Fingerprint touchpad

Atrua Technologies, a start-up backed by some of the top names in technology and telecommunications has presented its first product - a mobile phone touchpad with built-in fingerprint recognition as a security feature. Formerly known as I-Control Security Inc., Atrua is headquartered in Silicon Valley and funded in 2000 by Nokia Venture Partners, Ericsson Venture Partners, Acer Technology Ventures, Intel Capital, Osprey Ventures and mc3 Ventures.

Atrua product is called "Atrua Wings" and works like the touchpad on laptops, allowing users to scroll through menus and choose items with the touch of a finger. Only, the same sensor acts as a fingerprint reader, increasing the security of wireless transactions and simplifying the sign-in process on secure Web sites. Atrua's unique software algorithms and a small, low power, cost-effective finger imaging sensor simplifies device interaction and enhances functionality of mobile devices such as cellular phones, PDAs and mobile PCs.

The company said manufacturing of its product would begin in the second quarter and phones with the Wings technology built in will be on the market by the end of the year.