Tag Archives: Face Unlock
Pixel 4 gets improved Face Unlock and other surprise updates
Earlier this month, Google announced that instead of regular Android updates, Pixel 4 devices would get a "Pixel Feature Drop" to show off splashy new features. That update has now arrived, and on top of expected changes like robocall screening and D...
Security fails we’re kinda thankful for
As we gather 'round the fire warming our facepalm-weary hands, the blaze burning bright with the shreds of our privacy and security, it's important to reflect on what we're grateful for.
Companies that did the infosec version of stepping on a rake,...
How did Google get Pixel 4 face unlock this wrong?
Like many tech writers, I've been struggling to wrap my head around the brand-new Pixel 4's face unlock security #fail.
Before the phone was even released, BBC technology reporter Chris Fox discovered that his review unit had a deeply disturbing sec...
Faces are the Pixel 4’s kryptonite
One of the most controversial new features of Google's latest flagship is its Soli radar sensor. It allows you to interact with the phone by swiping at the air in front of the display, and also enables Face Unlock. But, that login method has a glarin...
Here’s everything Google announced at the Pixel 4 event
Despite all of the leaks ahead of Google's Pixel 4 hardware event today, the company still had plenty to share. Of course, we got our first official look at the Pixelbook Go and Pixel 4/4XL, but we also got to see the new Nest Mini, Nest WiFi and Pix...
Contractors say they were told to lie while collecting Pixel 4 face scans
This summer, we learned that Google had embarked on a wide scale project to collect facial recognition data, which the company said was necessary to build "fairness" into face unlocking for its Pixel 4, which will be officially unveiled on October 15...
Google paid passers-by for face scans to improve the Pixel 4
Reports have swirled for days of Google paying people $5 in gift certificates to scan their faces, and now it's clear just why: it's for the Pixel 4. Google has confirmed to The Verge that the paid scans were meant to improve the accuracy of the Pix...
Google confirms Pixel 4 will support face unlock, touch-free gestures
Google is once again validating rumors about the Pixel 4, this time for its touch-free control. The company has confirmed that its next flagship phones will include motion-sensing Soli radar that lets you skip tracks, silence phone calls and otherwis...
Apple files patent application for fingerprint sensor that can be transparent or opaque
While Apple has flirted with biometric-based patents before, we've yet to see them implemented in real-world technology. That hasn't stopped it from filing yet another one though, as the latest application reveals a fingerprint sensor apparently embedded into the iPhone itself. The patent describes a hardware "window" that can become selectively "transparent or opaque." When transparent, it would reveal a component comprised of an "image capture device, a strobe flash, a biometric sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, or a solar panel, or a combination thereof" as a method of unlocking the phone. According to the filing, the biometric sensor in question might indeed be a fingerprint reader. The document goes on to describe an alternative method using face or eye recognition technology that can be used not just for security purposes, but for possible e-commerce solutions like completing an online transaction. Of course, take any of these patent applications with a generous pinch of salt -- we haven't seen an Apple stylus yet, for example -- but perhaps this is the reason Apple bought fingerprint sensor maker AuthenTec back in July.
Filed under: Cellphones, Apple
Apple files patent application for fingerprint sensor that can be transparent or opaque originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 04:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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