APC Intros Computer Fingerprint Scanner

Staff On Feb 9 2004 - 8:00am

American Power Conversion (APC) is offering its APC Biometric Password Manager, a personal fingerprint scanner said to make it easy for PC and laptop users to manage their passwords.

Based on fingerprint-sensor technology, the very small personal fingerprint scanner offers users a convenient and secure method for accessing their password-protected sites and eliminates the need to memorize passwords or write them down where they can be lost or stolen. Units are designed for PC and laptop users who find themselves inundated with passwords for their e-mail, online trading, shopping and banking accounts, among others.

The Password Manager permits up to 20 different fingerprints or 20 different users to store passwords on a single computer system. Each user enrolls using a finger as their identification source.

Password Managers come equipped with a 6-foot USB cable and software. These are compatible with Window XP, ME 2000 and 98 operating systems, while the software stores an unlimited number of login names and passwords.

The Password Manager, which is not affected by common skin surface conditions which can affect a sensor's ability to acquire accurate fingerprint images for user authentication purposes, has a suggested $49.99 retail and March availability.