Microsoft is bringing Kinect, its motion-sensing peripheral, into its Windows Hello security system. A new developer preview indicates that Kinect users will soon be able to log in to Windows 10 devices using facial recognition.
This isn’t necessarily going to apply to a wide swath of consumers. Kinect for Windows was discontinued earlier this year, leaving only Xbox One Kinect; and in order to use that for Windows 10 on PC, users must buy a $50 adapter. But it could be useful for Kinect users who don’t own the infrared camera technology necessary for Windows Hello facial recognition, but are nevertheless intent on taking advantage of the biometric security of this new operating system.
The move also indicates Microsoft’s insistence on seeing this technology proliferate. It has been working a number of third party hardware makers to ensure that new devices are Windows Hello-compatible, and its own forthcoming mobile devices also feature biometric capabilities, with its Lumia 950 smartphones even using iris scanning. This push could make a big difference in raising security standards across the consumer electronics industry, particularly with respect to biometric technologies.
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December 18, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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