

Motorola releases fingerprint sensor-embedded Android phone (2011) - yapcguy
http://secureidnews.com/news-item/motorola-releases-fingerprint-sensor-embedded-android-phone/

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ActVen
Execution is important.

Atrix: Turn the phone over. Slide your finger vertically across the reader.
Turn your phone back over and commence use of phone.

Apple: Place your finger on the most used button on the phone, any direction
you would like.

Edit: Fair point that you don't have to turn the phone over. I think it is
still quite a jump forward in usability to incorporate it up front, embedded
into a button that people constantly use on the device, and usable in any
position.

~~~
xyzzyz
You obviously don't need to turn the phone over to slide your finger across
the reader. In fact, the reader is positioned on the wake-up button you need
to press anyway. The location is convenient, and using the fingerprint sensor
in Atrix is quite pleasant.

Source: I own Motorola Atrix phone. I used to be happy with it, but then the
GPS broke, and camera became flaky, not to mention lack of Android updates.

~~~
fournm
As another Atrix owner, backing this up entirely. It's in a position where you
basically hit power and then slide your finger down along it.

Edit: As a side note, the lack of it on other Android phones is really making
it hard for me to want to switch.

~~~
fpgeek
If you really want and Android phone with a fingerprint reader, at least one
is apparently incoming:

[http://www.phonearena.com/news/At-least-one-
upcoming-2013-An...](http://www.phonearena.com/news/At-least-one-
upcoming-2013-Android-phone-will-have-fingerprint-sensor-like-
iPhone-5S_id47293)

We don't know which phone, but my guess is the HTC One Max. It has had
fingerprint rumors associated with it for a while and it is one of the few
2013 flagships we haven't seen yet.

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gfodor
Assuming this post is meant as a snarky "see, look, Apple didn't invent
fingerprint reading phones" (not saying it definitely is) we must once again
be reminded of Jobs' Law: hardware alone does not a product make.

~~~
forgottenpass
You're totally right of course. Apple has a tight product line and dedicated
fanbase. The feature will hit critical mass and be a huge success within
months.

Over the next few weeks, everyone emotionally invested in the cellphone for
any of the terrible reasons that make it a "must have" will go through a
process with the new iPhone that is almost exclusively afforded to Apple
products. If the consumer doesn't like a feature, they'll wonder if instead of
the tech being wrong, if it is really them that is wrong about the tech.
"C'mon," they'll think "this is APPLE after all, I just must not get it." The
people who wait longer to buy will have both that thought _and_ the fear of
having an outsider opinion on the trendy new toy.

My best indication that this is true isn't related to the conversations I had
with other iPhone owners after I switched. Those odd little ones that I
mistook for chit-chat about the phone but after 2 or 3 eventually realized we
were rationalizing back and forth that our less-than-prudent purchase decision
was the right one. Nor was it the time that I had my jaw dropped after
realizing how stupid I was for failing to realize how much the iPhone is a
status symbol. I deluded myself into thinking it had anything to do with tech,
but right after the release of the 4S I heard a criticism of the design "how
is anyone supposed to know I have the new one"?

No, forget all that. The best indication that this is true, is the fact that
the contents of this post could be seen as a slight against apple. Instead of
just pointing out they have a strong market position and loyal customers which
allows them to shape the future more than any other tech brand. Good on them
for winning it! They've got highly polished products and wildly successful
marketing. So they get a real opportunity to show everyone that they might
actually like fingerprint scanning in a phone.

~~~
mercer
I used to agree with your view, and unapologetically, err, apologize for
apples choices anyways.

Then I switched to the Nexus 4, and I changed my mind slightly. On the one
hand I love the thing. It can do lots of stuff that I like that I couldn't do
on my iPhone, even after jailbreaking. But on the other hand, many of the
common tasks leave me with irritations that I didn't have with the iPhone. UI
inconsistencies, unintuitive interfaces, weird crashes, and generally stuff
that made me miss my less-powerful iPhone.

Now, as a geek and a power user I am inclined to still prefer the Nexus, but
only barely. But for my day to day stuff I'd switch back to an iPhone in a
heartbeat.

So, I think saying it's all just fashion is not completely true. It is also
about tech. And among most of my friends status has little to do with it (if
anything, having an iPhone is boring over here in hipster land, and you're
cooler with a fridge-sized Nokia that can only store 20 text messages).

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vermontdevil
I had one and it absoutely sucked. Never worked since the day I bought it.
Didn't bother to return it since I liked the phone itself.

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aes
And ThinkPads used to have a fingerprint sensor, many years ago. It's not that
the technology itself is very cutting edge, or even claimed to be. (Of course,
marketing claims anything to be cutting-edge. Apple's marketing doubly so.)

In the light of recent knowledge, it makes me wonder whether IBM had NSA
backdoors, too.

