Xiaomi Mobile Software has acquired a utility model patent for an improved version of the side-mounted fingerprint sensor that will cover the frame and angular areas of the phone (via IT Home).

Side-mounted fingerprint scanners are typically limited to the power button of devices, which are usually quite tiny. Compared to rear-mounted fingerprints, the surface is area is significantly smaller, meaning accuracy may be reduced and chances of misreads are higher.

The patented fingerprint tech looks to be aiming at addressing this shortcoming by extending the sensor’s width, thereby improving efficiency. A smaller surface area also meant the sensor only captured a small portion of the finger during authentication, increasing the chances of false positives. This too should get better once the patent turns into reality.

The need for such a solution has become greater as phones turn slimmer each year, leaving less and less space on the edge. One can argue that OEMs could simply switch to the under-display fingerprints instead, but the tech is generally much more expensive and is thus not a viable enough option for cheaper offerings.

Or the trusty rear fingerprint scanner could simply be resurrected. But that unfortunately doesn’t seem to be an option anymore as smartphone OEMs have silently declared it out of date.

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WhatsApp, the popular social media app, also offers browser support for its messaging service that allows one to use it on desktops. Now, the company might be looking to make it more secure by adding another layer of security via biometric scanning support.

According to a WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp has dedicated a team to work on making the entire browser service more secure. The Facebook owned messaging platform is apparently going to receive a security update that will bring fingerprint authentication for WhatsApp Web. As per the report, one would have to open WhatsApp on their smartphones and scan their fingerprint to initiate the web session of their PC.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 price discounted by 9,000 INR ($122) for a week in India

The report also featured a screenshot of the security feature in action. At the moment, WhatsApp Web only requires users to scan a QR code on their desktop/laptop screen to initiate the connection, with the smartphone being required to have a stable internet connection as well. This is rather straightforward and essentially lacks any direct form of security.

Unfortunately, finer details regarding this security update is currently unknown. It is also unclear whether WhatsApp will be doing away with the QR code entirely in exchange for this feature’s addition. However, any addition or focus toward privacy is always a plus point for the consumer. So stay tuned for more updates, which should arrive soon.

UP NEXT: Realme 7i with 90Hz display, SD662, 64MP quad cameras, 5000mAh battery debuts for ~$214

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Xiaomi has released a new upgraded version of its Mi Notebook Air 13.3 with a couple of new features added. The Mi Note Air was first launched in August last year in China and it came as a real challenger for the Apple iPad Air with a sleek design and equally stunning hardware bench. Since then, Xiaomi has added a new version with 4G LTE modem inside and has also upgraded the 12.5-inch model to include a seventh-gen Intel Core M3 processor which brought a 12% improvement in performance over the previous 6th generation Core M3. 

The new 13.3-inch Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air version comes with a more powerful 7th gen Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 3.0GHz which is an upgrade from the initial version and is said to bring up to 10% improvement in performance. There is also another version with an upgraded 7th-gen Intel Core i5 processor.

Another upgrade is the addition of fingerprint recognition technology in the new version. The processor is backed by a massive 8GB DDR4 memory and the laptop also features a 128GB / 256GB PCIe SSD hard drive variants which can be expanded as well. It also packs custom AKG speakers like the previous models. The new version comes with built-in NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphic card with up to 2GB GDDR5 new memory standard as against the previous version with a NVIDIA GeForce 940MX and just 1GB GDDR5 new memory standard. The fingerprint recognition technology is added on the upper right corner of the trackpad.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 4G Version Teardown – Where Lies The 4G?

Pricing & Availability

As for their prices, the Mi Notebook Air 13.3 version with the 7th gen Intel Core i5 chip, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage and NVIDIA GeForce MX150 is priced at 4,999 Yuan ($737) while the version with 256GB storage goes up for 5,499 Yuan ($810). The price of the Mi Notebook Air 13.3 with Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 625GB storage and NVIDIA GeForce MX150 is yet to be announced. As for availability, on the Core i5 processor version will be available as from June 18 at 12 AM. Registration for the sale is already open on Mi.com.

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Human interface solution developer Synaptics has announced a new multi-factor biometric platform that can be used on smartphones, notebook PCs and tablets. The engine was developed in collaboration with KeyLemon, another facial recognition company.

