Fingerprint recognition promised for Android devices, due in six months

While fingerprint scanners had not hit
mainstream devices at a major level till
Apple decided to include it with the
latest-generation iPhone, the iPhone 5s
calling it Touch ID, it looks like the
Android device bandwagon will also get
its own version of the technology in six
months, if a new report is to be
believed.

The FIDO (Fast IDentity Online)
Alliance a group of 48 technology
companies, which was founded by the
likes of Lenovo and PayPal is working
on a new technical standard for
biometric fingerprint scanners to be
featured on Android smartphones.
In an interview with USA Today,
Michael Barrett, president of the FIDO
Alliance has said that the initial FIDO-
equipped Android devices, will roll out in
early 2014 along with services that use
the FIDO protocols.

"The intention of FIDO is absolutely
that it will allow consumers to have
access to mobile services that they can
use with very low friction, while keeping
good security," said Barrett.
It's not clear as to which device
makers and services would choose to
include FIDO but prominent members of
the alliance include LG, BlackBerry,
Google, Lenovo and PayPal. So it's
likely that these players choose to
integrate the standard with their
devices and services.

It's worth pointing out that Apple's
Touch ID fingerprint sensor is not
FIDO-compliant but Barrett informed
that Touch ID could easily be adapted
to FIDO but it will take a couple of
years.
According to its website, the FIDO
Alliance aims to develop specifications
that define an open, scalable,
interoperable set of mechanisms that
supplant reliance on passwords to
securely authenticate users of online
services. It essentially wants to build a
ubiquitous biometric standard that
works across different devices and
online services that require
authentication.
It's worth mentioning that Apple's
Touch ID allows users to unlock the
phone, by simply placing a finger on
the Home button. It can also be used
to confirm purchases made on the App
Store, iBookstore or the iTunes Store.

iPhone 5C – does Apple's first budgetsmartphone finally have a name?

Usually a photo of boxes isn't cause for much excitement – but this particular snap posted on the Chinese website WeiPhone is a bit special. You see, it depicts a lot of shiny white plastic-looking boxes with an Apple logo on top and - here's the important bit - the letters 'iPhone 5C'. 

Assuming somebody didn't wake up one day and decide to fabricate a load of boxes to prank the internet, this would suggest that the much-rumoured budget iPhone now has a name. C IS FOR 'COLOUR' Given that Apple is unable to conquer emerging markets with its current high-priced portfolio – and the alleged release of the iPhone 5S would do little to change that – a budget iPhone seems logical. 

There have been a number of leaks in the past that all point towards Apple releasing a device made for smaller budgets. One revealed a number of colourful cases in plastic while another included a YouTube video of the device in action . 

Could there be this much smoke without fire – or is it merely an elaborate prank by a factory capable of manufacturing phone cases looking for some e-attention? If the iPhone 5C is real and on the way, what does the C bit stand for? Cheap? Cute? Crass? We're hedging our bets on "colour".

Skype refreshes its iPhone app

Skype has updated its iPhone app with a couple of new features and a few fixes in tow. Skype for iPhone version 4.9 now offers the free and unlimited video messaging that Skype rolled out last week. 

Skype users can record a video message for fellow users who are offline. Those videos then appear when your receipient logs into the service. The updated app also has patched up a few items here and there , according to Skype. Photo sharing is now a more reliable process. Audio and video calls should be more stable. And there are the usual unspecified general fixes and improvements. Skype's iPhone app is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, requires iOS 5 or higher, and is optimized for the longer screen of the iPhone 5.

Walmart permanently drops iPhone 4S price to $39, iPhone 5 to $129

While brief sales on iPhones are
relatively common, it's rare to see
permanent price drops outside of a
hardware refresh cycle. Walmart is
willing to give those cuts a shot,
however. Visit the company's stores
from this point onward and you can
pick up the 16GB iPhone 4S in its
AT&T, Sprint or Verizon forms at $39
on contract, instead of $90. The 16GB
iPhone 5 for those same networks is
dropping to $129 from its usual $190;
sorry, T-Mobile fans, you're out of the
loop for now. It's not hard to
understand Walmart's sudden
generosity -- when the iPhone range
is nearing its annual upgrade, the
lower prices should keep current units
moving.
VIA: Mashable
SOURCE: Walmart (1) , (2)