~~~
footpath
Select ThinkPad models still do have integrated fingerprint sensors. Windows
8.1 offers improved native biometrics as well, whereas the previous Windows
versions require third-party drivers for compatibility.

~~~
r00fus
Execution matters.

My previous work computer was a Thinkpad (2011 model) with a fingerprint
swipe-scanner, but it was flaky, wasn't baked into the OS, and didn't have any
killer apps that supported it.

If, for example, Lenovo released something like 1Password but tied into the FP
scanner for auth, that would've been really good… but that would require work
to ensure it was secure and that particular sensor's flakiness would've killed
the execution anyway.

I'm guessing it was there for military/secured installations where some
bespoke software would interface with the scanner for a customer-specific
purpose.

~~~
ntenenz
FYI, LastPass works with the Lenovo fingerprint scanners. I have even gotten
it to work under linux.

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gcanyon
Not that I'm a fan of the Apple fingerprint sensor, but there is a parallel
here to Apple's wholesale adoption of USB, elimination of floppy drives,
inclusion of wireless, elimination of physical phone keyboards etc. The market
benefits when companies go all in on good features.

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rbanffy
Just imagine how a security vulnerability can be used to grab fingerprints of
every iPhone user...

It's cool. Is it cool enough to risk having your fingerprints copied?

~~~
Splendor
If someone wants your fingerprints they already have them.

~~~
tlrobinson
Therefore it's a good idea to use your fingerprints for authentication?

~~~
skelsey
Good point, but it's probably at least as secure as a four digit pass-code
that everyone around you can see.

~~~
rbanffy
Will you use different fingerprints for different systems? What do you do when
your fingerprint gets compromised?

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DigitalSea
BUT BUT BUT, APPLE INVENTED FINGERPRINT SCANNERS!

In all seriousness though. Apple would never make claim to fingerprint
technology on their phones. IBM Thinkpads past and present still have
fingerprint readers you can use instead of a password. It's all about the
execution and well, Apple executed way better than the Atrix.

~~~
rbanffy
Thy may have invented the first usable one. My laptops had them for ages and I
never used them because they were never well integrated into the interface.
Now Apple is showing one that is.

I'd bet on it quickly gaining widespread usage.

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seanmcdirmid
To be fair, Atrix's sensor looks lie a standard slide based one, while Apple's
sensor is completely contact based. I'm not sure what the implications of the
different designs are yet, but I could imagine ease of use playing a role.

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qq66
A great illustration of the difference between technologies and products.

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rabino
How many units did it sell?

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tmuir
You seem to imply that a fingerprint scanner is the main selling point of the
Iphone 5S, and that Apple's superior execution of the fingerprint scanner, and
not its app store, marketing prowess, or the fact that there are almost two
orders of magnitude more models of android phones than Iphones, will be the
primary reason the Iphone 5S outsells the Atrix.

This time next year we'll be watching an Apple commercial that states "More
people unlocked their phone with their fingerprint on the Iphone than on any
other phone".

~~~
rabino
Dude, are you the long lost cousin of Sherlock Holmes? I just asked how
popular it was.

~~~
tmuir
Just like glenn beck huh? Im just asking questions.

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pacificleo1
I know what fanboys will say "OMG Motorola copied the feature long before
apple launched it ."

