This week saw the launch of the newest smartphone from Taiwanese handset maker HTC and it came with a surprise. Unlike its predecessor, the HTC One Max, the new HTC One M8 does not have any built in biometric security functions. It is a surprise considering the two major smartphone companies have fingerprint sensors embedded in the home buttons of their current flagship models and there is a growing demand for stronger than password authentication options.
Luckily for the HTC loyalist that won’t settle for simple PINs and passwords, Mobile ID World can help you find out why no fingerprint sensor doesn’t necessarily mean no biometrics on the HTC One M8.
Dan Miller from Opus Research summarized the need for at least some kind of strong authentication this week when talking about the newest solution form VoiceVault, “Because hundreds of millions of people use their smartphones or tablets for both business and personal applications, there is very large demand for strong but simple log-on or activation.”
One of the biometric softwares that could very well transform the HTC One M8 into a strong authentication tool is the newly launched ViGo, the VoiceVault solution Miller goes on to identify. Designed to operate on Android or iOS devices, the new biometric SDK allows developers to include voice biometrics in their applications, turning a smartphone or tablet’s microphone into an authenticating sensor.
Now, with many modes comes great freedom, but that in turn brings a need for standards and specifications. When it comes to mobile money and pay-with-your-phone solutions, the Natural Security Alliance has been long at work with retailers, banks, vendors, payment specialists and customers in order to refine such standards when it comes to strong mobile authentication.
This past week, the Alliance released its newest specifications that specifically define the architecture on both sides of a successful physical world wireless mCommerce transaction. On the customer side a wireless personal device is used to authorize payment where the acceptance user (also sometimes referred to as a relying party, such as a retailer) receives with a wireless acceptance device.
Meanwhile, at our sister site findBIOMETRICS, we took a look back on the past six months that were so heavily mobile focused. Mobile commerce, the post-password paradigm, wearable technology and the importance of the end-user experience all receive their due highlights in a collection of some of Mobile ID World’s most grounding articles in the arena of strong mobile identity.
Follow Us