint of metal is detected. Although the shoe scanners still won't be "broadly used" until they receive further TSA approval, Verified Identity Pass senior vice president Shawn Dagg simply suggested that "he hopes customers will learn to wear shoes without metal." We're sure that's exactly the answer these disgruntled customers were looking for, Mr. Dagg.
Biometric ATMs coming to rural India
Considering all the ATM hacking that's been going on of late, it's not all that surprising to see those "uber-secure" fingerprint readers hitting mini-banks in Japan and Columbia, and now a pilot program is getting set to install 15 biometric ATMs at "village kiosks in five districts across southern India." The fingerprint-reading machines are expected to serve around 100,000 workers, primarily farmers and other laborers, who will finally be able to withdraw funds directly from a machine rather than suffering through the corrupt hand-me-down process that often steals money away from already poor workers. AGS Infotech, who is supplying the first batch of systems for the trial, is interested in seeing if the system actually works out, as many villagers have trouble interacting with any type of computing interface, and because many villages have their own dialects, making a UI that can communicate to everyone is difficult. Of course, there are individuals who suggest that these systems will only incite crime, as thieves look to new methods (read: hacking a thumb or two) to extract funds, but proponents of the system say that this is no different than armed criminals forcing someone to give up their PIN number at gunpoint. Nevertheless, the trial is slated to start soon, and there's quite a few outsiders watching intently to gauge its eventual success or failure, as analysts predict that "over 100,000 ATMs" could be necessary to handle India's booming economy in the next few years.
EEG signatures are the new fingerprint scans
If you think (er, know) that fingerprint scanners just aren't up to snuff with your strict demands, a team of European scientists are developing a novel replacement for biometric security. Dimitrios Tzovaras and his colleagues at the Center for Research and Technology Hellas in Greece have established a system which relies on measured activity in the brain to form a security protocol that's "difficult to forge." Since electroencephalography (EEG) measurements are unique for every person, users begin by having their brain activity recorded and analyzed, producing an "EEG signature" which can then be used to allow or deny entry into buildings, data centers, or other top secret locales. The catch is that employees would be forced to walk around with a wired helmet on their noggin, which could "potentially chang the ambiance of the workplace" according to a researcher at the University of Cambridge. Notably, the method is just one of the security layers that are being scrutinized as a part of the Human Monitoring and Authentication using Biodynamic Indicators and Behavioral Analysis (HUMABIO) project going on in Europe, which aims to "combine several different biometrics to create a more efficient and secure overall system." Of course, there's still some kinks to be worked out, especially considering that brain patterns are extremely dependent on "alertness," and we seriously hope they develop a less invasive (and gaudy) alternative to forcing blokes to rock oddly-shaped headgear as a part of their job.
BioLife kicks out TAP-01 biometric doorbell
If a few unexpected (and uninvited) guests somehow made it into your crib last night to celebrate and mooch off your now-depleted food / beverage stash, you might want to take action in making sure your future parties don't sport a theoretical revolving door. In case Waleli's GSM-doorbell is a little too, um, colorful, for your tastes, BioLife has a more sophisticated-looking alternative to keep intruders at bay. The TAP-01 Fingerprint Access Control with Doorbell sports the obligatory fingerprint scanner, voice / name display, internet / intranet management capabilities, arbitrary time zone and grouping access control, and also a keypad password feature for an added level of security. While we're not certain when this biometric lock / doorbell will be available to grace the outside of your front entrance nor how much it'll cost, it could very well pay for itself by safeguarding your perishable goods.[Via TRFJ]
HP set to launch tx1000 widescreen convertible tablet
Although HP's had the business-centric convertible tablet down pat for awhile now, it's mixing in a bit of that general consumer lovin' with the forthcoming tx1000. Taking design roots from the entertainment-based Pavilion laptops, this two-faced machine boasts a twistable touchscreen, built-in webcam, fingerprint reader, and a removable LightScribe-compatible DVD burner to boot. Other niceties include a 12.1-inch widescreen LCD, 5-in-1 flash card reader, Altec Lansing stereo speakers, dual headphone jacks, an HP mini remote control, WiFi, twin omni-directional microphones, and a lightweight shell. While we'd love to spill more exact specifications, the Windows Vista Partner Stories brochure put the brakes on the particulars before things got too frontal, but as with Toshiba's elusive R400, we expect this bad boy to show up alongside Vista's big release, if not sooner.
