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Vivo’s notch-free V15 Pro has a 32-megapixel pop-up selfie camera
Vivo has unveiled its second smartphone with a pop-up selfie camera, but this time, it's far from being a gimmick. The V15 Pro, first revealed earlier this month, packs a front facing camera with no less than 32-megapixels, surely one of the highest-resolution models out there. The back three-camera array isn't chopped liver either, delivering up to 48 megapixels. To top off the tech-fest, the V15 Pro has a 6.4-inch OLED display and fifth-generation in-screen fingerprint sensor.
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.
Ultrasound makes Qualcomm's new in-display fingerprint sensor super-secure
Qualcomm is being coy and not telling us everything about its new Snapdragon 855 chipset yet, but it did dig into its new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor a bit. While that might not sound like the most exciting development to come out of Hawaii this week, it has big implications for how we lock down our phones and should pop up in devices by early next year.
AI can create synthetic fingerprints that fool biometric scanners
Researchers from New York University have found a way to produce fake fingerprints using artificial intelligence that could fool biometric scanners (or the human eye) into thinking they're the real deal. The DeepMasterPrints, as the researchers are calling them, replicated 23 percent of fingerprints in a system that supposedly has an error rate of one in a thousand. When the false match rate was one in a hundred, the DeepMasterPrints were able to mimic real prints 77 percent of the time.
Seahawks and Mariners fans can buy concessions with their fingerprints
Sports fans in Seattle now have the option of using the biometric services offered by Clear to enter stadiums, buy concessions and verify their age for alcohol purchases. Seahawks and Sounders FC fans will be able to use their fingerprints to get through security lines and to make purchases at certain concession stands at CenturyLink Field. Additionally, while Clear already allowed Mariners fans to use their fingerprints at Safeco Field's security checkpoints, game attendees can now also use Clear at select concession spots. The Seahawks are the first NFL team to partner with Clear. This also marks the first time in the US that biometric data has been approved to replace both IDs for age verification and credit cards for purchases.
Microsoft Edge now supports passwordless sign-ins
Edge users will soon be able to securely sign into websites without having to remember their passwords. Microsoft has today announced support for the Web Authentication specification in the browser, which will let you log on using Windows Hello hardware (so that's IR cameras and fingerprint readers), as well as PINs or external FIDO2 security keys, like the one launched by Google last week.
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.
Recommended Reading: The 'Stories' invasion won't relent anytime soon
Why 'Stories' Took Over Your Smartphone Ian Bogost, The Atlantic Snapchat may have created the monster, but in nearly every social (and some not-so-social) app you fire up, you'll be greeted with a feed of Stories. In fact, Facebook says the format is on pace to be more popular than a primary feed as the preferred way to share updates. The Atlantic explains how the ephemeral format took over your phone and why it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
How police are using corpses to unlock phones
If you've ever imagined a scenario where police demand you unlock your phone and thought, "Over my dead body!" — we have bad news for you. Here in our absurd dystopian future, having a phone means that upon your demise you could find yourself participating -- limp and lifeless -- in a legal search and seizure of your own digital property.
Amazon Key can require your fingerprint to allow in-home deliveries
As convenient as Amazon's in-home delivery can be, the app powering it isn't entirely secure. It normally grants full access to your smart lock and camera footage, which would pose a rather obvious problem if the wrong person had one of your mobile devices. As of now, though, you can throw an obstacle in their way: the Amazon Key app for Android now supports fingerprint authentication. Switch it on and you should be the only one who can open the door.
Lenovo’s fingerprint manager left passwords vulnerable
A slew of Lenovo devices have left users' systems vulnerable to a breach. Fingerprint Manager Pro software installed on any of some three dozen ThinkPad, ThinkCentre or ThinkStation devices apparently features weak encryption that allows someone to bypass the fingerprint scanner and take advantage of a hardcoded password in order to gain access to the system. It also exposes users' logon credentials and fingerprint data. Lenovo described the vulnerability in a security update and released a patch for the bug last week.
This phone's in-display fingerprint sensor is a taste of things to come
I just picked up a Vivo phone and laid my thumb on its screen, and voila: I unlocked it. That might not sound like much, but titans like Apple and Samsung have reportedly struggled to squeeze fingerprint sensors beneath their own displays. And yet here I am, with a prototype phone from a company most have never heard of, touching a finger to glass and watching a phone come to life.
India’s privacy ruling could disrupt its biometric society
A landmark judgement has ruled that Indian citizens have a fundamental right to privacy, despite the country's vast biometric identification scheme. In a case bought forward by opponents of the government's Aadhaar biometric program, Chief Justice J.S Khehar said privacy was "protected as an intrinsic part of Article 21 that protects life and liberty". The unanimous verdict from the nine-judge bench overturns two previous rulings by the Supreme Court which said privacy was not a fundamental right.
Apple could let you discreetly call 911 with your fingerprint
Calling the emergency services is a deliberately easy process -- just three digits in most countries, simple enough for a child to learn. But Apple may have plans to make it even more straightforward, after patenting a new way of calling for help using just your fingertips. The patent describes how the user could program different fingerprints, patterns and even the amount of force required to switch the phone into 'panic mode'. This would result in the phone calling the emergency services, and could activate a live-stream of video, or provide location data via GPS. Personal safety smart jewelry -- already on the market -- works in a similar way.
Unlock your PC with your Samsung phone's fingerprint reader
Have a recent Samsung phone and a Windows 10 PC? Life's about to get a bit easier. Samsung has updated its Flow app to let you use the fingerprint reader on Galaxy devices running Android Marshmallow or newer (such as the S6, S7 and S8) to log into any Windows 10 PC using Hello, not just Samsung's own Galaxy TabPro S. If you regularly keep your phone on-hand, you won't have to enter your password every time you sit down at your computer.
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.
TSA begins testing fingerprint check-ins at two US airports
It's never a nice experience to stand in line at the airport for hours just to get a pat down when you get to the end. Hopefully, TSA's new biometric fingerprint tech could make air travel a more pleasant experience for most people. Starting this week, the Transportation Security Administration's fingerprint sensors will go through proof-of-concept testing at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and at Denver International Airport. The test will last for four weeks, and you can try it out for yourself if you registered your fingerprint as part of TSA's PreCheck program.
Mastercard adds fingerprint sensors to payment cards
Our fingerprints are quickly replacing PINs and passwords as our primary means of unlocking our phones, doors and safes. They're convenient, unique, and ultimately more secure than easily guessed or forged passwords and signatures. So it makes sense that fingerprint sensors are coming to protect our credit and debit cards. Mastercard is testing out new fingerprint sensor-enabled payment cards that, combined with the onboard chips, offer a new, convenient way to authorize your in-person transactions. Instead of signing a paper receipt or entering your PIN while struggling to cover up the number pad, you simply place your thumb on your card to prove your identity.
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.
Researchers warn peace sign photos could expose fingerprints
As if the constant data breaches that threaten to expose the one password you use for absolutely everything weren't enough, apparently you now need to start worrying about posting that cute selfie. The peace sign is many people's go-to picture pose, and it's particularly popular in East Asia, but according to researchers it's also the perfect way to expose your fingerprints online. In a study conducted at Japan's National Institute of Informatics (NII), investigators found that, if the focus and lighting was right, they could recreate fingerprints from images shot up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) from the subject.
