New security features for phones

A new mobile phone in Japan takes security pretty seriously: It can recognise its owner, automatically locks when the person gets too far away from it and can be found via satellite navigation if it goes missing.

The P903i from NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s top mobile carrier, comes with a small black card about the size of a movie-ticket stub. The card works as a security key by connecting wirelessly with the mobile phone.

If an owner keeps the card in a bag or pocket, the phone recognises when the card moves too far away and locks automatically to prevent someone from making a call. The user can choose to have the phone lock when it is 8m, 20m or 40m away.

If you’re still worried about unauthorised access of your phone, users can activate the phone’s facial identification feature. Before accessing the handset a user has to take a picture of himself with the camera. The phone scans features such as distance between the eyes and unlocks if the image matches the stored data.

Should the P903i get lost, the user can track it with its onboard Global Positioning System. After entering the phone number into a Web site, the owner will see a map showing the phone’s rough location – directions via GPS can be off by several hundred feet.

Source: Forbes

Related Links: Official press release, Gizmodo