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iOS 7 beta 4 code strings point towards forthcoming fingerprint recognition feature

It’s the beta code that tells you where things are going. Per Electronista, code strings buried in iOS 7 beta 4 suggests that one or more next-generation iOS devices will indeed have fingerprint sensors. An unused folder in the firmware, discovered by Hamza Sood, is titled “BiometricKitUI.axb.” Accompanying code strings moreover make reference to a […]

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Hardware iPhone News Patents

Apple looking to replace IR sensors with sonar technology in next-gen devices

Look at it this way: sonar’s been around for a while. And it’s always been nifty. Per the United States Patent and Trademark Office, an Apple patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday describes a system that may one day replace the infrared proximity sensors deployed in current iPhones with […]

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News Patents

Apple granted patent for unauthorized iPhone usage, detection and reporting technology

This could be useful. Among a series of patents granted to Apple on Tuesday, an interesting invention regarding iPhone security was discovered, with the property describing various methods to protect sensitive data if an unauthorized user gets hold of the device. Per AppleInsider and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Patent No. 8,289,130 […]

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Hardware News

Apple buys fingerprint recognition company AuthenTec for $356 million

This could turn into something interesting. Per Reuters, Apple has signed a deal to buy a Florida-based company, AuthenTec, at a price of US$8 per share or about US$356 million. That’s a premium of 58 percent over AuthenTec’s Thursday closing value. While largely unknown to the public, the firm makes fingerprint sensor chips used in […]

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iPhone News Patents

Apple receives NFC-driven “iTravel” patent

This could be interesting. Per Free Patents Online, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday officially awarded Apple ownership of its “iTravel” concept for e-ticketing with an NFC-equipped iPhone. U.S. Patent No. 8,215,546, entitled “System and Method for Transportation Check-In,” was granted to Apple this week. First filed with the USPTO in 2008, the […]