How the fingerprint scanner became a must on mobile devices

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The desire to protect personal data has led to the fact that we spend quite a lot of time typing passwords and PIN codes for authorization. Biometric scanners simplify this task by reading, for example, fingerprints and providing one-touch access. But you don't need to think that this is a modern technology - it has been used for a long time in a wide variety of devices. It's just that recently it has become especially popular, becoming a standard for mobile devices. We decided to trace how the fingerprint scanner has become a must-have for each of us.

The boom in fingerprint scanners began in the mid-90s. These devices were especially popular in the United States. You could buy a model that plugged in via USB, for example, the Digital Persona U.are. U. In 2001, Compaq introduced a PC card called Biometrics, so even an old laptop could read your prints.

One of the first notebooks with a built-in fingerprint scanner to hit the market was the Acer TravelMate 739TLV. It was presented, as they say, "at the turn of the century" and personified a new word in the development of technology. It's funny, but after the laptop received your data, it processed the information for about 12 seconds. Then you and the people around you had to listen to the announcement: “Identity verified. Access is allowed". Mission Impossible style.

In 2002, the fingerprint scanner first appeared in commercial mobile devices. The HP iPAQ h5400 - a Pocket PC - was equipped with an Atmel FingerChip sensor. It worked using a thermal silicone sensor that sensed the temperature of the grooves and valleys in your print. It was also waterproof and protected from dirt, grease, dust and temperature extremes.

In 2003, Fujitsu uses a scanner from AuthenTec to integrate the sensor into the F505i clamshell phone. By 2011, about 30 phones with similar sensors were presented, including the flagship of that season - Fujitsu REGZA T-01D. By that time, LG and Pantech presented their variations on the theme.

In 2004, IBM integrated fingerprint scanning into its first laptop, the ThinkPad T42. In 2005 Lenovo buys the manufacturer and pays great attention to marketing. As early as next year, the company announces the sale of its millionth ThinkPad with biometric technology and thus ranks first in the world for the supply of PCs with fingerprint scanners.

Over the next years, fingerprint sensors ceased to be of interest to the general public. They practically disappeared from sight, although there were few models in which this function was available. For example, in 2011, Motorola introduced the Atrix 4G, a phone that is now called the harbinger of a new surge of interest in such devices.

In 2012, AuthenTec, a manufacturer of sensors for Fujitsu and Motorola, released a sensor for Apple as well. The new iPhone 5s, equipped with an optical scanner, were obviously not pioneers in this area. However, their appearance on the market has become decisive for the technology itself: it has become a must-have for every next device. At the same time, not everyone could keep up with the "apple" standard: immediately after the presentation of the iPhone 5s, HTC showed its solution - One Max. He also had a fingerprint scanner, but very old-fashioned: it required a swipe and was large.

Now everyone has their own models with such sensors - including Samsung, OnePlus, Microsoft and Meizu. Apple's Touch ID feature has appeared in all smartphones and tablets: after the success of the 5s, it has been implemented in the next generation iPhones and iPads of all sizes. Now it is not only a way to protect data, but also an integral part of the Apple Pay payment system. Surprisingly, technology that has practically disappeared has been revived again, becoming something without which we will soon be unable to imagine an ordinary day.

Based on materials from Engadget.