Apple's "iKey" Wants To Unlock All Doors 383
Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that Apple is developing technology, already being nicknamed the 'iKey,' which will allow users to gain access to their office and unlock their car or front door with a single electronic device like an iPhone. Users would simply have to enter a PIN and wave the device over an electronic pad fitted beside a door to open it. 'The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone,' says the newly released patent application. 'The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house, or other physical area.' The technology behind the invention is known as Near Field Communication; it allows electronic devices to transmit information when in proximity. 'If true, it's a very big deal. As well as opening doors and unlocking your car, it could also turn your iPhone into an electronic wallet and ID card,' says Leander Kahney, a consumer technology expert. 'The trouble is that the technology hasn't gone completely mainstream. If Apple were to adopt the technology, they would likely set the standard, and that would drive widespread adoption as everyone scrambles to make their systems iPhone-friendly.'"
Translation (Score:5, Insightful)
The fourth generation of the iPhone is getting NFC/RFID capabilities, much like some other phones already have.
This isn't new. The only new thing they could possibly bring to the NFC table would be (gasp) actual security, given that RFID/NFC devices are notorious for being horribly insecure most of the time.
Apple and patents... (Score:3, Interesting)
What's new here is that Apple is possibly thinking of making this a standard while owning critical patents on it, then after this is widespread (if it ever happens) crackdown on competition using its patents.
Apple is becoming more evil lately, see the recent attempt to shut down competition on smartphones from HTC using completely trivial software patents [mozillazine.org] (the original article is from LWN [lwn.net], I highly suggest getting a subscription there).
Sounds familiar? Remember GIF? MP3? h.264? Yeah, I know, this last refer
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Apple and patents... (Score:5, Insightful)
What should be news is that other companies have tried to push NFC for almost a decade, but consumers never seemed to care enough to get critical mass. Now Apple swoops in, tells the media "it's a phone... and an iKey!" and soon enough we'll have hundreds of solutions compatible only with the iPhone and Apple will get credit for the whole technology.
Other phone companies need to grow a spine and learn some marketing, now.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The reason it has not taken off is that I can get a spare key made cheaply in any town. If I replace my locks with Apple iLocks you can bet I will have to pay quite a bit for iKeys every time I need a new one. I also won't be able to get in if my iPhone battery is dead and that is my only iKey.
It will only take off if it is really open standard so that consumers can get cheap locks and keys. That doesn't sound like the sort of thing Apple would do. Then again a lot of people seem happy to buy music in AAC f
Re:Apple and patents... (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, DRM'ed AAC files will only play on Apple devices and in iTunes (Mac OS X and Windows).
But you seem to be under the impression that AAC [wikipedia.org] is an Apple technology limited to Apple devices.
Just FYI, more than a year ago Apple was allowed by the music labels to remove all DRM from the audio files sold on the iTunes Store, that's why there is three tunes prices now instead of one. Apple also increased the bitrate to 256kbps.
There is a lot of non-Apple devices that can play AAC audio files, such as the Microsoft Zune, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DSi, Sony PSP Slim, some models of Archos / Creative / Cowon / SanDisk / Sony MP3 players, a lot of Digital Photo Frames, etc, etc.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
So don't buy the songs then.
Your CD isn't lossless either, at least compared to a very high quality analog deck.
The iTunes/iPod ecosystem allows exactly the system you want (it's flexible that way) to allow you to rip lossless from CDs as well as make lower bitrate copies. The point here wasn't that Apple is selling non-lossless music, but that they sell non-DRM music that is in AAC format - which was erroneously described as a "locked to Apple devices only" format, when it is clearly nothing of the sort.
Th
Re:Apple and patents... (Score:4, Insightful)
My problem with it is entering a PIN to unlock a door; it's easire to just stick a key in and turn it. My car already has a remote unlocker, and all I have to do is push a button. It's a step forward from the mechanical key, having to enter a PIN is a step backwards.
Re: (Score:2)
Were there actually any substantive lawsuits regarding GIF? I always remember the threat being there, but can't think of any specific cases.
