Biometrics

Sometimes you find the biggest clues in the strangest of places. In this case, one of the iPhone 8’s most debated feature has been more or less confirmed in a device far removed from an iPhone: a smart speaker. That is exactly the little piece of treasure that developer Steve Troughton-Smith discovered when digging through the Apple HomePod’s firmware, which Apple itself accidentally leaked. But while it does seem to answer one question, it still leaves plenty of room for other questions.

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Although fingerprint scanners hiding underneath glass displays is quite the hot topic in smartphones these days, the dream isn't actually new. It has been around a few years back and some even had nearly working solutions. One of those is Qualcomm and it is now reminding everyone of that. At MWC Shanghai, the mobile chip maker will be showing off its latest ultrasonic fingerprint scanner running underneath the display of an actual commercial smartphone. And, in a way, it will be showing Samsung what it might be missing out on.

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Smartphone makers have been trying to make it easier for users to secure their smartphones without having to remember strong passwords and PINs. But aside from the fingerprint, which itself isn't infallible, very few technologies have offered both security and convenience in a single package. Even Samsung concedes it won't use its own iris scanning as the only authentication for Samsung Pay, for example. Sony, however, might have something better in mind, one that involves not only your eyes or even your face but your entire head as well.

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Fingerprint sensors are now everywhere. Once the stuff of science fiction and spy movies, the biometric system now unlocks smartphones, laptops, and credit cards. Yes, credit cards. That is, if MasterCard’s pilot test is successful. The financial services giant has just announced that it has kicked off test in South Africa for a “next generation” card that combines the usual chips you find in cards today with a biometric sensor that promises more secure transactions and less opportunities for fraud.

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It seems those recent rumors about Apple looking to implement facial recognition and other biometric features into future iPhone models are ringing true, as it's been reported that Cupertino has acquired RealFace, an Israel-based startup that specializes in facial recognition. This news comes from the Times of Israel, which adds that Apple purchased the company for an estimated $2 million.

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The latest report from Ming-Chi Kuo, the KGI Securities analyst with one of the best track records when it comes to Apple's future hardware plans, was released yesterday, and it includes several expectations of what's to come with the 2017 iPhone. The most notable change is an overhaul of the smartphone's Touch ID fingerprint reader, replacing it with new biometric identification technology, and in turn reducing the need for bezels in the device's design.

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When it comes to authentication systems, particularly those involving biometric sensors, Microsoft might be considered a latecomer to the party. That said, its Windows Hello platform might actually end up being the most pervasive in the end. That’s because, based on slides and statements made by the company during it recent Ignite 2016 conference, Windows Hello might actually work on more than just Microsoft’s devices, including Android phones and iPhones. When that will happen and to what extent, however, remains shrouded in uncertainty.

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Chromebooks
are experiencing a revival in market interest, in no small part thanks to Google’s promise to bring Android apps to the platform. Given that renewed uptake, it is probably high time that Chromebook makers update their wares to modern standards. Acer’s new Chromebook R 13, for example, is trying to take on the tablet and convertible laptop market. Based on some commits to Chromium, on which Chrome and Chrome OS are built upon, upcoming Chromebooks could also start supporting stronger security measures, including support for fingerprint scanners.

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Display makers these days are trying to think up of ways, some would say gimmicks, to invigorate the PC monitor market and especially appeal to the usually lucrative and high-spending gaming crowd. Samsung and LG both have their new UltraWide curved monitors, and while Acer does have a rather curious curved screen laptop, the first of its kind, it isn’t stopping there. At IFA 2016, it is unveiling three new monitors,, the Predator Z271T, Predator XB251HQT, and Predator XB271HUT, all designed for gaming that, while varying in specs, share one thing in common. All three sport Tobii’s eye-tracking technology, promising new areas of innovation in reactivity and input for games.

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“Apple Picking”, referring to the spate of iPhone thefts a few years back, might no longer be as common, but unauthorized physical access to smartphones and mobile devices is still pretty much a thing. Apple, how has been very aggressive with anti-theft measures, has apparently filed a patent that takes things a step further. Based on the patent, an iPhone, under a set of circumstances, could collect biometric information as well as photos of an alleged thief. Or basically anyone trying and failing to unlock the smartphone.

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One of the new stars of the new Galaxy Note 7 is undoubtedly its iris scanning technology. Although fast, reliable, and useful, especially when paired with Samsung's equally new Secure Folders, iris scanners, as a whole, are still too new for mobile devices. But if Samsung has its way, that won't be for long. According to the company's mobile division president DJ Koh, the technology could eventually trickle down even to mid-range devices in the not so distant future. With some cost cutting, of course.

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Law enforcement isn't happy about the rise of biometric phone security -- that is, fingerprint sensors -- because it is incredibly hard to bypass. To get around the pesky issue, police have turned to 3D-printing, requesting a lab recreate and 3D print a phone owner's fingerprints in a way that they can be used to unlock the phone. Though the 3D-printed fingerprints haven't yet been verified as functional, the issue has already raised a new round of criticism and privacy concerns.

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