Check Out This Android Smartphone With an Eye Scanner
Don’t you hate having to enter a 4-digit PIN each time you want to use your smartphone? Okay, maybe not, but it can still be a nuisance when you’re doing other tasks. A new Android-powered smartphone might have the answer, as it features an iris scanner that owners can use to unlock their device.
Japanese cell carrier NTT DoCoMo is paving the way towards new mobile technology with its Arrows NX-04G smartphone. At first glance, it may look like your typical mid-range smartphone running the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system. If you look closer, however, (no pun intended) you’ll notice it has a unique feature that allows users to unlock the device simply by peering into it.
NTT DoCoMo unveiled the iris scanning smartphone earlier this week in Tokyo, calling it the first commercialized handset with fully functional iris authentication technology.
So, what’s the purpose of having an iris scanner on your smartphone?
The most obvious benefit of using an iris scanner is the simple fact that it’s easier to unlock your smartphone when compared to traditional PIN numbers. Rather than fiddling with a virtual keypad — which can be a pain in itself — you can simply look at the scanner, at which point it will cross-reference the map of your iris when the one stored on file. Assuming the two images match, your device will be unlocked and you’ll be given access.
Another benefit of using an iris scanner is security. While PINs can be forgotten or stolen, iris scanning cannot. This makes it a particularly attractive security solution for users of business smartphones.
Specs for the iris scanning Arrows NX-04G include a beefy 5.2-inch display, a 21.5-megapixel primary camera, a 2.4-megapixel secondary camera, a 3,120 mAh battery, an octa-core processor (2.0GHz quad-core + 1.5GHz quad-core), 3GB of random access memory (RAM), and 32GB of internal storage.
As noted by the folks at AndroidAuthority, the iris scanner can also be used to authorize mobile payments.
“Not only can the iris scanner be used to unlock the phone, but it is also integrated to authorize mobile payments. The device works with authentication specifications set by the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, which is supported by Microsoft, Google, PayPal and others,” wrote AndroidAuthority.
So while most people will probably use it for unlocking their device, the NX-04G’s iris scanner can also be used to authorize mobile payments.
Would you use an eye scanner to unlock your smartphone? Let us know in the comments section below!
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just like that minority report movie, cool!
i would like an iris scanner, i always mistype my password, hope all smartphones start using this technology