That said, you can't judge Apple on one lawsuit. Everybody in the industry has been involved in one of these suits at some point or another.
Re:Apple and patents... (Score:4, Insightful)
Someone should come up with an equivalent of Godwin's Law when it comes to branding some companies "Evil"
What does it mean? It's a non-argument that stifles debate. Why is X suing Y? Because they are EVIL! It's an infantile attack that does very little to explore the nuances of the complicated patent law landscape and goes for the intellectually lazy answer.
I guess all these companies on the chart [gizmodo.com] are Evil and we should all invest in Lemote Yeelong and gaze at our navels out of principle.
If Apple wanted to shut down the competition they'd sue Android producing OEM's from day 1. Truth of the matter is, HTC is going out of its way along with help from Google to ape every feature of iPhone instead of actually coming up with novel ways of doing things. It's like ripping off the act of a successful comedian and calling it competition. Come up with your own damn material.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Honestly there's nothing wrong with that, technology is useless unless it's applied, and I'm sure there are still a lot of applications for existing tech that hasn't been explored yet.
Re: (Score:2)
Seems like a bad implementation to me. Why not have a small, pen-drive sized device that has a thumbprint scanner. When touched, the scanner would generate a one-time passkey, based on time/print which the device could verify using a private key (to prevent eavesdropping/copying). Seems stupid to have to get some device out, switch it on, then enter a keycode - if it's more cumbersome than current technology (keyfob, metal key) it's unlikely to take off, aside from amongst the usual Apple fan-boys.
Re: (Score:2)
The same can be done with bluetooth as well. I don't know about the security (probably poor), but it's certainly possible to use my ancient Sony-Ericsson mobile phone to lock and unlock eg an X session under Linux, by proximity. If a car runs Linux, then ... (it would never crash, but you'd have to assemble it yourself from bit parts from all over the web, using mostly outdated information, and it would only run on three year old roads -- but at least you would be able to unlock it with your phone).
Patent (Score:2)
Sounds very much like iButton stiff using RFID.
Nothing new about Apple patenting existing apps I guess. Though as mentioned, it's not mainstream, having an iphone adapter in the car to play music, and using that same phone to open the door makes sense.
Not an invitation to trouble at all (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Not an invitation to trouble at all (Score:5, Insightful)
It could be more secure, or less.
In practice the only way to gain access to the locations secured by physical keys is to steal them, doing it without the persons knowledge means stealing them, copying them and returning them without the persons knowledge.
It may be possible to crack the encryption (if there is any, many such secure systems claim to have encryption but do not) on this RFID technology at range with an antenna that can not be seen.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
It could be more secure, or less.
In practice the only way to gain access to the locations secured by physical keys is to steal them, doing it without the persons knowledge means stealing them, copying them and returning them without the persons knowledge.
It may be possible to crack the encryption (if there is any, many such secure systems claim to have encryption but do not) on this RFID technology at range with an antenna that can not be seen.
You are assuming you need the keys in the first place... [slashdot.org]
A time-variant RFID key would be significantly more secure. I just hope you don't drop your phone in your toilet.
Re:MIM attack? (Score:3, Funny)
A time-variant RFID key would be significantly more secure.
I can see the next gone in 60 seconds. How they stick a second android phone in her purse (or something close to the Iphone) perp walks up to the persons car, house, etc. It sends the query over the celluar network from the first phone, to the second phone, to their Iphone, then sends the response back for yours to retransmit. Although to be movie worthy I guess it will need to be a stripper getting close...
Re:Not an invitation to trouble at all (Score:5, Insightful)
Of coarse I already keep all my keys on a single keychain, just like most people. This probably wouldn't be any less secure.
You probably don't have your address, name or a phone number attached on the same keychain.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Of coarse I already keep all my keys on a single keychain, just like most people. This probably wouldn't be any less secure.
Except of course, I only have to duplicate one key to get access to all of your stuff, instead of having to duplicate each of your keys.
