7 ms·

Motorola releases fingerprint sensor-embedded Android phone (2011)

66 points by yapcguy 13y ago

rabino 13y ago
How many units did it sell?
- tmuir 13y ago
  You seem to imply that a fingerprint scanner is the main selling point of the Iphone 5S, and that Apple's superior execution of the fingerprint scanner, and not its app store, marketing prowess, or the fact that there are almost two orders of magnitude more models of android phones than Iphones, will be the primary reason the Iphone 5S outsells the Atrix. This time next year we'll be watching an Apple commercial that states "More people unlocked their phone with their fingerprint on the Iphone than on any other phone".
  - rabino 13y ago
    Dude, are you the long lost cousin of Sherlock Holmes? I just asked how popular it was.
    - tmuir 13y ago
      Just like glenn beck huh? Im just asking questions.
ActVen 13y ago
Execution is important. Atrix: Turn the phone over. Slide your finger vertically across the reader. Turn your phone back over and commence use of phone. Apple: Place your finger on the most used button on the phone, any direction you would like. Edit: Fair point that you don't have to turn the phone over. I think it is still quite a jump forward in usability to incorporate it up front, embedded into a button that people constantly use on the device, and usable in any position.
- electic 13y ago
  Exactly. More Features != Better Product.
- xyzzyz 13y ago
  You obviously don't need to turn the phone over to slide your finger across the reader. In fact, the reader is positioned on the wake-up button you need to press anyway. The location is convenient, and using the fingerprint sensor in Atrix is quite pleasant. Source: I own Motorola Atrix phone. I used to be happy with it, but then the GPS broke, and camera became flaky, not to mention lack of Android updates.
  - fournm 13y ago
    As another Atrix owner, backing this up entirely. It's in a position where you basically hit power and then slide your finger down along it. Edit: As a side note, the lack of it on other Android phones is really making it hard for me to want to switch.
    - fpgeek 13y ago
      If you really want and Android phone with a fingerprint reader, at least one is apparently incoming: http://www.phonearena.com/news/At-least-one-upcoming-2013-Android-phone-will-have-fingerprint-sensor-like-iPhone-5S_id47293 http://www.phonearena.com/news/At-least-one-upcoming-2013-An... We don't know which phone, but my guess is the HTC One Max. It has had fingerprint rumors associated with it for a while and it is one of the few 2013 flagships we haven't seen yet.
  - suprgeek 13y ago
    Another Plus vote for the Atrix FP Sensor. I have used this and it was intuitive.
  - blinkingled 13y ago
    Agreed. It was actually an OK phone for its time and the FP sensor worked as advertised - wake up and slide wasn't such an inconvenient way to unlock. (The Atrix FP sensor was also made by Authentec btw.) It sucked that Motorola dumped it soon after 2.3.6 update esp since the hardware was more than capable of running even 4.1.
aes 13y ago
And ThinkPads used to have a fingerprint sensor, many years ago. It's not that the technology itself is very cutting edge, or even claimed to be. (Of course, marketing claims anything to be cutting-edge. Apple's marketing doubly so.) In the light of recent knowledge, it makes me wonder whether IBM had NSA backdoors, too.
- footpath 13y ago
  Select ThinkPad models still do have integrated fingerprint sensors. Windows 8.1 offers improved native biometrics as well, whereas the previous Windows versions require third-party drivers for compatibility.
  - r00fus 13y ago
    Execution matters. My previous work computer was a Thinkpad (2011 model) with a fingerprint swipe-scanner, but it was flaky, wasn't baked into the OS, and didn't have any killer apps that supported it. If, for example, Lenovo released something like 1Password but tied into the FP scanner for auth, that would've been really good… but that would require work to ensure it was secure and that particular sensor's flakiness would've killed the execution anyway. I'm guessing it was there for military/secured installations where some bespoke software would interface with the scanner for a customer-specific purpose.
    - porlw 13y ago
      My Thinkpad has one. Works great with Ubuntu, integrated into PAM so works with sudo and unlocking my keystore.
    - ntenenz 13y ago
      FYI, LastPass works with the Lenovo fingerprint scanners. I have even gotten it to work under linux.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
- 13y ago
rbanffy 13y ago
Just imagine how a security vulnerability can be used to grab fingerprints of every iPhone user... It's cool. Is it cool enough to risk having your fingerprints copied?
- Splendor 13y ago
  If someone wants your fingerprints they already have them.
  - tlrobinson 13y ago
    Therefore it's a good idea to use your fingerprints for authentication?
    - skelsey 13y ago
      Good point, but it's probably at least as secure as a four digit pass-code that everyone around you can see.
      - rbanffy 13y ago
        Will you use different fingerprints for different systems? What do you do when your fingerprint gets compromised?
  - beedogs 13y ago
    What else does this magical sentence work for? I want a million dollars.
  - rbanffy 13y ago
