Biometric Fingerprint Reader

They are a little bit of a gimmick especially when you consider that there is no way to logon to windows with just your fingerprint. By that I mean you can simply choose to enter a password if you wish, you do not have to scan your fingerprint.

They can also be a bit annoying at times, saying you haven't swiped properly etc
 
My sister has a 1530 xps and she can't get the fingerprint reader to calibrate because you have to be so precise with your finger swipe like bry said above.

Wase of time and money as a feature I reckon.
 
I have one on my Thinkpad and love it. Yes you do have to enrol your password and update it when you change your password but it is so convenient to be able to swipe to logon or unlock.
 
The one on the XPS models is a little tricky at first.

Its not a large enough surface to read the whole print, so you have to sort of swipe and roll your finger.

Easy when you get used to it.
 
i would like one on my macbook pro but tbh its nothing worth that much money my friend has one and its fun as a little gimmick but if you pic a good password really no point or turn a usb drive in to a key works well and is cheap as well
 
As said above, the microsoft finger print scanner is good, as its a full finger print scanner, and you dont have to swipe your finger.

All it does is remove the need to enter a password, however the option is still there
 
Bry said:
They are a little bit of a gimmick especially when you consider that there is no way to logon to windows with just your fingerprint.
Click to expand...

Must be dependant on the software utility then as on the Sony SZ you can set the Upek utility to allow only fingerprint login.

I use mine for power-on and Windows. Just one swipe at boot logs me in to both.

I don't use it for any applications or websites though. I keep all my passwords in Keepass and use it's excellent Auto-Type feature. I backup the db file and sync it across my laptops and desktops. Something I wouldn't be able to do with the fingerprint util.
 
i have one on my xps m1330 and its basically just a gimmick thing. its fun for the first month or so, good to impress your mother with (she still doesnt understand how its possible) but basically now i just use passwords for everything, the novelty has worn off.

also for some reason if wouldnt recognise my fingerprint if i was hungover.lol
 
actually if you think about it, a swipe is slightly better in the sense that it smudges all the oils that your finger leaves. If I wanted to lift your prints, and you had a full sized microsoft jobbies, then in theory, thats where I'd start....

Of course there are easier places, but....
 
A large multi-national firm of accountants has finger print readers installed on all its Toshiba laptops but under no circumstances are employees to use them due to a number of "lock out" incidents ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom