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April 29, 2003
Microsoft biometrics
Microsoft biometrics: My brain isn't fully wrapped around this yet: "AuthenTec, a maker of fingerprint-recognition sensors, announced on Monday that it had signed a deal with Microsoft to integrate software support for biometrics into the Windows operating system." At first I thought this was for Microsoft's use, then I realized it would be available through a standard interface to software developers, just as Microsoft Active Accessibility lets various apps access various screen-to-speech devices with a single API. But why would you need a single API to various biometrics devices? Why would you say, "Hey, install whichever fingerprint detector you want before we check to make sure you can use our stuff"? I'm having difficulty imagining a scenario where you might want to confirm identity without knowing the device you're using.....
Posted by John Dowdell at April 29, 2003 4:12 PM