    Governments do, but ordinary criminals don't. Yet. This is a very important enabling technology not because it's new, but because it'll gain widespread use in a short time.
  - qq66 13y ago
    Sure, if someone wants your credit card number, they already have it too. They just follow you around with a telephoto lens and take a photo when you remove your credit card to use it. But if someone just wants a few thousand credit card numbers, and not yours specifically, that's when an ounce of caution can go a long way towards protecting yourself.
vermontdevil 13y ago
I had one and it absoutely sucked. Never worked since the day I bought it. Didn't bother to return it since I liked the phone itself.
gfodor 13y ago
Assuming this post is meant as a snarky "see, look, Apple didn't invent fingerprint reading phones" (not saying it definitely is) we must once again be reminded of Jobs' Law: hardware alone does not a product make.
- forgottenpass 13y ago
  You're totally right of course. Apple has a tight product line and dedicated fanbase. The feature will hit critical mass and be a huge success within months. Over the next few weeks, everyone emotionally invested in the cellphone for any of the terrible reasons that make it a "must have" will go through a process with the new iPhone that is almost exclusively afforded to Apple products. If the consumer doesn't like a feature, they'll wonder if instead of the tech being wrong, if it is really them that is wrong about the tech. "C'mon," they'll think "this is APPLE after all, I just must not get it." The people who wait longer to buy will have both that thought _and_ the fear of having an outsider opinion on the trendy new toy. My best indication that this is true isn't related to the conversations I had with other iPhone owners after I switched. Those odd little ones that I mistook for chit-chat about the phone but after 2 or 3 eventually realized we were rationalizing back and forth that our less-than-prudent purchase decision was the right one. Nor was it the time that I had my jaw dropped after realizing how stupid I was for failing to realize how much the iPhone is a status symbol. I deluded myself into thinking it had anything to do with tech, but right after the release of the 4S I heard a criticism of the design "how is anyone supposed to know I have the new one"? No, forget all that. The best indication that this is true, is the fact that the contents of this post could be seen as a slight against apple. Instead of just pointing out they have a strong market position and loyal customers which allows them to shape the future more than any other tech brand. Good on them for winning it! They've got highly polished products and wildly successful marketing. So they get a real opportunity to show everyone that they might actually like fingerprint scanning in a phone.
  - mercer 13y ago
    I used to agree with your view, and unapologetically, err, apologize for apples choices anyways. Then I switched to the Nexus 4, and I changed my mind slightly. On the one hand I love the thing. It can do lots of stuff that I like that I couldn't do on my iPhone, even after jailbreaking. But on the other hand, many of the common tasks leave me with irritations that I didn't have with the iPhone. UI inconsistencies, unintuitive interfaces, weird crashes, and generally stuff that made me miss my less-powerful iPhone. Now, as a geek and a power user I am inclined to still prefer the Nexus, but only barely. But for my day to day stuff I'd switch back to an iPhone in a heartbeat. So, I think saying it's all just fashion is not completely true. It is also about tech. And among most of my friends status has little to do with it (if anything, having an iPhone is boring over here in hipster land, and you're cooler with a fridge-sized Nokia that can only store 20 text messages).
gcanyon 13y ago
Not that I'm a fan of the Apple fingerprint sensor, but there is a parallel here to Apple's wholesale adoption of USB, elimination of floppy drives, inclusion of wireless, elimination of physical phone keyboards etc. The market benefits when companies go all in on good features.
pacificleo1 13y ago
I know what fanboys will say "OMG Motorola copied the feature long before apple launched it ."
DigitalSea 13y ago
BUT BUT BUT, APPLE INVENTED FINGERPRINT SCANNERS! In all seriousness though. Apple would never make claim to fingerprint technology on their phones. IBM Thinkpads past and present still have fingerprint readers you can use instead of a password. It's all about the execution and well, Apple executed way better than the Atrix.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  I have one on my x1 carbon, but it's a freemium add-on that requires us to buy more software to use it. That's the difference between Lenovo and Apple I guess.
- rbanffy 13y ago
  Thy may have invented the first usable one. My laptops had them for ages and I never used them because they were never well integrated into the interface. Now Apple is showing one that is. I'd bet on it quickly gaining widespread usage.
seanmcdirmid 13y ago
To be fair, Atrix's sensor looks lie a standard slide based one, while Apple's sensor is completely contact based. I'm not sure what the implications of the different designs are yet, but I could imagine ease of use playing a role.
qq66 13y ago
A great illustration of the difference between technologies and products.

