PCMCIA Password Manager: Fingerprint Reader forNotebooks

Posted by Matthew Brodsky

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Joe Soap notebook user has dozens of passwords, and can hardly remember any of them. Logins are often scribbled on post-it notes, strewn across his desktop at work like candy wrappers. Laptopical reporter, Matt Brodsky offers Joe a biometric solution.

Youraverage laptop user has a dozen and a half passwords, and can'tremember all of them. They keep their passwords and loginsstored-or scribbled-on scraps of paper, strewn throughout theiroffice at work like candy wrappers. But what happens if they'reon the road? Joe Soap just gives up and checks his personale-mail, the one password he can remember.

Not the next generation of hard-working notebook users. Theyturn to their new PCMCIA personal fingerprint reader, or PCMCIAPassword Manager - from American Power Conversion. Fingerprintscanners have been around for a while, and biometric security maystill be mostly talk and not a lot of use, but it will definitelytake hold if companies like APC continue putting out advancedproducts.

The theory behind it is so simple it no longer seems like biometric science fiction. The scanner fits snugly into the PCMCIA,(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slot ofa notebook computer. Whenever you're confronted by a loginprompt, the fingerprint sensor can be ejected out of the side ofyour laptop. You place your finger in it, and the device'ssoftware matches your fingerprint with pre-saved login info.

Can this system be trusted? As far as reading fingerprints, itseems to be. It reads the "true" fingerprint underneath the firstlayers of your skin, so it can read through dry, dead skin,calluses, blisters, oil, dirt, and other crud, natural orotherwise.

As far as storing the proper information, the PCMCIA unit canstore up to 20 different user fingerprints, with an unlimitednumber of passwords and user ids for each. As far as security,the device is geared for fast user switches, to avoid confusionif people are sharing the laptop. Plus,the Windows-compliant software provides one-touch folderencryption and decryption.

As far as somebody cutting off your finger and using it to stealyour files, there's probably some sort of insurance to protectagainst that.

But for businesses and individuals looking to take the step intothe 21st century of security and system access, the PCMCIAfingerprint reader is it. At $149.99 retail, the device doesn'tcarry as much the price tag you'd expect for something out of ascience fiction movie.

Related articles:

- Palmvein security built into Fujitsu laptops?

- CompaqNX6125 with fingerprint sensor

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