Re: (Score:2)
It's pretty irrelevant for me anyway. I only have 3 keys:
My work - of coarse they won't change that to work with an iPhone.
My apartment - I doubt my landlords would let me change the locks.
My car - It would probably be pretty expensive to add this system to it.
Depends... (Score:5, Funny)
I for one don't consider it "bad" if stupid people get punished for using "0000" as their PIN.
Hey... we are long overdue for some regular punishment of stupidity.
There are no longer wild bears roaming the streets at night, eating stupid people. Haven't been any for centuries.
Wee need something to eliminate those genes from the pool.
Always bad (Score:5, Insightful)
Considering the relative ease with which RFID has been hacked, and how long it took for Bluetooth to become only reasonably secure, and how far off good wireless security is . . .
And that's the discussion you go through before you get to "stupid people."
And let's not even have the "If software can't keep gas pedals from sticking, what will it do for door locks."
I'm an opponent of the excessive and unnecessary desire to expand technology into areas where an existing technology already does a better job.
But, but, but... (Score:3, Funny)
I'm an opponent of the excessive and unnecessary desire to expand technology into areas where an existing technology already does a better job.
EVERYTHING is better with the "latest thing" tacked on! How do you not understand!?
Have you ever tasted ice-cream witn an iPhone or some other smart-phone? Way better than eating it with a spoon.
Even plain vanilla tastes like... so much better.
Re: (Score:2)
You've used an iPhone. But, have you ever used an iPhone . . . high?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
1) RFID is insecure .. hungry wild bears do roam the streets....
2) Universal keys are insecure
3) broadcast keys are insecure
4) You have not been to Alaska, Russia, Finland, etc
Re: (Score:2)
And yes, I'm also in favor of eliminating caution signs and lane markers on highways to encourage people to hang up the cell phone and pay atte
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I for one don't consider it "bad" if stupid people get punished for using "0000" as their PIN.
Depends on how crappy the UI is to change it.
BTW, a key shouldn't have any parts a user can set.
Re:Not an invitation to trouble at all (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Is it wise? (Score:3, Insightful)
Is it wise to have a consumer Internet-enabled(which I presume it would be) device that can unlock physical security? "Keylogger" has a whole new meaning. :p
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Is it wise to own something which denies access to your house/car/bank if it's dropped or runs out of battery?
This plan seems more worthy of Baldrick than a supposedly smart company.
Re:Is it wise? (Score:5, Interesting)
Or a house that locks you out when the power fails? Or worse, one that "fails safe" and DOESN'T lock strangers out when the power fails?
Re: (Score:2)
Or a house that locks you out when the power fails? Or worse, one that "fails safe" and DOESN'T lock strangers out when the power fails?
If you have this be the lock on the door, then you deserve it. It's much more likely to be like the buzzer system to an apartment where it's part of the door frame. You can still use the key to unlock the door, but the buzzer/ikey portion makes it so the "locked" door opens when you pull on it.
Presumptions, presumptions (Score:2)
Isn't this already very common in Japan?
And what employer would want to tie an identification/access system to a highly attractive theft target?
Re: (Score:2)
Two things:
1) Car keys/House keys are a highly attractive theft target.
2) With a digital system, you can quickly/easily change access to/from key devices. If you lose a key, you can quickly disable it, you certainly cannot do that with a conventional key.
Re: (Score:2)
Let the locals enjoy their futuristic beads and mirrors.
A highly attractive theft target would be a blogger working at google with an iphone?
With their iphone near your new icutting equipped jailbroken iphone you can enter their home.
Plant a physical keystroke logger, no need for an IE link click.
Hack different for the government or corporation paying your bills with the new icutter - clones any ikeys in range and all gps data too, j
Security? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Security? (Score:5, Insightful)
You have far too much faith in old-fashioned keys. Locks are there to keep honest people honest.
The real problem is that this is tied to a device which is designed to be replaced every other year. It's far from durable enough to be used as a house key, or even a car key. I'm carrying a wireless car key in my pocket, but I change the batteries on it maybe once a year, and the batteries cost $10. Not only can you not carry a spare battery for an iPhone, but you have to recharge it daily. Completely impractical for a key.