66 points by yapcguy 13y ago

rabino 13y ago

How many units did it sell?

tmuir 13y ago
You seem to imply that a fingerprint scanner is the main selling point of the Iphone 5S, and that Apple's superior execution of the fingerprint scanner, and not its app store, marketing prowess, or the fact that there are almost two orders of magnitude more models of android phones than Iphones, will be the primary reason the Iphone 5S outsells the Atrix. This time next year we'll be watching an Apple commercial that states "More people unlocked their phone with their fingerprint on the Iphone than on any other phone".
- rabino 13y ago
  Dude, are you the long lost cousin of Sherlock Holmes? I just asked how popular it was.
  - tmuir 13y ago
    Just like glenn beck huh? Im just asking questions.

ActVen 13y ago

Execution is important. Atrix: Turn the phone over. Slide your finger vertically across the reader. Turn your phone back over and commence use of phone. Apple: Place your finger on the most used button on the phone, any direction you would like. Edit: Fair point that you don't have to turn the phone over. I think it is still quite a jump forward in usability to incorporate it up front, embedded into a button that people constantly use on the device, and usable in any position.

electic 13y ago
Exactly. More Features != Better Product.
xyzzyz 13y ago
You obviously don't need to turn the phone over to slide your finger across the reader. In fact, the reader is positioned on the wake-up button you need to press anyway. The location is convenient, and using the fingerprint sensor in Atrix is quite pleasant. Source: I own Motorola Atrix phone. I used to be happy with it, but then the GPS broke, and camera became flaky, not to mention lack of Android updates.
- fournm 13y ago
  As another Atrix owner, backing this up entirely. It's in a position where you basically hit power and then slide your finger down along it. Edit: As a side note, the lack of it on other Android phones is really making it hard for me to want to switch.
  - fpgeek 13y ago
    If you really want and Android phone with a fingerprint reader, at least one is apparently incoming: http://www.phonearena.com/news/At-least-one-upcoming-2013-Android-phone-will-have-fingerprint-sensor-like-iPhone-5S_id47293 http://www.phonearena.com/news/At-least-one-upcoming-2013-An... We don't know which phone, but my guess is the HTC One Max. It has had fingerprint rumors associated with it for a while and it is one of the few 2013 flagships we haven't seen yet.
- suprgeek 13y ago
  Another Plus vote for the Atrix FP Sensor. I have used this and it was intuitive.
- blinkingled 13y ago
  Agreed. It was actually an OK phone for its time and the FP sensor worked as advertised - wake up and slide wasn't such an inconvenient way to unlock. (The Atrix FP sensor was also made by Authentec btw.) It sucked that Motorola dumped it soon after 2.3.6 update esp since the hardware was more than capable of running even 4.1.

aes 13y ago

And ThinkPads used to have a fingerprint sensor, many years ago. It's not that the technology itself is very cutting edge, or even claimed to be. (Of course, marketing claims anything to be cutting-edge. Apple's marketing doubly so.) In the light of recent knowledge, it makes me wonder whether IBM had NSA backdoors, too.

footpath 13y ago
Select ThinkPad models still do have integrated fingerprint sensors. Windows 8.1 offers improved native biometrics as well, whereas the previous Windows versions require third-party drivers for compatibility.
- r00fus 13y ago
  Execution matters. My previous work computer was a Thinkpad (2011 model) with a fingerprint swipe-scanner, but it was flaky, wasn't baked into the OS, and didn't have any killer apps that supported it. If, for example, Lenovo released something like 1Password but tied into the FP scanner for auth, that would've been really good… but that would require work to ensure it was secure and that particular sensor's flakiness would've killed the execution anyway. I'm guessing it was there for military/secured installations where some bespoke software would interface with the scanner for a customer-specific purpose.
  - porlw 13y ago
    My Thinkpad has one. Works great with Ubuntu, integrated into PAM so works with sudo and unlocking my keystore.
  - ntenenz 13y ago
    FYI, LastPass works with the Lenovo fingerprint scanners. I have even gotten it to work under linux.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
13y ago

rbanffy 13y ago

Just imagine how a security vulnerability can be used to grab fingerprints of every iPhone user... It's cool. Is it cool enough to risk having your fingerprints copied?

