Biometrics RFID and mobile internet
Synthesis of articles Each of the three articles raises issues about the trends of these emerging technologies, here are a brief summary of the points raised: Biometrics • E-commerce: flimsy defences, fraud is inevitable. ... • Biometrics uses fingerprints, voice tones and facial contours for verification. ... • Banks have incentive to support biometrics due to poor compensation from fraud cases. ... Radio Frequency Identification Tagging (RFID) • Allows goods to be tracked through warehouses, dispatch centres and shop floors. ... • Customer privacy issues: fears retailers can use tags to track consumers movements • Retailers considering disabling tags at point of sale (to combat privacy concerns) Mobile Internet • Mobile phone technology has advanced so far to enable always on intenet connection to handsets. • 62% of all European adults now use mobile phones, although the take up of 3G is expected to take a long time. ... • Mobile handset’s small screens made reading difficult and content was thin. ... • Hutchinson 3G (the fifth mobile operator) has pioneered 3G whilst the competition is waiting to launch theirs. Impact of Technologies Biometrics The take up of e-commerce has been hindered by consumer fears over secure transactions, biometrics could play a key role in removing this barrier. ... With added security from biometrics both online and with ATM transactions, the banking industry can reduce fees in most cases and offer better service to their customers. Voice recognition is one of the means of biometric verification, and could be seen as the means used by mobile Internet users. ... A sale that couldn’t be closed in store may be clinched through mobile e-commerce, and customers would have little fears of buying out of the store. RFID The main advantage to customers that RFID will offer is the increased speed at checkouts. ... If RFID tags can e read by smart shelves within a 3-5 ft range, stores can create data that shows which items are being bought together, basket shopping. Mobile Internet Personalisation is a key target for marketing through 3G phones; ring tones, logos and messaging videos/ jokes could be the main products on sale to 3G users. The main feature that 3G offers is high speed internet connection and video messaging to the standard that broadband is being offered to PC users. At present Google is widely recognized as the main search engine for PC users although Vodafone could offer a rival search engine for 3G users that retrieves information that would appeal to mobile Internet surfers. It’s important to recognize that mobile surfers will have a different needs and requirements to PC surfers, and will be looking to the Internet for content that will be useful on the move (local bars, jokes, cinema times, videos, gaming). ... Mobile technology is now capable of providing online gaming or streamlining video images of news or live sporting events.