Heathrow airport testing opt-in big brother biometrics
For every vocal privacy advocate, there are probably one hundred people who would just like to get through the lines a bit quicker at the airport, and perhaps cut down on that 3 hour pre-flight arrival time -- as long as it didn't mean compromising national security in the process. To that end, the UK's Heathrow airport is implementing an opt-in biometrics system called miSense that allows passengers to bypass lines and breeze through the check-in process if they agree to selling their souls forking over some private data do the BAA. Beyond your fingerprint data, you'll need to have held a valid passport for over six months and be subjected to some UK government background checks, but after that you'll get your fingerprints tied to your passport and be able to bypass lines at the airport with a simple swipe of the finger -- and eventually face and eye biometric scans as well. Seems to be a pretty good trade-off to us, and we like how the program is optional right now, we just hope that with UK's predilection for big brother activity, this won't become a mandatory program and get all biometric on the more paranoid privacy types who would rather not fork over such data.[Via Fark]
Elecom CR-FP2, yet another biometric flash drive
If you're looking for an alternative to the Pretec i-Disk Touch USB flash drive or to the smartSTIK-MD, and find yourself in the Land of the Rising Sun, you may want to check out the new Elecom CR-FP2 biometric flash drive. From what we can tell, it's a pretty standard half gig drive that will encrypt your data such that it can only be unlocked by way of a fingerprint scan. It can be yours for ¥8,820 ($76) sometime later this month -- just make sure you don't get in a fight with some Yakuza and lose a finger or two before then.[Via PC Watch]
smartSTIK-MD keeps your medical records on a biometric flash drive
While the smartSTIK-MD isn't the first biometric USB drive that we've ever seen, but it's definitely the first medically-oriented one we've laid eyes on. Apparently this drive is "designed to accept medical information, including lab results, x-rays, physician's notes, prescription histories, testing results, and just about any medical data" -- but we're not really sure how that makes it different from any other flash drive (data is data, after all), other than it supposedly complies with the Health Information Privacy and Portability Act. We don't know when in 2007 this will be out, nor what it'll cost (save a fingerprint scan), but if you're already asking your doctor about Mylanta, Zoloft, Viagra or your other drug of choice, ask them about the smartSTIK-MD, too. We're curious.[Via medGadget]
UK cops to trial public fingerprinting
If you just so happen to live across the pond, and have been staying out from behind bars thanks to your clever facade and charming manipulations, things are about to get a whole lot tougher. Over the next year, pilot projects in "Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, North Wales, Northamptonshire, West Midlands, West Yorkshire," and other various locales will place portable biometric scanners in the hands of police. The backers hope that giving the boys in blue quick, handy access to "6.5 million fingerprints" will land more sly criminals in jail than are currently being sniffed out. According to reports, around "60 percent" of suspects are giving out entirely false identities while out and about, but considering how immensely difficult it is to alter that telltale print, British cops could be rolling quite a few more perpetrators than usual back to the precincts. Interestingly enough, suspects can only be scanned "after giving permission," which isn't likely to happen to any sane, sober, and halfway intelligent crook. Nevertheless, "project Lantern" should kick off in Beds real soon, arming contemporary cops with "PDA-like" scanners to patrol the streets and (hopefully) curb the frequency in which those oh-so-susceptible ATMs are being violated (and emptied).
Toshiba kicks out sexy new Portege M500 ultraportable
If you're weary that the shiny white MacBook may not stay that way for long, or just prefer your laptops to come pre-loaded with palm rest stickers, Toshiba has a trendy new notebook aimed at you. The Portege M500 sports a sleek 4.1-pound enclosure, "white pearl" (and black, too) color scheme, and a 12.1-inch LCD. Beneath the hood of this sexy machine is Intel's 1.73GHz T2250 Core 2 Duo processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, 80GB SATA hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, a 5-in-1 flash card reader, and a built-in microphone. It also boasts a fingerprint sensor, "spill-resistant" keyboard, and a "Quick Play" function that plays back DVDs without the OS being booted. The M500 can be snapped up now, provided that you're in South Korea and have 1,390,000KRW ($1,489) to spare.
