USB FLASHDRIVE PROTECTS WITH FINGERPRINT
Now that the floppy disk is officially dead, the media of choice
to transport data is optical, and has been for some time now. Since
most every computer these days has at least a CD-ROM drive, burning
data to a CD insures that you will be able to at least load or view
anything on any other personal computer. Since the CD, newer optical
formats such as rewritable CD and DVD have also become fairly
commonplace. But there is still a chance that some computer onto
which you want to access your data still may not have one of these
later generation drives installed. If not and you chose to store
your data onto one of these newer optical disks, you are basically
out of luck unless you can find another computer that has something
compatible. I'd like to suggest a more compatible solution. The USB
flash drive is a transportable media solution that is really coming
into its own given improvements in the technology combined with
faster access speeds, bigger sizes and dropping costs. A USB flash
drive is so small that most of them fit on a keychain. They retain
stored data without any power and only require a USB port. And
unless the computer you need to use is from the PC dark ages,
chances are it at least has one USB port.
 One
of the coolest new additions to the USB flash drive arena is the
JumpDrive TouchGuard from Lexar (www.lexar.com). A little over two
inches in length, the 256 megabyte flash memory drive opens by
removing the attached cap from the USB plug. The JumpDrive supports
the faster USB 2.0 as well as the slower 1.1 standard. But what
makes this particular Flash Drive something that would make James
Bond sit up and take notice is its tiny built-in fingerprint reader!
That's right, to access the contents of the JumpDrive, you first
have to drag your fingertip across the unit's Sweep Sensor
fingerprint scanner. If it matches, you are immediately given access
to the drive's contents. If it's not your authorized fingertip, then
the data within remains inaccessible.
The JumpDrive uses advanced biometric technology that can store
and recognize up to 10 unique fingerprints per each drive. That
flexibility makes it ideal for scenarios such as family-only access
or project personnel only access. Built-in 256-bit data encryption
keeps the contents of the JumpDrive safe from prying eyes. The
included software makes it easy to set up and operate.
When you first run the installation program, you choose which
finger or thumb on either hand to use. The program prompts you to
scan the finger until it can accurately identify your digit. After
the initial authentication process is done, you enter in an
additional password so you can still access your data in case you
happen to lose a finger before the next time you need access.
In addition to storing data on the flash drive, another really
interesting security feature lets you carry all of your website
login passwords and bookmarks on the JumpDrive. When you log onto a
website, the JumpDrive will prompt you for the name and password.
Just enter it once and you're all set. The next time you use any
browser on some other machine, by simply plugging in the JumpDrive
to that computer's USB port the JumpDrive will automatically fill in
the name and password in the website's appropriate field. In
addition, all of your bookmarked favorites will be transferred to
the machine's browser too. When you are finished, removing the
JumpDrive removes all favorites as well as your passwords. You can
also encrypt and decrypt any file on the computer into which it is
plugged. So unless the JumpDrive is inserted into the computer, no
one will be able to see the content of any files you have encrypted
on that machine.
The JumpDrive TouchGuard requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP and
sells for $69.95. if you're looking for a really cool way to
securely transport your information, then the JumpDrive TouchGuard
is a USB flash drive you'll definitely want to keep your finger on.
www.lexar.com |
