Here we are: on the eve of what many are already dubbing “The Year of Mobile Biometrics.” It has been a year of innovation, education and collaboration in the area of mobile authentication: with major concerns about the security of passwords; new innovations in biometric SDKs for mobile devices; a number of fingerprint biometric smartphones released all over Asia; and of course, Apple’s long awaited unveiling of Touch ID on the iPhone 5S.
As we look ahead to 2014 many things are left uncertain, but there are a number of confirmed mobile identity milestones to look forward to. At CES 2014, beginning next week, we can expect to see the very first FIDO Ready authentication solutions to be demonstrated, and in the Summer Fingerprint Cards expects to see the launch of a smartphone featuring its new FPC1020 capacitive touch sensor.
And of course, as always, there are the rumors, the most recent of which comes courtesy of the Korea Herald.
“LG has recently made a decision to adopt the fingerprint scanner on the upcoming G3, the successor of the G2, and is conducting a series of tests for the product,” said an anonymous source, described by the Herald as close to the matter.
The G3 is LG’s next flagship smartphone model, expected to be showcased at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona come February. The G3 is allegedly equipped with fingerprint recognition technology (as the source said: likely a swipe sensor), the prototype is currently undergoing testing.
Along with the biometric sensor sporting G3, LG is also expected to unveil two pieces of wearable technology, which are said to be able to sync with the smartphone: a smartwatch called the G-Arch and a fitness wristband named G-Health. When combined with a syncing feature, the possibilities of frictionless multi-factor authentication become staggering. Two additional devices, one of which can measure body functions, acting as a secondary proximity factor for authentication? This sounds like the very definition of invisible biometrics, something that was heralded at a number of identification and financial industry conferences throughout 2013.
Speculation and excitement aside, strong mobile authentication has been gaining mainstream traction all year, and it is unlikely that the major smartphone manufacturers will stay out of fingerprint biometrics – especially with big name mobile companies and financial providers committed to post-password security.
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