The new platform is coming ahead of the CES 2017 and is said to use both fingerprint and facial recognition, thus allowing mobile devices to be unlocked in several ways, based on the user’s preference. Apart from the feature of unlocking the device, the platform also provides some level of security for financial transactions as well as unlocking of other sensitive information in the device because users will be required to go through two modes of authentication.

Read Also: Asus Could Beat Samsung & Xiaomi To Release The First Snapdragon 835 Flagship

One good thing about the system is that it features anti-spoof technology and uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to differentiate between the real owner of the device and any other imitation. So, it doesn’t only take note of the facial features but reflex actions like eye blinking and pattern of  head movement in order to prevent spoofing or imitation.

Synaptics has hinted that it seeks to expand the platform to include additional biometric and security factors. The company also went on to introduce a fingerprint sensor technology which allows for scanning of the fingerprint through glass, thus opening up the potential for button-free display designs with embedded fingerprint recognition sensors. This isn’t new though as we’ve already got the Xiaomi Mi 5S with underglass  ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

Related: Synaptics Announces Its Own Under-Glass Fingerprint Scanner

Since Synaptics sells its patents and inventions to smartphone and tablet makers, the new technology could find its way inside smartphones in the near future. As to when exactly, that we cannot say.

(via)

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“The best big-screen phone to date! And it’s worth more than 5000 RMB!”—Yu Chengdong, August 26

On September 4, the Huawei Mate 7 was formally launched in Berlin, Germany (It was launched in China yesterday). Before its launch, Yu Chengdong said these words.

How could he be so confident? Let’s look at the Mate 7’s features: 6-inch screen, very high screen-to-body ratio, metal case, the new Emotion UI 3.0 OS, fingerprint recognition (the first Android phone to have such a feature)…

So, how does the Mate 7 fare? Here’s our review.

Besides the upgrades to the screen, many will also like the fact that the Huawei Mate 7 sports a metal case that covers 95% of the phone’s body. Because it is a big-screen phone, it weighs 185g despite the fact that the metal use is aluminium alloy. Although it’s a bit heavy, it’s a bit lighter than other phones like it.

The version being reviewed is the green gold edition. Users can also buy a grey or white edition.

The Mate 7’s upper frame is only 10.3mm. Without the screen panel, it would only be 8.9mm wide, which makes it stand out among other phones that are known to have a high screen-to-body ratio.

6-inch screen: Thin frame, high screen-to-body ratio

These days, more and more cellphone companies are producing thin cellphones with a very high screen-to-body ratio. With a thickness of 2.9mm and a screen-to-body ratio of over 83%, the Huawei Mate 7 is on par with the 5.7-inch Note 3. The resulting screen quality is excellent.

Huawei upgraded the resolution from 720p in the last generation to 1080p.

Left to right: Vivo Xshot, Mate 7, OnePlus One

Emotion UI 3.0

Huawei’s new OS upgrade, the Emotion UI 3.0 is finally here. This system is based on the Android 4.4.2 and the Mate 7 is the first phone to use it.

Since the Huawei Mate 7 supports fingerprint recognition, users can unlock their phone by pressing their finger on the fingerprint scanner at the back. If it fails to recognize your fingerprint after three attempts, you can just type your password. After 6 attempts, you will have to wait for 30 seconds before trying again.

When you pull your finger down on a certain program and hold it, a new interface appears. Huawei calls it the “Lazy” mode. This allows you to look at the contents of most of the apps without accessing them. For example, if you pull down the dial page, you can see the “My information” table. When you pull down the photo gallery program, you’ll immediately go to the camera interface. This way, you can take photos quickly.

Fingerprint scanner

The Huawei Mate 7’s most notable feature is its fingerprint scanner. Users can lock/unlock the phone, take photos, and even make purchases using fingerprint recognition. It’s good for security purposes as it can identify the user with his or her fingerprint. The Mate 7 is the first Android phone to have this feature and according to official reports, its recognition speed is faster than the iPhone S5’s.

Kirin 925: Performance and endurance tests

 The difference between the Kirin 925 and the Kirin 920 is not great. It is still composed of four Cortex-A7 and four Cortex-A15. It’s just that the main frequency has been increased from 1.7 GHz to 1.8 GHz. It also still uses the Mali-T628 MP4 GPU. As a result, the Kirin 925 only offers a slightly better performance than the 920.

