Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 7 smartphone which can be unlocked using your EYES
Futuristic mobile uses retina scanning technology which will be instantly familiar to science fiction fans
FORGET pin codes and fingerprint scanners - a new phone from Samsung lets you unlock it using your EYES.
The Korean giant has unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 - the latest version of its big screen smartphone - as it ups its battle with arch-rival Apple.
An iris reader - normally seen in spy movies like Minority Report, Mission Impossible or James Bond’s Goldeneye - unlocks the phone when a user looks at it. The front facing camera scans the iris, which is as unique as a fingerprint.
In a first for smartphones, the touchscreen on the Note 7 works even when it is wet - handy in the rain.
Samsung said they spent three years on the technology to make the screen recognise touches and gestures - both with a finger and the included S Pen stylus - even with water drops on it.
Up until now, some phones including previous devices from Samsung and rival Sony have been waterproof but using the screen was always tricky when wet. Water makes the phone’s sensors think users have pressed a different area.
Stuart Miles, founder of tech website Pocket-lint.com, said: “Unlocking a phone might seem unimportant but it is something many of us do hundreds of times a day. Fingerprint scanners made it quicker and easier.
“Now eye scanning - if it works well in various conditions - could be quicker still and give a third option. Fingerprint scanners often don’t work if your hands are sweaty, for example.”
He added: “And with the damp British weather - both in summer and winter - a screen that works when wet is a neat feature. Of course, so long as it works consistently.
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“We are using phones more and more and a common complaint that you cannot use them when the screen is wet. It’s surprising no one has come up with this before.”
Samsung didn’t release the last version of the Note - the 6 - in the UK last year.
The Note 7 is due in shops on September 2. Those who pre-order from certain retailers will get a Galaxy Gear VR headset thrown in.
It has a 5.7inch screen that curves slightly at the edges. It is also waterproof and features a 12MP back camera and a 5MP front one for selfies and video calls. The S Pen is stored in a slot on the bottom of the phone.
As well as the iris reader, it also has a fingerprint scanner to unlock phones. Microsoft had an eye scanner on its Lumia 950 handset released last autumn but the phone didn’t take off.
Apple is launching its new iPhone in September. It is rumoured to look similar to the current one but could be waterproof - a first for Apple devices.
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