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Forget James Bond.
Biometrics technology is finally starting to come down to earth to address some far more mundane issues.
For instance, it's coming to the aid of harried users clamouring for release from the endless passwords they must use to get on with their work and lives.
The technology is starting to go mainstream. A landmark was reached recently when China-based PC maker Lenovo announced it had sold its one millionth ThinkPad laptop equipped with an integrated biometric fingerprint reader.
Worries about the technology are diminishing as people become familiar with the way it actually works. For example, fears that users' fingerprints may be stolen by hackers are unfounded, says Peter Sturm, national sales specialist at Toronto-based Lenovo Canada.
The ThinkPad doesn't store the fingerprint's actual image; rather, it converts it into a mathematical algorithm. And any ghoulish notions that someone's finger might be chopped off to gain access are also unfounded, he says. The ThinkPad's reader uses the electrical patterns emitted by human bodies to distinguish a live finger from a dead one or an inert object.
User acceptance is growing as more and more people experience its benefits. The ThinkPad's reader is both an adjunct to and replacement for passwords, explains Sturm. "So long as you remember to bring your finger with you to work, you can access applications." The reader associates the fingerprint with passwords or other access information, as defined by the user, and provides it to applications.
The accuracy rate of Lenovo's reader is about one error in 10,000, says Sturm.
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