Re:Security? (Score:5, Insightful)
You have far too much faith in old-fashioned keys. Locks are there to keep honest people honest.
If someone is trying to open my front door with a crowbar, someone else might get suspicious. If they're trying to open it with my iPhone, which would be the normal way I'd open my door, no one would even notice.
Locks may just keep honest people honest, but switching to something that can be so much more easily faked just lowers the bar of "honesty."
crowbar? Use a bump key (Score:2)
While overplayed it does work. Just Google for it, there are many stories on the technique. Google stores about a bic pen insert and a major lock company. Then to top it off realize that many Ford owners can either unlock or start older Ford cars other people own, most likely works for the majority of brands. Newer keys with embedded micro chips at least stop people from starting your car but rarely do they stop someone from unlocking your car.
Nothing secure where there is a will.
Re: (Score:2)
If someone tried to break into my house then (I hope) my neighbours would notice, most burglars are not sophisticated.... .. anyone could easily clone a key and just walk in, but strangely most burglaries are still forced entry....because it is simpler
make it too easy and the burglars will use it
Re:Security? (Score:5, Insightful)
High res images at a couple of hundred metres (high enough to read the peaks on your house key) between the time it takes you to take your keys from your pocket and put the key in the lock is well into the realm of serious photographic equipment and prowess (insuring your camera and lens for more than your car).
As for lock picking, have you ever seen someone do it? A seriously good lockpick will spend a good 15 minutes on his knees fiddling around with the tumblers (on a pin tumbler lock, forget lever locks) and is only really feasible if you have expensive locks. Otherwise the barrel will be drilled out as it is more efficient.
An opportunist thief will always go for the weakest point of failure; Smash the door, break a window etc. They don't care about keeping it neat, just about getting in and out as fast as possible.
Re: (Score:2)
As for lock picking, have you ever seen someone do it? A seriously good lockpick will spend a good 15 minutes on his knees fiddling around with the tumblers (on a pin tumbler lock, forget lever locks) and is only really feasible if you have expensive locks. Otherwise the barrel will be drilled out as it is more efficient.
I had a friend in HS who used to hang out with me and wander the halls after school while waiting for my older brother to get done with which ever sport was in season at the time. I never got the hang of it, but he used to pick the locks to various classrooms. He'd get us into the computer lab for some solitaire time, into the chemistry lab so that he could steal a really nice digital scale to sell to the local pot dealer, or into the storage closet just to see what was in there. It usually only took him
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Security? (Score:5, Interesting)
I lock my doors so that burglers are likely to smash something to get in.
Yeah, they could pick my deadbolts, but it would take a good locksmith multiple minutes to do so.
What burglers do is go to the back door and kick it open. The way my deadbolts are installed with metal sleves in the frame, they would have to break the entire doorframe to gain entrance. Otherwise I have some deadbolts with knobs on the inside and glass doors, which they could break the glass then unlock the deadbolts. Once again they would leave physical evidence.
I consider my locks:
I trust my locks to be strong enough against the average burglar to make them bypass them entirely, and honestly I think that's all you can expect in residential security. I enjoy having a sunroom and don't want to live in a fortress to protect against a small risk.. Instead I live how I want and protect against loss through insurance.
Re: (Score:2)
What happens when someone breaks the security on your keyring? A thief who stole your keys would be able to get into your house and rob everything, and make an escape in your car.
If they steal your wallet while they're about it, they can empty your bank account too.
While it's good to think about security, you've gotta actually compare the hypothetical worst case scenario of the new technology with a similar worst case scenario with the old technology (providing they require similar amounts effort/skill).
It
re: I think you just answered your own question (Score:2)
What happens when someone breaks the security on your keyring? They gain access to whatever you've protected by it, obviously. How is this different than a person who gains access to your physical keyring? They gain access to whatever you've got keys for.
