AuthenTec Introduces New AES1710; A Fourth Generation Biometric Fingerprint Sensor for the Wireless Market.

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- AuthenTec, the leader in fingerprint sensor security, innovation and sales to the PC, wireless, and access control markets, today introduced the new AES1710 biometric fingerprint sensor for the wireless market. The new sensor meets critical performance standards necessary for widespread mobile commerce (M-commerce), security and convenience applications for full featured phones, and smart phones. This new sensor has been designed into handset models scheduled to be shipping to consumers and enterprise users later this year.

Compared to previous sensors, the AES1710 requires significantly less battery power, and runs on a 1.8V platform, which affords lengthy standby times. Battery power is a critical consideration to mobile phone and PDA manufacturers as subscribers rely on their handheld devices for an increasing number of services including mobile web, VPN, VoIP, photos and email which can significantly drain available power.

The AES1710 creates a spectrum of mechanical and industrial design possibilities for real-estate challenged handheld devices such as mobile phones. The sensor uses a unique, robust surface coating that makes it ideal for external positioning on candy bar, twist and slider style phones and on the inside and outside of clamshell style phones. Manufacturers and carriers are seeking to make their M-commerce and enterprise security applications as convenient as possible for consumers, delivering the ability for users to easily protect a mobile wallet or e-mail application with the slide of a finger, rather than typing PIN's or lengthy security codes.

AuthenTec's sensors, which have been market proven by millions of consumers and enterprise users globally, are engineered to deliver efficiency and convenient security.

"AuthenTec is the only fingerprint sensor provider supporting large production quantities across multiple customers in the mobile phone market," said Larry Ciaccia, president, AuthenTec. "The AES1710 is our fourth-generation wireless sensor and it advances the performance standards created by our previous models to meet the specific design and functionality demands of the international M-commerce movement, the stringent security requirements of the enterprise community and the convenience and personalization required by all users."

The AES1710 runs on a revolutionary architecture to enable the Power of Touch[TM] and offers additional functions beyond user authentication such as customized program launch "hot keys", secure web launch, and next generation TrueNav[R] for fluid on screen graphic and menu navigation using a touch pad, joystick and mouse emulation modes. This architecture has also been specifically designed and optimized to co-exist with a variety of near field communication protocols (NFC) to insure compatibility in rapidly expanding m-commerce and mobile wallet applications.

As with all AuthenTec sensors, the AES1710 utilizes patented TruePrint[R] technology to deliver extremely accurate and reliable fingerprint imaging, thus enhancing both device security convenience and user efficiency. TruePrint is the only solution in production that reads below the surface of the skin to the live layer, where a person's true fingerprint resides.

This unique subsurface approach enables AuthenTec sensors to overcome common skin surface conditions to read virtually every fingerprint, every time. The technology's extreme accuracy also allows AuthenTec to create sensors that are smaller, lower cost, and perform better than larger, more costly competing solutions.

AES1710 Technology Highlights

Unlike competitive technologies that require closer contact with human skin and therefore less protective coating, AuthenTec's patented TruePrint technology enables the AES1710 sensor to support a thicker, more protective coating which translates into significantly more durability.

For additional information on the new AES1710 fingerprint sensor from AuthenTec, please visit www.authentec.com.

About AuthenTec

With more than 15 million sensors in use worldwide, AuthenTec is the world leader in providing fingerprint authentication sensors and solutions to the high-volume PC, wireless device, and access control markets. AuthenTec's award-winning sensors take full advantage of The Power of Touch[R] by utilizing the company's patented TruePrint[R] technology to deliver the most convenient, reliable and cost-effective means available for enabling touch-powered features that extend beyond user authentication. The company's customers include: ASUSTek, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, HTC, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Samsung, and Toshiba, among others.