Today Iris ID Systems announced that they are making the IrisAccess Platform interoperable with select NFC enabled BlackBerry devices that are equipped with HID Global's iClass Digital Keys. This compatability will allow for individuals to use their BlackBerry to gain physical access to buildings, track time and attendance and other physical identity applications.
“This is an important milestone in the deployment of mobile access and identity solutions using NFC technology on smartphones,” said Dr. Tam Hulusi, Senior Vice President of Strategic Innovation with HID Global. “NFC-enabled smartphones represent a complementary new platform that we believe will expand the access control market and our card services business while improving user security and convenience.”
Additional uses for NFC on the BlackBerry devices is definitely something that many of us will enjoy, and we can hope to continue to see more of it. Keep reading for the full press release.
Iris ID Systems Inc. Announces Interoperability Between Its IrisAccess Platform and NFC-Enabled BlackBerry Smartphones Equipped with HID Global`s iCLASS Digital Keys
CRANBURY, NJ. and IRVINE, Calif. - ISC West 2012 - Iris ID Systems Inc., formerly LG Electronics, Iris Technology Division, a leading provider of iris biometric technology, and HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, announced that the IrisAccess® platform iCAM7000 can be used with select NFC (Near Field Communications)-enabled BlackBerry® 7 smartphones. The BlackBerry® BoldTM 9900/9930 smartphones activated with HID Global's iCLASS® digital credentials will be compatible with the installed base of iCLASS readers that are embedded in the iCAM 7000 series for applications ranging from physical access systems in buildings to applications that track time and attendance, and other identity dependent applications.
Using a NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone, the iris templates of a user are securely stored to an iCLASS digital credential on the phone. That credential can then be presented for authentication by simply holding the NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone in front of an iCAM7000 series iris camera, just like users do today with a physical iCLASS smart card.
Iris ID will demonstrate iCLASS credentials using the NFC capabilities of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone at the ISC West conference, March 28-30, in booth #4043 at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Charles Koo, President and CEO of Iris ID Systems Inc. said, "As a long time HID Connect® Premier Partner, we are excited to be part of this new implementation which allows iris technology to be coupled with a NFC-enabled smartphone. This is a key milestone for our identification technology; iris recognition is a perfect solution for providing strong authentication for enterprise security. As we did with iCLASS credentials some years ago, we are pleased to be first in bringing iris recognition biometrics to a host of secure identity dependent access control applications with NFC-enabled smartphones."
"This is an important milestone in the deployment of mobile access and identity solutions using NFC technology on smartphones," said Dr. Tam Hulusi, Senior Vice President of Strategic Innovation with HID Global. "NFC-enabled smartphones represent a complementary new platform that we believe will expand the access control market and our card services business while improving user security and convenience."
Andrew Bocking, VP Handheld Software Product Management, at RIM, said, "Having added NFC capabilities to a range of our BlackBerry 7 smartphones, we're excited to be able to support the secure storage of an Iris ID biometric template to an iCLASS credential. NFC enables smartphones to become even smarter mobile computing platforms, and this is another great example that demonstrates the potential that NFC on mobile devices brings to the physical access control space."
Pilot programs using BlackBerry smartphones activated with iCLASS digital credentials and iris identification are planned for later this year. HID Global expects that its embedded iCLASS technology will be generally available for the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and BlackBerry® CurveTM 9350/9360 smartphones later this year.
Read more
Video tour of the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900!
[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ] If you're like us here at CrackBerry, you can't wait for the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 to release, and you're soaking up all the information you can until that glorious day arrives. This video is from the Pepcom event Digital Experience! that was held earlier this week in New York City. The RIM representative gives us a really good look at...
I switched from BlackBerry 10 to BlackBerry 7 and survived!
As I'm sure most of you already know, last weekend Kevin, James and I headed to Montreal to check out the Canadian Grand Prix — and we had an amazing time. I drove up from New Jersey with a friend of mine, but it wasn't until the day before that it dawned on me that I wouldn't have any phone service once hitting the Canadian border. Since I rarely leave the country I don't carry an...
The best BlackBerry you can buy right now
Let's face it. The selection of BlackBerry devices isn't huge in comparison to the likes of Android -- but there are still a few different options depending on your needs. When we break things down, for the most part all the devices are sporting the same OS (or at least they can be, depending on your carrier) so you don't really have to base your choice off software, which is nice. What...
CrackBerry Asks: Do you use the U key shortcuts on your QWERTY BlackBerry?
One of the great things about having a physical keyboard on your BlackBerry is the ability to use keyboard shortcuts for quick navigation. Having my BlackBerry Z10 now I must say that I do miss keyboard shortcuts, but I'll totally deal with it. That being said - I still can't wait to get my hands on a BlackBerry Q10. From jumping into apps to quickly scrolling to the top of a page, the...