Synaptics equips mouse with fingerprint reader and spacebar with touch

Synaptics will demonstrate mice equipped with fingerprint readers at CES, which should allow users to quickly log into their systems and sites. The manufacturer also shows Thermaltake’s Poseidon Touch with touch-sensitive space bar, which will be released in the near future.

Synaptics will be demonstrating its IronVeil technology for integrated fingerprint readers in the Thermaltake Black FP mouse, but the manufacturer’s booth will also show LiteON, SolidYear and EVGA mice with fingerprint readers. The readers are incorporated into the side, where the thumb rests. Users can grab the mouse as usual after which the authentication takes place. This should allow users to quickly log in to Windows, for example, without having to enter a password.

In addition, the technology supports FIDO, which also makes it possible to log in to websites, for example. According to Synaptics, the integration of the tiny fingerprint reader in the mouse is a nice solution to the problem that biometric authentication via fingerprints on desktops is lagging behind smartphones and tablets, partly because there is no good place for keyboards.

In addition, Synaptics demonstrated its SmartBar announced last year. The manufacturer makes space bars touch-sensitive via a capacitive sensor layer, so that the user can easily select text and zoom in and out by pinching. The touch sensitive zones are programmable to link other commands to the multitouch gestures. The first keyboard with the SmartBar will be Thermaltake’s Poseidon Touch, and it is said to have started mass production, after which sales, at an undisclosed price, should begin soon.