Splendor 13y ago
If someone wants your fingerprints they already have them.
- tlrobinson 13y ago
  Therefore it's a good idea to use your fingerprints for authentication?
  - skelsey 13y ago
    Good point, but it's probably at least as secure as a four digit pass-code that everyone around you can see.
    - rbanffy 13y ago
      Will you use different fingerprints for different systems? What do you do when your fingerprint gets compromised?
- beedogs 13y ago
  What else does this magical sentence work for? I want a million dollars.
- rbanffy 13y ago
  Governments do, but ordinary criminals don't. Yet. This is a very important enabling technology not because it's new, but because it'll gain widespread use in a short time.
- qq66 13y ago
  Sure, if someone wants your credit card number, they already have it too. They just follow you around with a telephoto lens and take a photo when you remove your credit card to use it. But if someone just wants a few thousand credit card numbers, and not yours specifically, that's when an ounce of caution can go a long way towards protecting yourself.

vermontdevil 13y ago

I had one and it absoutely sucked. Never worked since the day I bought it. Didn't bother to return it since I liked the phone itself.

gfodor 13y ago

Assuming this post is meant as a snarky "see, look, Apple didn't invent fingerprint reading phones" (not saying it definitely is) we must once again be reminded of Jobs' Law: hardware alone does not a product make.

forgottenpass 13y ago
You're totally right of course. Apple has a tight product line and dedicated fanbase. The feature will hit critical mass and be a huge success within months. Over the next few weeks, everyone emotionally invested in the cellphone for any of the terrible reasons that make it a "must have" will go through a process with the new iPhone that is almost exclusively afforded to Apple products. If the consumer doesn't like a feature, they'll wonder if instead of the tech being wrong, if it is really them that is wrong about the tech. "C'mon," they'll think "this is APPLE after all, I just must not get it." The people who wait longer to buy will have both that thought _and_ the fear of having an outsider opinion on the trendy new toy. My best indication that this is true isn't related to the conversations I had with other iPhone owners after I switched. Those odd little ones that I mistook for chit-chat about the phone but after 2 or 3 eventually realized we were rationalizing back and forth that our less-than-prudent purchase decision was the right one. Nor was it the time that I had my jaw dropped after realizing how stupid I was for failing to realize how much the iPhone is a status symbol. I deluded myself into thinking it had anything to do with tech, but right after the release of the 4S I heard a criticism of the design "how is anyone supposed to know I have the new one"? No, forget all that. The best indication that this is true, is the fact that the contents of this post could be seen as a slight against apple. Instead of just pointing out they have a strong market position and loyal customers which allows them to shape the future more than any other tech brand. Good on them for winning it! They've got highly polished products and wildly successful marketing. So they get a real opportunity to show everyone that they might actually like fingerprint scanning in a phone.
- mercer 13y ago
  I used to agree with your view, and unapologetically, err, apologize for apples choices anyways. Then I switched to the Nexus 4, and I changed my mind slightly. On the one hand I love the thing. It can do lots of stuff that I like that I couldn't do on my iPhone, even after jailbreaking. But on the other hand, many of the common tasks leave me with irritations that I didn't have with the iPhone. UI inconsistencies, unintuitive interfaces, weird crashes, and generally stuff that made me miss my less-powerful iPhone. Now, as a geek and a power user I am inclined to still prefer the Nexus, but only barely. But for my day to day stuff I'd switch back to an iPhone in a heartbeat. So, I think saying it's all just fashion is not completely true. It is also about tech. And among most of my friends status has little to do with it (if anything, having an iPhone is boring over here in hipster land, and you're cooler with a fridge-sized Nokia that can only store 20 text messages).

gcanyon 13y ago

Not that I'm a fan of the Apple fingerprint sensor, but there is a parallel here to Apple's wholesale adoption of USB, elimination of floppy drives, inclusion of wireless, elimination of physical phone keyboards etc. The market benefits when companies go all in on good features.

pacificleo1 13y ago

I know what fanboys will say "OMG Motorola copied the feature long before apple launched it ."

DigitalSea 13y ago

BUT BUT BUT, APPLE INVENTED FINGERPRINT SCANNERS! In all seriousness though. Apple would never make claim to fingerprint technology on their phones. IBM Thinkpads past and present still have fingerprint readers you can use instead of a password. It's all about the execution and well, Apple executed way better than the Atrix.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
I have one on my x1 carbon, but it's a freemium add-on that requires us to buy more software to use it. That's the difference between Lenovo and Apple I guess.
rbanffy 13y ago
Thy may have invented the first usable one. My laptops had them for ages and I never used them because they were never well integrated into the interface. Now Apple is showing one that is. I'd bet on it quickly gaining widespread usage.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago

To be fair, Atrix's sensor looks lie a standard slide based one, while Apple's sensor is completely contact based. I'm not sure what the implications of the different designs are yet, but I could imagine ease of use playing a role.

qq66 13y ago

A great illustration of the difference between technologies and products.