U-Match mouse makes biometrics easy

With the increasing popularity of biometric security systems, vendors are

looking for ways to make the technology easier to use. The U-Match BioLink

Mouse from BioLink Technologies International Inc. takes things a step further,

making its fingerprint scanner hard to avoid.

The BioLink Mouse features a fingerprint scanner built into the left side

of the unit, where a right-handed user's thumb rests. Once a user account

is set up, logging in requires no extra steps or motions because a user's

hand is on the mouse.

Like other fingerprint scanners, the BioLink Mouse uses the image to generate

a unique data series that it turns into a file that the company calls a

"passport." Fingerprints are compared and identified based on this passport,

and a fingerprint image cannot be reconstructed from it. For maximum accuracy

and security, the mouse captures a 140K image with 500 dots-per-inch resolution.

The system is compatible with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95 (OSR 2.5), Windows

98 and Windows NT 4.0. It works with networked computers and stand-alone

PCs. We tested the system on a stand-alone workstation running Windows NT

4.0.

Installing the BioLink mouse was easy. The hard-copy guide describing software

installation is clear, and a wizard takes users through the short process

step by step.

The BioLink Authentication System software integrates with the Windows NT

User Manager, adding a "BioLink" menu item to the User Manager window. Through

this menu item, administrators can access the BioLink Log-on Manager, a

window that lists all registered BioLink users.

From the BioLink Log-on Manager, administrators can add and delete users

as well as register a new fingerprint for an existing user (only one fingerprint

per user can be registered at time). A simple wizard guides the user registration

process. The system must capture three good fingerprint images, and we had

no trouble at all with this process.

A user's account can be set to allow password log-on as an alternative to

fingerprint log-on, but it cannot be set to require both a password and

a fingerprint like other biometric products we've seen.

When a BioLink user is logged in to the machine with a fingerprint, only

that user's fingerprint can unlock a locked workstation. Also, if the computer

is set to use a password-protected screen saver, the user's fingerprint

is required to gain access.

Those functions work a little differently with Windows NT than with Windows

95/98 because the latter operating system does not have a workstation lock

function.

Our biggest beef with the system is the lack of a user's guide for the Windows

NT version. Even though an option on the CD-ROM's menu says, "Install BioLink

Guides," there was only one user's guide available, and it took a call to

the company's technical support to figure out it was the Windows 95/98 version

only.

However, a BioLink Technologies representative told us that in a few weeks

the company will ship a completely different software package with the BioLink

Mouse. The new version will include additional features such as file and

folder encryption.

One other possible snag for some users: There is no left-handed version

of the BioLink Mouse. If a user is left-handed or has a missing or injured

right thumb, he or she can still use the BioLink Mouse by registering a

different finger, but the angle is awkward.

Still, for a suggested retail price of $129, the U-Match BioLink Mouse combines

the excellent security of biometrics with a lot of convenience for most

users. The next version will include more functionality and, we hope, better

documentation.