Slashdot Mirror
Apple's "iKey" Wants To Unlock All Doors
Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that Apple is developing technology, already being nicknamed the 'iKey,' which will allow users to gain access to their office and unlock their car or front door with a single electronic device like an iPhone. Users would simply have to enter a PIN and wave the device over an electronic pad fitted beside a door to open it. 'The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone,' says the newly released patent application. 'The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house, or other physical area.' The technology behind the invention is known as Near Field Communication; it allows electronic devices to transmit information when in proximity. 'If true, it's a very big deal. As well as opening doors and unlocking your car, it could also turn your iPhone into an electronic wallet and ID card,' says Leander Kahney, a consumer technology expert. 'The trouble is that the technology hasn't gone completely mainstream. If Apple were to adopt the technology, they would likely set the standard, and that would drive widespread adoption as everyone scrambles to make their systems iPhone-friendly.'"
I for one don't consider it "bad" if stupid people get punished for using "0000" as their PIN.
Hey... we are long overdue for some regular punishment of stupidity.
There are no longer wild bears roaming the streets at night, eating stupid people. Haven't been any for centuries.
Wee need something to eliminate those genes from the pool.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
No, no, no, this is "Ikey," not "Icky." It means: "of, or relating to, Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower." And he was awesome.
When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
I'd be afraid someone would try to jailbreak my front door and end up bricking my house.
1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
Steve Jobs is welcome to a key to my apartment. He already has the key to my heart.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Basic house door lock and key from Home Depot - ~$20
Extra key cutting - ~$2
Watching your neighbour spending hundreds or more than a thousand to outfit their home with an iLock and having their iPhone run out of juice or fumbling and dropping/breaking it before they could unlock the front door.... Priceless.
4. ?????
Don't you know what to do with a girl in her bedroom?
my brother was able to use an app from my Palm Pilot using IR to unlock his Ford Taurus' doors back in 1998. Way to keep up with the times, Apple.
Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.