In the current "security model", the reality is, most of us protect our property with insurance, really. If someone steals it, a claim is filed and you're compensated for the loss. (You may also qualify for a tax write-off for the loss on the next year
Re: I think you just answered your own question (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
It's worth remembering that most consumer grade locks can be opened by a moderately skilled locksmith in seconds while leaving no trace
Skilled locksmiths are very carefull to keep that fact as secret as possible. How else could they charge you for a) opening your lock (in case you locked yourself out) AND IN ADDITION for b) an new lock cause your old one suffered some 'damage' in the course of a).
Two words (Score:5, Insightful)
Flat battery
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, which means you're essentially forced to carry a set of regular keys for your car, house, etc. anyway.
No, you bury your spare house key in the flower bed at a precise coordinate in a vacuum packed plastic bag. When I was a kid my parents had a combination lock on a lock box bolted to the concrete in the garage, with about 100 different keys inside only one of which worked, essentially a poor mans safe.
As for the car key, you can buy flat credit card sized keys from most locksmiths that fit in your wallet for a very small cost. In 12 years I've used mine 3 times, once by locking the keys in the car, once b
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Flat battery
Well .. you just carry a spare battery to swap out when you need it ... oh .. never mind.
Re: (Score:2)
That was my first thought. My second was that I don't see how fishing my iPod/iPhone/other device out of my pocket and entering a pass code is any easier than fishing my keys out and unlocking the door normally.
Cooler, yes, and one less thing to carry around, but easier and more reliable?
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but also these little single words: blackout, backup, durability.
Re: (Score:2)
This could be a great excuse though.
1. Pick up girl in bar
2. Take "home" to poshest, grandest, most expensive-looking villa/mansion in the city
3. "Awwww, sorry, honey, battery on my iKey's flat. How about we just go to your place and I'll show you my master bedroom tomorrow instead?"
4. ?????
5. Return to Mom's basement before she (mom or girl) wakes up.
Re:Two words (Score:5, Funny)
4. ?????
Don't you know what to do with a girl in her bedroom?
typical Apple (Score:4, Insightful)
An entire industry gears up to create technologies for short range wireless communications in order to replace keys. Several companies already have solutions in the market, but they haven't caught on yet because the technology isn't quite ready yet and not quite cheap enough.
If things continue along Apple's usual path then: (1) Apple starts patenting the obvious applications of those technologies, something other people weren't even considering because that's what those technologies were designed for, (2) Apple starts adding immature implementations of the feature to their products at a premium price that only Apple customers would be willing to pay and gets accolades for how "innovative" they are, and (3) a few years later when other people are starting to offer mass market products at mass market prices, Apple starts suing them for patent violations.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
(3) a few years later when other people are starting to offer mass market products at mass market prices, Apple starts suing them for patent violations.
Citation needed.
And I don't mean the recent Nokia patent suit. Many of the iPhone patents were not obvious technologies because a boatload of them were created for this purpose. Sure, they're obvious *now* since everyone and their brother is making a multitouch phone with an accelerometer, light sensor, compass, proximity sensor, and tilt sensor, but back in 2005 these things were rare or non-existent.
So, to my original point... citation needed.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Back in 2005 all of these had been long invented, and had long been used in mobile devices...just not a phone
It's like most obvious patents .... You can't patent a compass ... but a compass in a phone, that's an invention?
Re:typical Apple (Score:4, Informative)
Several companies already have solutions in the market, but they haven't caught on yet because the technology isn't quite ready yet and not quite cheap enough.
"isn't quite ready" ? "not cheap enough" ? You need to research that a little bit more. For at least a decade I've never worked at a place without those electric door "key card" locks. Every my kids daycare used them. Both my jobs, my wifes job, daycare, all use the same type of card.
The cards are about $4 and the little pencil-eraser keychain fobs cost a whopping $8. Now this is from a reseller like smarthome.com. Wholesale in bulk they are probably about half that. Most businesses charge like $50 for a lost card, not because it costs $50 but to scare and intimidate the employees (some bosses love that) and also to make up for the labor cost of issuing another card. They are cheap enough to put in a house, and I've been seriously considering it.
