Macworld 2009: Eikon Digital Privacy Manager & 1Password (Video)

How many passwords do you use daily logging on and off your computer, your favorite social network, or to pay bills online? Some of us don’t have much of an issue with this because our browsers autofill and remember much of that information for us, but is that really safe? What if you lost your notebook or even worse, it was stolen? I may have found a great solution to ease your woes and make you look incredibly cool. You can instantly log onto your just about anything with the swipe of your finger!

Upek is the maker of the Eikon Digital Privacy Manager. This device works on the Mac and the PC and comes in two compact designs. If your looking for something small with no wire to deal with you can buy the Eikon to Go which is the size of your average thumb drive and plugs directly into your usb port. The full Eikon is really only slightly bigger and is beautifully designed to look great sitting on your desk next to you which is perfect for the Mac fans.

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Upek are the leading provider of biometric fingerprint reading devices for the desktop computer and notebook industry. ASUS, Toshiba, and Lenova have all taken advantage of Upek’s expertise and thought out technology. Rather than create an image of your fingerprint, Upek uses the much more secure fingerprint “templates” in combination with high level encryption to keep your important files and accounts locked down. Even if someone else owns an Eikon and attempts to use it to try and compromise your system (which would be useless) you’re completely safe. The Eikon has a small chip inside which stores your fingerprint data so it goes where you go.

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If your in an office or other high traffic environment and want to quickly secure and log back into your system this is ideal. The device even supports multiple users and the software can be configured to allow different levels of access and security per user. 

I was most excited to hear the recent news about Upek working with the developers of the popular Mac application “1Password”. You will be able to sign on to your Facebook, Twitter, or online banking account with your finger not to mention manage many OSX preferences and features.

From their site:

“The integration of the Eikon fingerprint reader with 1Password software has been developed in response to resounding demand from the Mac community. The award-winning Eikon Digital Privacy Manager, available in Apple online and retail stores, is a USB peripheral fingerprint reader bundled with Protector Suite software that allows Mac users to simply swipe their finger instead of memorizing and typing passwords when logging in, unlocking screensaver, switching users, modifying secure preferences, and accessing parental controls. 1Password, the most popular password manager for Mac OS X, keeps track of web passwords so that Mac users can use strong and unique passwords that they don’t have to remember.” 

The Upek website is full of great information about the securing your computer and using the Eikon. I got a first hand demonstration by Brian from Upek which you can watch below.

What other products out there can make you feel like a secret agent each time you use it while actually keeping your computer computer safe at the same time?

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