Both the TransPort GX2 and the TransPort XT2 notebook computers include built-in 802.11b wireless networking capabilities. And to address growing security concerns, the TransPort GX2 comes with a multilayered user-authentication system using fingerprint-recognition technology. MicronPC claims it is the first computer manufacturer in the United States to include built-in biometrics-recognition technology in a notebook computer.
Dell Computer also offers biometric security with its notebook and personal computers through Identix Inc., a biometrics authentication product maker, but the scanners are sold separately. Dell doesn't have firm plans to build biometrics technology into its computers, says Alison Rusk, a product manager. "But I would not rule out the possibility," she says.
Biometrics could be a viable security solution for mobile devices, as long as the price is right, says Gartner analyst John Pescatore. "The expense of biometrics is overkill for mass-market business use," he says. "But if MicronPC builds it in for less than $20 in additional costs per device, you'd begin to see adoption. Anything over that you begin to lose the value over passwords."