I integrated mine with my ipod by purchasing a silicone stretchy case and placing the credit card sized doorcard behind the ipod in the stretchy. It was actually quite inconvenient and I was worried I'd drop the ipod so I stopped doing that. It was more convenient to have them separate.
I think they are hurrying up, because the provider has long sold a little pencil eraser shaped fob, and I know people whom have made bracelets out of them. A wee bit smaller and they could be mounted in a ring. That would be quite convenient, since my had is usually near the door when I'm opening the door.
i-disallow (Score:2, Funny)
And of course, (just like the app-store) if you are wearing just a bikini, or have a 'hot babe' on your arm, the doors just won't open.
Re: (Score:2)
And of course, (just like the app-store) if you are wearing just a bikini ... the doors just won't open.
Yeah I know what you're trying to say, but technically, you can already purchase, for several years now, "door keycard" technology in a form factor the shape and size of a very small pen cap, for about twice the cost of a traditional credit card shaped keycard. I believe you're supposed to put it on a keychain, but there are other possibilities. Luckily there are no sharp edges. So, the bikini ladies can theoretically carry two door fobs, and the guys can carry one. This also has the benefit that people
ICKY (Score:2, Funny)
1. repulsive or distasteful.
2. excessively sweet or sentimental.
3. unsophisticated or old-fashioned.
4. sticky; viscid.
Origin:
1930–35, Americanism
(According to dictionary.com)
Re:ICKY (Score:5, Funny)
Duplicate Functionality (Score:5, Informative)
I can currently do this with my Zipcar app http://www.zipcar.com/iphone/ [zipcar.com] . It allows you to unlock, lock and honk your cars horn. It does this using your EDGE/3G connection, so not near-field/RFID however, same kind of thing is currently being done.
Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, with Apple products experiencing something of a resurgence in the past 5-10 years and their popularity slowly increasing, they will eventually cross that invisible line where hackers decide that it becomes worth their time to attack Apple products the way they attack Windows. The fact that people are sold Apple products under the guise of security and not having to worry about compromised hardware/software means they won't see it coming and won't know how to deal with it, either.
Be careful with becoming too big, Apple Nation.
Re: (Score:2)
What can really be noted for OS X security after many years?
Fake flash installers, physical access loggers and ???
Where are the FAQ pages to pop any Mac hitting a web site or just connecting to the net?
As for Apple DRM, that will be wide open
Re: (Score:2)
Luckily it will be very straightforward to protect yourself from hackers: an old fashioned lock will do.
I would never connect my front door or car to anything that is on any network. I am the one with the keys now - that's a very nice feeling.
The motivation for hackers now is to gain control of a computer to make a few euro/dollars. If they can steal a car, or just open a front door and walk in - I dunno - I can just imagine that they are much more motivated to hack even small niche technologies.
Re: (Score:2)
All I'm saying is that a LOT of Apple customers are your average consumer without a lot of computer knowledge who have bought Apple products under the impression that they are secure and safe. Once Apple's marketshare gets big enough to make them a worthwhile target of hackers and virus writers, it's not going to be pretty.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but Microsoft doesn't advertise their products as being secure and safe from viruses...Apple specifically states in their advertising that Macs don't suffer from those issues (which, at this point, is mostly true).
I'm telling you...once Apple's market share is big enough to entice virus and malware writers to pay attention to them, things are going to get bad really fast.
Security (Score:5, Informative)
This is a bad idea. Mainly because the iPhone doesn't have a very sophisticated security architecture, so any cryptographic keys and wallet information are fundamentally vulnerable to theft. This is best demonstrated by the recent attack where a handful of SMS messages was sufficient to give an attacker root on the device. If you're going to put something like this into widespread deployment you at very least want to include some sort of hardware security module to validate the software and store cryptographic secrets.
Right now I wouldn't want to use the iPhone (or any Android phone, for that matter) to store any kind of critical secrets.
