Fingerprint recognition might be about to hit the big time with the release of the latest iPhone.
Among the other revolutionary new features, like different colours and, um, a slightly better camera, Apple has included a much anticipated fingerprint scanner in their top-of-the-range iPhone 5S.
Fingerprint recognition is a type of biometric technology. Other kinds are facial recognition, iris (eye) recognition and voice recognition. All of these technologies work because we are all different, and computers are smart enough to tell us apart.
Fingerprints have been used as identification for thousands of years, and electronic fingerprint scanners have been around for decades. Scanners are included in many laptop computers and some phones, but the problem is they aren't very good. Often you have to put your finger in just the right place for it to work, or it requires a swipe at just the right speed. In short, fingerprint scanners are a bit fiddly.
Apple says that their scanner, called TouchID, is better. You simply touch the home button and the phone will scan your finger and unlock. No more passwords, pin-codes, swipe patterns or *gasp* phones with no security. You can also use TouchID for other security features like buying apps. The scanner is built into the home button. The idea is that your phone is secure and you don't even notice it.
The TouchID learns your fingerprints by taking a number of high resolution images of your finger. It then analyses different features and patterns in the prints and saves this analysis on the phone. Then, when you touch the home button, it takes another image and compares it to the one stored on the phone. If it thinks it is a match, it unlocks the phone.
Early reports say that it works quite well, and takes less than a second to recognise your finger. We don't know how long the scanner will last before it wears out or how secure it really. Time will tell if it is more than just a novelty.
What does this mean for you? Well, if you are lucky, one of your parents will become so excited about this new feature that they will rush out and buy the new iPhone, even though the phone that they own is perfectly good. Then, if you play your cards right, you may soon take possession of a shiny, newish hand-me-down iPhone.
Sources:
Apple
Articlesbase
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| Fingerprints. They're all different. Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Fingerprint recognition is a type of biometric technology. Other kinds are facial recognition, iris (eye) recognition and voice recognition. All of these technologies work because we are all different, and computers are smart enough to tell us apart.
Fingerprints have been used as identification for thousands of years, and electronic fingerprint scanners have been around for decades. Scanners are included in many laptop computers and some phones, but the problem is they aren't very good. Often you have to put your finger in just the right place for it to work, or it requires a swipe at just the right speed. In short, fingerprint scanners are a bit fiddly.
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| Old-school fingerprint scanner. Source: Rachmaninoff |
The TouchID learns your fingerprints by taking a number of high resolution images of your finger. It then analyses different features and patterns in the prints and saves this analysis on the phone. Then, when you touch the home button, it takes another image and compares it to the one stored on the phone. If it thinks it is a match, it unlocks the phone.
 |
| TouchID. Source: Apple Insider |
What does this mean for you? Well, if you are lucky, one of your parents will become so excited about this new feature that they will rush out and buy the new iPhone, even though the phone that they own is perfectly good. Then, if you play your cards right, you may soon take possession of a shiny, newish hand-me-down iPhone.
Sources:
Apple
Articlesbase
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