Who Needs Fingerprint or Iris Scanners? ERGO App Lets You Unlock with Your Ears!

[dgstorm]

[video=youtube;0bn4InH7udI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bn4InH7udI[/video]​

Does this qualify as "out of the box" thinking? We believe so... There's an app available on the Google Play Store which eschews the mundane way of unlocking your phone for something truly novel. Rather than using complex finger-swipe patterns, expensive fingerprint scanners, or non-existent future iris scanners, a company named Descartes Biometrics has developed an app which lets you unlock your smartphone with your ears! Yes... really.

It's called ERGO and you can find it on the Play Store for just $3.99. The app is quite simple. Once it has memorized your "ear patterns," you simply need to touch the screen and hold it up to your ear. If for some reason it doesn't work, it defaults to the typical phone password system (just so you can get it up and running properly without being locked out of your phone permanently). The software can actually be customized to reduce/tweak accuracy just in case it doesn't recognize your ear right away.

We aren't sure how well this software works just yet, but it might be worth investigating. Above is a video demo of the software. Here's a quote from the Play Store and a link below,

KEY FEATURES:
- Designed exclusively for Android smartphones
- Secure biometric authentication - ear impression combined with natural phone gesture
- Ear is as unique as a fingerprint without the associated criminal stigma
- No additional hardware required
- No more PINs/Passwords
- Easy to use, non-invasive, non-distracting
- Robust and reliable with an adjustable match confidence
- User's Profile stored on the device, not on a server or in the cloud.

Regardless of just how good this software actually is, the concept is fresh and intriguing.

Source: Google Play Store - ERGO

 

[kodiak799]

That is interesting - however I don't see how any of these methods beat the convenience of no lockscreen at all. I disable mine at home and the office - I can't imagine people putting in a passcode every time they have to use their phone. I used to have locale set-up to enable/disable my lockscreen based on location (not sure if it still works)...now I just leave the thing unlocked and don't have any sensitive info on my phone (beyond gmail).

The only reasonable solution is going to be some sort of RFID(?) chip on the person to serve as authentification. I think I've seen similar things - maybe a "credit card" in your wallet or a "sticker" attached to a belt or back of a watch.

 

[dgstorm]

I tend to agree you on this one. For someone to get into my phone, they would either have to: A. Mug me, or B. Break into my home when I am sleeping. Either way, if that is happening, I have much bigger things to worry about than the criminal browsing through my gmail or contacts list.

I suppose if some people need to ensure the privacy of their device from family and/or friends, then this could be "useful." It's still interesting to see how creative developers can get...

 

[xeene]

That is interesting - however I don't see how any of these methods beat the convenience of no lockscreen at all. I disable mine at home and the office - I can't imagine people putting in a passcode every time they have to use their phone. I used to have locale set-up to enable/disable my lockscreen based on location (not sure if it still works)...now I just leave the thing unlocked and don't have any sensitive info on my phone (beyond gmail).

The only reasonable solution is going to be some sort of RFID(?) chip on the person to serve as authentification. I think I've seen similar things - maybe a "credit card" in your wallet or a "sticker" attached to a belt or back of a watch.

I access work email from phone and exchange server made me enable security lock on the phone(pattern every 30min of inactivity) otherwise I would be without lock too. I think iris scan is more convenient because all you have to do is look at phone.

 

[Icculus760]

I wish they had a free/trial/ad version so I could decide if it's worth $4 to download and use. (Yeah, 15m refund window, I know)

 

[kodiak799]

I access work email from phone and exchange server made me enable security lock on the phone(pattern every 30min of inactivity) otherwise I would be without lock too. I think iris scan is more convenient because all you have to do is look at phone.

If you're rooted you might get around that with an older Exchange apk (or one that's modded, they are floating around though hard to find). Either that, or I use to "ok" that and then disable screen lock after with no problems.

Agreed the iris scanner (or possibly the thumb print) would be the most convenient, but there's still going to be an annoying lag of a second or two (at best).