Re: (Score:2)
Central locking (Score:3, Interesting)
I often wonder why central locking hasn't caught on for houses yet. Especially if you could set it to beep at you when you've leaving but you've left a door/window open elsewhere.
The road ahead (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I don't like it. (Score:5, Funny)
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2, Insightful)
PIN #??? (Score:2, Informative)
I for one would think the "great steve" would actually innovate and implement iris scan into the device ;)
Isn't apple supposed to be the leader of innovation?..
Never mind that their department breaks down to something like 60% marketing, 30% design and 10% engineers (yes, I'm being generous)
Hmmm what would you do? (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.jenom.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&cid=17 [jenom.com]
"iKey and iLock, for lack of a more creative product name
Give me a tiny device the size of a flash drive that I can encode with some unique ID like a segment of my DNA. When I get within 2 feet of my office, my car, my house, or whatever locked item it is, it reads the code from the device in my pocket and unlocks the electronic lock. No more carrying 200 keys around like some medieval jailer. 2007 is half over and we're still securing our possessions with medieval technology.
"Apple credits Michael Rosenblatt, Gloria Lin, Sean Mayo and Taido Nakajima as the inventors of patent application 20100042954, originally filed in Q3 2008."
Apple lies.
so basically (Score:3, Insightful)
this is an RFID chip then. With the added inconvenience of having to also enter a PIN number anyway.
I call "prior art" (Score:3, Informative)
I take the WIlliam Adama approach (Score:2)
Oh Great... (Score:2)
Now I need to remember another password to get into my house. If anything I'd prefer to validate my online passwords with the combination of a physical key turn and a short pin.
So they relocated the num pad? (Score:2, Insightful)
Priceless (Score:5, Funny)
Extra key cutting - ~$2
Watching your neighbour spending hundreds or more than a thousand to outfit their home with an iLock and having their iPhone run out of juice or fumbling and dropping/breaking it before they could unlock the front door.... Priceless.
Re: (Score:3)
Watching your neighbour spending hundreds or more than a thousand to outfit their home with an iLock and having their iPhone run out of juice or fumbling and dropping/breaking it before they could unlock the front door.... Priceless.
Do you ever feel ashamed of the fact that a TV commercial has infiltrated your mind to the point that you spout off imitations of it? And is it really that fun to see your neighbor make bad decisions?
AppStore (Score:5, Interesting)
What happens when Apple decides that I should be locked out of my car because I drove past the local porn shop and they consider that a TOS violation? And how do I know they arn't going to purposely brick my key if I make after-market changes to my car?
"enter a pin"? (Score:2)
How is this more convenient? If mere proximity were sufficient (as in the Prius key) it might be interesting, but if I have to pull out a device and tap in a pin to make it work, that's hardly more convenient than having a key that I had to pull out and fit into the lock. And what happens when the device runs out of grunt? Do I have to find a charger before I can get into my house? Maybe not if I can still use a conventional key. But if I have to keep a key with me anyway, what value, other than excru
Terrible idea (Score:2)
So, say this does catch on and people start getting house doors and cars compatible with this. What if there's an emergency and I have to get into the house of a family member or friend and I don't have an iphone or whatever it'll take the pop the lock? If there's an emergency, I doubt they're going to be able to hand me their phone or whatever this device might be...and what if they're so used to using this device to open all their doors and they don't have a physical key on them?
I don't like this every
And one day (Score:3, Insightful)
wow, similar functionality to my PDA in 1998 (Score:3, Funny)
my brother was able to use an app from my Palm Pilot using IR to unlock his Ford Taurus' doors back in 1998. Way to keep up with the times, Apple.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
When will they make iDildo?
They already have. iDildo [ohmibod.com]
Re:http://www.digikey.com/ (Score:5, Informative)
Nice, you've discovered the best way to make a link unclickable in Slashdot. I can't even highlight and select "Go To URL", because it's already a link (to your comment, which doesn't have any content).
http://www.digikey.com/ [digikey.com]