Some interesting options to investigate if you’re trying to make your computer, or your data, more secure and don’t want to remember passwords:
Kanguru Bio Drive
This is a USB memory stick that uses your fingerprint to encrypt/decrypt the data. c/net reports that it’s an improvement over some other efforts because removing the drive automatically encrypts the data when you pull the drive out of the pc And, gadgetnutz reported that he couldn’t hack it with a copy of a fingerprint. http://www.kanguru.com/biodrive.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Kanguru_Bio_Drive_1GB/4505-3240_7-31385102-2.html?tag=sub http://www.gadgetnutz.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2
A bug or a feature?
The drive is fatter than a USB port, so it may block an adjacent USB port.
I was hoping that it would read your thumb as you plug it in, but the technology requires you to “swipe” your finger across the reader; I admit, though, that this may be a feature not a bug, since it may help foil those wielding fake fingerprints.
While it’s reported to work quite well, it has enough misreads that it prudently gives you the opportunity to set a “back-up” password.
IDesia
A new entrant in the biometrics market, this Israeli company uses people’s unique electrical output for biometric access control. A person needs to hold a small device with both hands (or at least press a finger from each hand), presumably to create a competed circuit. The company says access will be granted in 2 to 4 seconds.
http://www.idesia-biometrics.com/
A bug or a feature?
Users may balk at needing to use both hands every time they come back to the computer.
Based upon a test and statistical extrapolations, the company reports a high degree of confidence that the system will correctly reject non-matching biometrics. It cannot predict perfectly correct matching results with the same degree of confidence. During a test of 106 subjects (mixed gender and age), all 106 were registered to the system, but 4 could not subsequently obtain access.
http://www.idesia-biometrics.com/technology/statistical_report_11.04.pdf
