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Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: E.H.F. who wrote (28588)	7/7/1998 2:00:00 PM
From: E.H.F.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

Article concerning the fingerprint technology: Log-ins now done by fingerprint By Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM July 8, 1998, 10:30 a.m. PT Taking a product design cue from '60s spy movies, Compaq today outlined a new security system that will allow users to log in by fingerprint. Due in August, the company's fingerprint recognition system will be a device approximately half the size of a mouse that is calibrated to recognize a 3D image of an individual's fingerprint, said Michael Takemura, director for product marketing for desktops in North America. To log in, users will press their chosen finger against the plane of the device. A microcamera will then cross-check the image against stored data about the finger in question. If a match occurs, the user will be logged in to the network. The underlying software for the system comes from Identicator and will be the first in a series of "biometric" products the company hopes to bring to the market. Users afraid that someone might try to lift a fingerprint off of an old Fresca bottle can need not worry. Both the device and fingerprint recognition software work with 3D images of a fingerprint. "You would have to convert a 2D image to a 3D image," Takemura explained. People with unusually sweaty hands can also use the device without fear because it does not use heat-sensitivity as criteria. While other companies have released fingerprint ID systems, Compaq's is the first to be priced attractively, asserted Takemura. The device and necessary software will cost just under $100 and be marketed with Compaq's Deskpro and Armada lines. E.H.F.