Scottish school gets biometrified, vein-scanner style
According to Digital World Tokyo, students at Todholm Primary School, in Paisley, Scotland are now getting a side of biometrics with their order each time they visit the cafeteria, thanks to some new palm vein-scanning payment systems recently installed in the school. This is not the first time we've seen biometrics employed in academia, but while other schools have used fingerprint and iris scanners, this implementation is based on the same Fujitsu palm reading technology currently used in Japanese banks. Because students deduct lunch orders from their accounts with the swipe of a hand, this method has the added advantage of obviating the need for meal tickets. While it's just on cafeteria duty for now, the system's developers foresee the device being used to control room access as well, keeping tabs on which classes students attend -- so while the kids reportedly dig the current scanner because it "makes them feel like James Bond," we suspect they'll be slightly less enthused when being tracked non-stop for eight hours a day.
Angered parents considering lawsuit over unconsented fingerprinting
Although it still seems a bit dodgy, we can understand the need for biometric identification in governmental positions and (to a lesser extent) the chaotic lines of Walt Disney World. But when a school system starts swiping fingerprints from students without so much as prior notification to the guardians, thoughts of a lawsuit are imminent. Janine Fletcher, a "solicitor and concerned parent who instigated the legal response," found the actions of 70 schools in Cumbia County downright disturbing, and has apparently rounded up a group of sue-happy supporters to back the cause. Institutions in the area reportedly acquired the unsuspecting students' fingerprints without so much as asking the parents for their consent, and once the prints are on file, local police have a "huge database" of potential crime lords to sift through without the need to arrest them first. While the schools did muster the courage to drop each parent a note in the mail regarding their recent deeds, alerting the cautious mums after invading their kids' privacy indeed seems a bit backwards. Anyways, if you've got nothing to hide (at the moment, of course), then there's no need to fret -- the classic argument -- but having the biometrics already on tap should make prosecuting those students-turned-thieves a much easier process should it become necessary.
Walt Disney World to start fingerprinting everyone
There aren't that many places (yet) where you have to provide biometric data to gain access. Usually they're limited to high-security areas, you know, places like nuclear research facilities, airports, libraries (!) and by the end of this month, Walt Disney World. Oh yes, the Magic Kingdom will soon be taking fingerprints of its visitors at all four Orlando-area theme parks, and is well on its way becoming a real nation-state, given that it already issues passports and has a standing army of costumed characters (and let's not even speak of their monstrous robot dominion). Disney says that this is to prevent ticket fraud and officials claim that the company is not actually taking "fingerprints," but rather, mathematical representations of fingerprints, as calculated by series of points measured on a fingerprint. A little math never hurt anymore, right? Except when it can be tied to an individual's identity, a record of their whereabouts, and corresponding physical traits. It's a world of hopes and a world of fears, indeed.[Via BoingBoing]
New federal employee IDs coming this fall, biometric firms giddy
As The Washington Post reports, a slew of fresh government initiatives are set to begin to take effect this fall, starting with new biometric-loaded ID cards for federal employees. In addition to requiring all employees to undergo background checks (don't they do that already?), the new standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology will require the cards to include fingerprints at a minimum, and likely also include magnetic strips, personal identification numbers, digital photos, holograms, and watermarks. That should cover some 10 million employees, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to what's really getting the biometric companies excited: the prospect of tricking out every driver's license in the country with biometric goodness (or badness, depending on your perspective). While standards for that have yet to been set, the Real ID Act has set mid-2008 as the cut-off date to settle on the format of next-gen licenses once and for all.
Seamon's EasyGo waterproof fingerprint scanner
So you fancy red knit caps and a taste for the life aquatic, eh? Only thing is, you can't leave this cruel, cruel terra firma for fear of your sensitive data ending up in the hands of swashbuckling, or other pirate-types. Well put down that Glock and call-off the MPAA, 'cause Seamon Inc. will keep that PC booty safe even under the sloppiest of conditions. The $172 EasyGo optical fingerprint scanner is designed to cut through that thick, watery glaze for biometric access to your USB-equipped Windows laptop. Best of all, unlike iris-scanners, the EasyGo is immune to Hydrogen Psychosis, which is nice.[Via Akihabara News]
