Intel and Qualcomm could unveil their products for new biometric security technology today. Both companies will apparently launch products that collect biometric data for security.
Vital landmark for Biometric Security
Announcements from both chip makers regarding the new services are expected to be made at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), a technology industry event in Barcelona, Spain.
Intel is expected to announce the first customer deployment of its True Key technology that was unveiled earlier this year. The device’s camera will make use of the True Key feature to recognize the customer’s “facial math,” such as the distance between the eyes and nose, along with voice and fingerprints to open the device. After recognizing the face, it will grant access to all the passwords.
Another chip maker, Qualcomm, is expected to come up with a kind of sonar-based way to read fingerprints through glass, plastic and some metal. The new technology will be a significant improvement over currently popular fingerprint authentication methods. Mobile phones will be rigged with the sensor on both sides, making it easier and more accurate to analyze the difference between the peak and trough of a fingerprint. Tim McDonough, vice president for product marketing at Qualcomm, said this technology will be integrated into watches, cars, gaming devices, set-top boxes, laptops and tablets.
Qualcomm has an edge over Intel
Intel’s product will be the first in the market, but Qualcomm’s could be more compelling over the long term for the reason that the latter wants to scrap passwords altogether, bringing in fingerprints, says a report from The NY Times.
Usesr can set their phone to identify more than one fingerprint and restrict access to particular apps with the use of sensors. In other words, a user can share the phone with any family member, but they will not be able to see protected apps.
Chip maker Qualcomm is a member of an industry group known as the Fido Alliance, which works to simplify online authentication. Being a member of the Fido Alliance, which also includes names like Google, Microsoft, Alibaba, Samsung and PayPal, the chip maker will be able to expand the acceptability of its technology. It must be noted that Intel is not a member of this group.
