Already, PC manufacturers, including NEC, are selling keyboards with fingerprint sensors, and prototypes of mobile phones with sensors on the handset are in development. Smartcards and cell phones make for a happy marriage in Europe, Murrer said. But the real difference is that Europeans don't live in a credit society, but still use cash. A stored value card fits the European mentality. Europeans are, however, notorious for their fear of privacy compromises.
Smart cards are very much a European thing.
Biometrics, on the other hand, could be a tougher sell, she said. And scanning their fingerprints might remind people of being arrested and taken to the police station. Users will ultimately choose the technology that offers the most comfort, Schulte said. The mobile phone already offers portability and ownership, and ownership creates trustworthiness. Send it .