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User: COMICAGOGO

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  1. Observations and other uses. on Toshiba Puts Fingerprint Readers on Cell Phones · · Score: 1

    First off, I have a toshiba laptop with the built in scanner. It works most of the time (often enough that I still use it to log in when I'm inpublic and don't want people looking over my shoulder while I log in.)
                Second I think that the idea of getting someones fingerprints from the phone and using them to unlock it is a little misplaced this time. Most of the posts that I have seen here suggest that you could make a fake finger print from some sort of gelatin. This works with the kind of fingerprint scanner that reads the whole print at the same time. The one in my laptop requires you to drag your finger over a very slim portion of the reader (I assume that it reads your fingerprint one line at a time.) I do not think gelatin would hold up to this kind of activity.
                As to the breakability of the scanner: I have dropped several heavy things on mine (yes my laptop is a poor miserable wretch) and it still works fine. I think this is also due to the small size of the scanner. It would take a very hard and directed hit to break the thing. The scanner itself if down in a hole and is only about one eigth by three quarters of an inch.
                Some other uses that might make this more palatable for people: if the software works the same way as my laptop you could have each finger represent a different speed dial number (the software for my lappy actually remembrs 20 fingerprints.) I could see this being very useful as you wouldn't even have to open the phone (clamshell) or get it near your head to start dialing. just run your finger and it starts dialing up gramma's house.
                You could also assign different user levels with it. For example you have limited calling features for your teenager when they swipe a finger but you have full access.
                This one isn't for everyone but you could take theabove use a step further and track calls by each user.

                AnyWho just thought I would suggest some uses tht might not make this thing all bad.

  2. Wasn't Ben Franklin one of the founding fathers? on US Attorney General Questions Habeas Corpus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He said: "Any society that gives up a little freedom for a little security will lose both and deserve neither." Just thought that might have something to do with what the writers of the constitition had in mind.