The true strength of the Kirin 925 lies in its i3 sensor chip which is similar to the iPhone 5S’ M& chip. It can collect all data from the phone’s sensors and save more power.

It scored 42274 points in the Antutu 5.0 benchmark test.

As for endurance, the Mate 7 has a 4100 mAh battery. After playing a video for 30 minutes, the power only decreases by 4%, which means that users can watch a 12 hour video or about 18 episodes of a TV series. By the end of the day, there is still 44% left in the battery. This phone’s endurance is pretty good.

Internet

There are editions for China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, all of which are 4G-supported (the Telecom edition has a baseband). There is also a open-channel edition. This version is granted access by the Kirin 925’s baseband to networks like TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and GSM.

The China Mobile version, at most, has a transmission speed of 300 mbps. It also has a downstream spead of 12.25 Mbps and upstream speed of 5.29MBps, which are equal to download speeds of 1.5Mb/s and 660KB/s.

Camera has translation program

The Mate 7 sports a 13mp camera with Sony BSI 4. It also has a f/2.0 aperture and 28mm wide-angle 5mp lens. One feature lets the camera focus after taking the photo. It also has a translator program that translates any text that the camera points to.

The following were photos taken using the Huawei Mate 7:

Overall, the Huawei Mate 7 is a versatile phone with its metal case, 6-inch screen, Emotion UI 3.0, fingerprint scanner, and 4G internet connection.

Buy Huawei Ascend Mate 7 at here: Oppomart.com

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Today, Huawei will release their newest device, the Mate 7.

According to reports, four versions will be shipped to stores: MT7-CL00, MT7-TL00, MT7-TL10, and MT7-TL10. The Mate 7 sports a 6-inch 1080p display screen. The biggest highlight about this device is, of course, its fingerprint recognition function.

The Mate 7 also uses the 1.8GHz Kirin 925 octa-core processor. Users can choose between a 2GB RAM/16GB version and a 3GB RAM/32GB ROM version. It also sports a 5mp/13mp camera. Tonight at 9 PM, let us witness the arrival of the Mate 7.

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The Meizu MX 4 is one of the most anticipated Chinese smart phones this year and for the first time, we get to see how it looks like. Early today, a Weibo user sent out photos and a description of the MX 4’s display screen was released and was compared with the MX 3’s. The source seems very reliable. The MX 4 is reported to be bigger than the MX 3. The round home button is still there but the back has a fingerprint recognition feature.

According to the Weibo user, the MX 4’s display screen is bigger than the MX 3’s and has good texture. It is probably 5.2 inches. The back of the phone has a sensor for fingerprint recognition. Furthermore, the MX 4’s frame is narrower than the MX 3 with a bigger screen ratio.

As for hardware, many predict that the MX 4 will sport a 5.2-inch display screen with 2560 x 1536 resolution and 15:9 screen ratio. It is also predicted to use the MT6595 octa-core chipset or the Samsung Exynos 5433, have 3GB RAM, 16GB ROM, and a 8mp/20.7mp camera with 4K video recording. It is also purported to support TD-LTE/FDD-LTE 4G and to have the Flyme 4.0 as its operating system.

Reports say that later this year, Meizu will release more than four products, one of which is the MX 4 high-end edition which has fingerprint recognition. It is estimated to cost more than 2499 RMB (405.87 USD) and will be launched in September.

The post The Meizu MX 4 retains round “Home” button and has fingerprint scanner appeared first on Gizmochina.

The very-anticipated Xiaomi Mi 4 has been making waves in the news recently.

As a result of the Mi 4’s metal design and increasing capital costs, the price of the phone may go up to 2499 RMB (402.44 USD). If the news is true, then the Mi 4 will not support more features and will probably attract fewer customers. 

Fingerprint recognition

According to a message in Weibo, the Mi 4 will have a fingerprint recognition technology allowing people to access different kinds of features with their fingerprints.

Even though this has not been verified by a more official source, it could be true. After all, based on the hardware specs that were recently revealed about the Mi 4, it should be filled with a lot of kinds of exciting features.

In addition to a 5-inch touch screen, the Xiaomi Mi 4 will have 3GB RAM and 16GB internal memory space as well as a 13mp camera with f1.8 aperture. It will also be supported by Sony camera technology for great photo resolution. One edition of the Mi 4 will use the Snapdragon 805 while another will use NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 (non-Denver edition). It will also support LTE 4G internet.

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