Reviewing the iP hone 5S

 Credit: CultofMac           

Just because the new iPhone 5S is available in gold doesn’t make it precious. The latest version of the popular smartphone that was launched by Apple Inc. may call out to countless people, but the fact is that this new device is a good and definitely not a stellar upgrade to be made from the previous model. Like every year, the company launches a new model of the iPhone. Then it eventually launches the S model, which is basically a minor improvement of the previous device. The iPhone still boasts the same 4-inch screen, the same case and the same mono-speaker. The only difference is in one new and noticeable feature.

The fingerprint scanner is the most-talked about and biggest addition that has been made to the iPhone 5S and has been placed on the ‘home’ button of the phone in a wise move. With this feature, people are forgoing the four digit code that they had to input every time they accessed the device and will now need to place their thumb or finger on the home button for opening the phone. For a device, this is an excellent idea and not to mention that it works almost flawlessly on it. The phone will ask the user in the setup process to place their thumb or finger on the scanner for about a dozen times in order to ensure that the prints are picked up by it.

Once the setup has been completed, the device will be able to detect the print, regardless of the direction in which it’s placed. The phone can be trained for detecting around five different fingerprints. In addition, this feature is quite quick. The phone will be unlocked when the button is held just for an extra second. Someone else’s finger cannot be used for unlocking the device. However, there is one downside. A long press is not enough to raise the phone from its sleeping state.

Instead, when this is one, the voice-enabled assistant called Siri starts up. The button has to be pressed twice as the first press will get it out of sleep mode and the phone will be unlocked in the second press. An option to switching should have been provided for unlocking the phone in a single long press. Apart from that, when people wish to purchase movies and music from the App Store or iTunes, the fingerprint scanner will also be useful in this regard. This is because people only have to place their finger on the sensor for making a purchase instead of having to put in their password every single time.

The camera is another improvement made to the device. It’s still 8 mega-pixel but its sensor has been enhanced. People can take better low-light photos as more light is allowed by the larger aperture and new sensor. This doesn’t make it better than the S4 and HTC One. Another big improvement is the new OS i.e. the iOS 7, which offers a brighter color scheme. However, all of these features do not make the iPhone 5S worth the upgrade.

iPhone 5S Fingerprint Scanner Hacked

Apple Inc. recently launched the iPhone 5S, the modified version of its flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5. One of the modifications that were made to the device included the introduction of a fingerprint scanner for security purposes instead of the usual PIN. However, according to Chaos Computer Club of Germany, they have managed to crack the protection of the fingerprint sensor only two days after the device officially went on sale. The group made a post to their website where they mentioned that a fingerprint of a user had been taken by their biometric team and photographed it from a glass surface.

Then a fake fingerprint was created that could be used on a real finger by putting it on a thin film and then using it to unlock the phone. A video was also shown to back up this claim and it will no doubt create concerns for businesses. This is because a number of users may have been planning to operate their corporate accounts with the phone. While physical access to the phone and a clean fingerprint is required for hacking the device, it still means that the risk of security breach is quite high. The blog post writer of the Chaos Club stated that this was proof that fingerprint biometrics is not a suitable method of access control.

He added that the only difference between Apple’s sensor and others in the market was a higher resolution. The resolution of the fake fingerprint had to be increased and the device can be opened. He asserted that the club had been insisting for years that using of fingerprints was not a secure method because fingerprints can also be lifted by people. Nonetheless, it wasn’t claimed by the group that they had accessed the fingerprint from the device itself. According to Apple, a secure chip is used for securing the fingerprint in the device.

A security specialist stated that relying on a fingerprint was acceptable in terms of casual security, but protection of sensitive data with it wasn’t advised or safe. No comment was made by Apple Inc. regarding the hack of the German club. This is the third revelation that has come to light since the last week launch of the iPhone and the iOS 7 software. First, it was discovered by a hacker that they could use a flaw in the Control Centre feature of iOS 7 for accessing emails and photos on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. Another discovered that a call to any number could be placed with the Emergency Call Screen.

The method of the fingerprint hack was revealed by the Chaos Club in detail. It showed that a high quality fingerprint was lifted from a glossy surface or glass doorknob and graphite powder is used for revealing it. Then a laser print is used for printing the fingerprint onto an overhead projector plastic. The fingerprint is then cut after covering with wood glue and then attached to the real finger. This touch ID system of Apple is could create issues with the new device for security conscious users.

Your Fingertip Will Become A Credit Card With iPhone 5S

 

According to Apple Inc., passwords have become overly played out. Therefore, they have decided to tout a new fingerprint scanning system that they are naming Touch ID. This is one of the most prominent and new features that will be available to people when they purchase the upcoming iPhone 5S. The Cupertino, California giant has stated that phone security will be enhanced with Touch ID. This is because people will no longer have to use a four digit PIN for unlocking their phone. This time they would have to use their fingerprints. However, this new feature has another purpose. With Touch ID, people will be able to purchase stuff quickly at the App store and on iTunes.

When iPhone 5S users will browse the digital stores of Apple Inc., they will have the ability of purchasing items simply by pressing the home button instead of having to enter the password of their Apple IDs. This feature is said to be the first step into the world where purchases will be confirmed not by strings of letters and numbers, but will instead use our bodies for confirmation. An analyst of Apple at Edward Jones stated that this approach is interesting as far as e-commerce is concerned and is quite different from what other companies are trying to accomplish.

He added that the use of iTunes to kick off this technology is proof that the same technology could also be used for other applications as well. People have become attuned to the concept of using their smartphones for making online purchases. As per eMarketer, products are now bought and compared by around 75% of all smartphone users and the same group is expected to spend about $15 billion this year in mobile commerce. It is projected that by 2017, people will spend around $30 billion for purchasing stuff from their smartphones.

In the last quarter alone, Apple Inc. was able to generate about $4 billion revenue from its digital stores. That’s why the company wishes to ensure that this transition to mobile shopping happens as seamlessly as possible. This could happen with the simplicity that’s offered by Touch ID. According to analysts, this technology will be adopted by people if it’s effective because it’s unique, portable and doesn’t have to be memorized at all. Nevertheless, worries and issues regarding digital security cannot be alleviated with just a fingerprint scanner. Fingerprints can be copied of lifted with various technologies today.

People only have to touch things for exposing their fingerprints inadvertently. It can be copied easily and people will not even remember they accidentally touched something. It has been suggested that the best way of handling financial transactions is to use a two-step authentication process that requires a fingerprint scanner and also a PIN or password. The fingerprint scan is replacing the PIN option in the iPhone. But, Apple has stated that the fingerprint will be stored in the phone’s internal hardware and not in the cloud so it cannot be stolen and used to make purchases.