HP iPAQ h5400 Series White Paper page 3

biometric security with the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400 series
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. . b i o m e t r i c s a n d F i n g e r C h i p t e c h n o l o g y
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With the limitations of existing security tools (such as user IDs and passwords) becoming evident,
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biometrics have become a promising solution in providing security to computer systems. The
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following sections explain biometrics and the benefits of its implementation.
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overview
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Biometrics is the process of measuring a physical or behavioral characteristic of a person and
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using that measurement as a basis for later identifying that same person. This measurement could
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. . be a face or eye measurement or in the case of the iPAQ Pocket PC, the fingerprint. Two things are
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essential to the biometrics application for the iPAQ. One is collecting biometric information like
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fingerprint images. The other is classifying, analyzing, and identifying biometric data. The iPAQ
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Pocket PC h5400 Series is enabled with fingerprint capture technology known as the FingerChip
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. . that was developed by Atmel Corporation, a leader in the design and development of biometric
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technology. The iPAQ Pocket PC fingerprint identification technology is provided by Cogent
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. . Systems, Inc., a global leader in automatic fingerprint identification system.
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Why the finger? According to studies, fingerprints are the most reliable biometric feature for
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identifying individuals. Even identical twins have different fingerprints. In over 100 years of use,
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fingerprints have proven to be a reliable tool for establishing identification.
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This measurement of fingerprints can be accomplished using a variety of methods, but the most
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. . promising, and the one used for the iPAQ Pocket PCs is thermal imaging. Thermal imaging is one
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of the most reliable methods available.
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Thermal imaging reads the differences in temperature between the ridges and valleys that make up
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a fingerprint. This method has several benefits. Among these benefits is that thermal imaging has a
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strong immunity to electrostatic discharge and the fact that it functions well in extreme
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temperature conditions. Additionally, thermal imaging is almost impossible to deceive with
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artificial fingerprints.
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The thermal imaging technique is coupled with an image scanning process to deliver the best
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possible combination that provides for a lower cost to operate, reliable functionality, and security
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against artificial fingerprints.
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benefits
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The main reason for using a fingerprint for biometric security is the uniqueness of a fingerprint.
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The fingerprint can take a lot of wear and tear and still grow back in the same pattern (except in
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extreme cases). Combining the uniqueness of a fingerprint with scanned thermal imaging to take a
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reliable read yields a unique biometric for establishing identification. Processing of this biometric
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by highly accurate fingerprint matching algorithms provides a strong tool to ensure that only the
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person with authorization to use your iPAQ Pocket PC will be permitted to do so.
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Another benefit of the iPAQ biometric solution is ease-of-use. The user interface is simple to
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understand and setup is a short and easy process.
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Whereas your PIN or password may be stolen, this is not likely to occur with your fingerprint.
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Also, you may forget your PIN or password, but not your fingerprint.
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5981-4266EN
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