AuthenTec offer scanners for fingerptint-enabled phones

AuthenTec, a provider of fingerprint sensors and solutions, announced it has shipped more than seven million AuthenTec-enabled phones powered by the Symbian OS, comprising 14 mobile phone models using AuthenTec’s fingerprint sensors. The two companies have collaborated for more than five years. Some of the phones, which now include AuthenTec’s TruePrint-based sensors, include NTT DOCOMO’s new Fujitsu FOMA F906i smart phone. Announced in June, this phone uses Symbian’s latest offering and AuthenTec’s small form factor AES1710 sensor. Every fingerprint-enabled device based on Symbian OS now uses an AuthenTec sensor.

The market for Symbian phones continues to expand. Eight handset manufacturers launched 13 new Symbian models during the first quarter this year, bringing the total number of models in the market to 154 with a total of 235 models shipped since the formation of Symbian. “We’re pleased to expand our long-standing relationship with AuthenTec to address a growing market for fingerprint-enabled mobile phones that combine power of touch functionality with Symbian OS v9.3,” said Mike Whittingham, Symbian’s vice president of ecosystem development. “We look forward to working with them and expanding fingerprint sensor technologies that further enhance mobile phone capabilities, security and the user experience.”