Striking his best super-spy pose, Nathan Davis infiltrates Microsoft's super secret lab...
Until now.
Just to drop your excitement level a tad, Microsoft is jumping in with a keyboard that has a fingerprint reader. Get this though - it's not for security. On install, you can register fingerprints for each Windows user profile, logging in and creating a separate print-profile. The potential was there, especially in regards to security, but fast user switching is the closest you will get to 'logging in' to a machine.
Aimed at the home user, security isn't the direction Microsoft has decided to push it. It explicitly states this is not a security device, and instead treats it as more of a password-'Gator'- profile assistant. Obviously user switching requires Windows XP and when a set of prints hits the reader, it switches the desktop to the appropriate user.
Once logged in as yourself, any of your prints will log you into networks and websites you've entered into its list. When asked to supply the username and password, you press a finger on the reader - whichever you have registered - and it will automatically fill out the form and log you in.
The fingerprint scanner had potential, but it hasn't been used to its full capacity and really dropping in use considering its support, or lack thereof, for browsers other than the infamous Internet Explorer. The keyboard itself is well laid out, with comfortable feeling keys and a decent selection of useable hotkeys. The packaged wireless mouse however, is not for precision. If the job requires any serious amount of low latency or fine movements, forget about it.
All this considered, with four customisable favourites buttons and other multimedia shortcuts and the high latency wireless mouse, this could work best on a HTPC - if only the keyboard was wireless. Otherwise, the main point of this kit, the biometric capability, is severely underwhelming at best for the enthusiast. Until community hacks are made or a more capable software update is released by Microsoft, the finger scanner is nothing more than a $200 novelty keyboard and mouse kit.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012