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Technology Stocks : Identix (IDNX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: brad greene who wrote (13611)	5/20/1999 1:34:00 PM
From: David	Respond to of 26039

From today's London Guardian: "Now finger-scanning systems from firms like Compaq (which uses Identicator Technology's system) and Siemens (FingerTIP, due in September) can be built into computer keyboards or laptop computers or attached to any PC for less than pounds 100. Similar fingerprint systems will soon be built into mobile phones and, eventually, cars." . . . "John Doig, NCR's product manager for ATM security, says systems will be adopted only if they're accepted by the public: 'The key purchasing criterion for the banks is that the person in the street has to be willing to use the technology.' So far the Nationwide's results have been surprisingly positive. According to an independent survey of the Nationwide trial by the Pegram Walters Group, 91% of customers preferred iris recognition to the use of a PIN or signature. "One advantage, according to Doig, is that 'the other (systems) all rely on the user doing something, and doing something properly. We should soon be able to capture the customer's iris without the need for any co-operation, and that's much better. But we need to continue to reduce its cost and reduce its obtrusiveness to make it a real winner'. NCR expects the next generation of Sensar equipment will be smaller, and will do this." ====================== Those two italicized passages seemed most significant. Biometrics coming soon to telephones? Doesn't the next generation IDT scanner point in that direction? And that comment about the user needing to do something, and do it right. Well, the Digital Persona software didn't care how you put your finger down, and every reviewer liked that. Fortunately, IDT has now matched that feature . . . so we don't have to worry about 'doing it right.' I disagree that the public is going to be as accepting of passive ID systems as they are of systems in which they choose to participate by cooperating with the biometric measurement.