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    M1330 fingerprint reader? Or more?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by El Guano, Jul 11, 2007.

  1. El Guano

    El Guano Notebook Consultant

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    What does the $25 get you? The reader itself + palmrest, or do you get a different motherboard without a TPM module? I don't really expect anyone to know, but maybe current-model owners can share some history...
     
    El Guano, Jul 11, 2007
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  2. Nalada

    Nalada Notebook Evangelist

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    I don't think anyone here has received their M1330 yet - but by the end of the week probably some will have them.

    I think the palmrest is just the intrinsic part of the computer and not any separate item.

    I have seen no mention of a TPM so I suspect that it is not present in any model - as I understand it the TPM stores the data more securely but isn't needed for fingerprint functionality.

    There seems to be a new review at the UK CNET site:
    http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39030092,49291373,00.htm
    It specifically mentions:
    "The M1330 is its first consumer laptop to include a fingerprint reader. This is located to the right of the laptop below the keyboard and is intended, primarily, to allow secure logins. It has another trick up its sleeve, though -- it can launch different Windows applications depending on which finger you swipe. This feature is so clever we wonder why nobody has ever thought of it before."
     
    Nalada, Jul 11, 2007
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  3. Nalada

    Nalada Notebook Evangelist

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    Having listened to the last podcast at www.grc.com I also learnt TPM has:
    Real random number generator (not pseudo-random)
    Counter which never goes back to zero (monotonic)
    It can do crypto internally (where it should be immune from hackers
    Ability to detect hardware changes (i.e. if it is stuck in another computer)
    Stores crypto information (safer than on the hard disk)

    However - I also learnt Dell are in the Trusted Computing Group - so I am still hoping they may have included a TPM.

    The podcast is at http://www.grc.com/SecurityNow.htm#99
     
    Nalada, Jul 11, 2007
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  4. El Guano

    El Guano Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for the info Nalada. I'm not too convinced about the security of the reader, and I'm sure the program-start feature is too gimmicky to be worthwhile, but who knows :) That's definitely worth $25 imo. I like the idea of having completely hidden executables which require no mouse/keystrokes to activate.
     
    El Guano, Jul 11, 2007
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  5. praneeth

    praneeth Sanath Jaya Suriya!!!

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    Yep, the finger swipe feature sounds cool. I actually didn't know about the three wifi antennas and MIMO that the review mentioned.
     
    praneeth, Jul 11, 2007
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  6. Nalada

    Nalada Notebook Evangelist

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    Nalada, Aug 11, 2007
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