Iris-scanning phones developed in Japan

By Editorial Team (Tuesday, 24th July 2007)

A new mobile phone security product by technology firm Oki is set to make its commercial debut in Japan this month.

The company has announced the launch of its Iris Authentication Middleware system, which uses the camera of a mobile phone to scan the user's iris before allowing them access to the phone's functions, Tech.co.uk reports.

Having previously been confined to high-end business products and novelty items, Oki is now hoping that this biometric security technique will appeal to ordinary consumers looking to add an additional layer of security to their handsets.

Any phone with a camera of at least one megapixel will be able to operate the technology, while the fact that it is compatible with both Symbian and Windows Mobile has led to speculation that the product could soon find its way on to the UK market, although as yet there are no official plans for this.

Oki has claimed that the process by which users must pre-register their eye before operating the software takes a matter of seconds.

In related news, anti-virus company UMU recently contributed to phone security with the launch of a specialist programme for mobile handsets.

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