Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I decided a while ago that $20 was the golden price for fingerprint scanners - the price at which they are worth their cost. However, I got impatient and I'm glad I did. I managed to get my Biopod for $40 including shipping and it has been worth it simply in cool factor. Fortunately the annoying voice files are easily replacable (/Softex/Omnipass/Sounds/) and I have gotten plenty of compliments and "wows" from people in my dorm when my computer asks me in a female British accent for "biometric authorization". Just find one of the many text-to-speech sites out there with an interactive demo, and record your own sound files. As far as authorization goes, I have not seen a false positive from my other fingers or my friends' fingers, and the only time I get a negative is when I scan the wrong part of my finger. The Biopod recognizes my finger from a pretty good range of angles and different placements.
Cool factor aside, the Biopod has saved me a lot of password reset e-mails. It's not secure to use the same password on lots of different web sites these days and it was getting really hard for me to remember them all. When the bundled Omnipass software detects a password field in your active window it prompts you to enter your username and password in the window (for the last time), click on the Omnipass bubble that popped up, and then click on the window containing the fields. From that point on, whenever you visit that site you will be prompted for your fingerprint and logged in. On some sites with certain types of login methods, Omnipass will only be able to fill in the information, not automatically submit it as well, but I have found this to be very rarely the case. The Biopod is a huge time saver. Also, not that I have much cause to use it as a college student, but the encryption feature of the Omnipass software is pretty cool and I'm sure it's useful for those with sensitive data, whether you are hiding it from competitors or your parents.
I'm running XP Home SP1 and had no trouble setting up, installing, and enrolling. I've noticed no slowdown in any way whatsoever since installing the software, although admittedly not much slows down an Athlon 64 3000 and a GB of RAM.
I would strongly reccomend the Biopod to anyone looking to store their passwords, protect sensitive data, or just indulge their geeky side. If you want to wait for it to be $30 I wouldn't blame you, but it's a great little device.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
APC BIOPOD Biometric Password Manager (USB)APC Personal Biometric USB POD is a simple and secure way to remember passwords. It includes: CD with software USB cable user manual. Primary InformationInput Device Type:Fingerprint readerForm Factor:externalInterface Type:USBDimensions&MiscellaneousWidth:1.2 InchDepth:0.5 InchHeight:2 InchSystem RequirementsSystem Requirements / OS Required:Microsoft Windows 98 / ME / 2000 / XPCompliant Standards:Plug and Play FCC Part 15 BService&SupportService & Support Type:2 years warrantySpecial FeatureRoHS:YesUNSPSC CodeUNSPSC Code:43211600Product IDUPC:731304218517Manufacturer Part:BIOPOD
Click here for more information about APC BIOPOD Biometric Password Manager (USB)
