What is the little square thing on the palmrest?

What is the little square seen on the palmrest of Japanese SZ units? You can see a pic on this page http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Style-a/Product/Sz93/index.html#c

Just curious...

 

I dunno but wow I love that ENTER-KEY...would love to have one like that on my system.

BTW, ya gotta read down the page and find the close-up of the switches along the base of the display...you can choose STAMINA OR SPEED...are they really taking about laptops here?

 

Fingerprint reader?

 

No, it looks like the fingerprint reader is in the same spot as USA spec models, under the trackpad...

 

Not sure what that could be - that whole laptop is very sexy... it wouldn't surprise me if that was just a nice sleek block on the upper base of the laptop (maybe theres a matching one on the left?)

Edit - nevermind, just scrolled lower. The fingerprint reader is below the touch pad. That block has some sort of symbol on it. What could it be? Maybe a sweet eye scanner..

 

my guess is maybe it's a secondary touchpad so you can hold laptop by resting on right hand fingers and use thumb for pointer movement.

 

it's FeliCa port!

watch this video @7:00
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LuHtdRtl31w

 

It's a fingerprint reader, per this Babel Fish translation from the Japanese:

 

So the Japanese need 2 fingerprint readers?

 

It's a fingerprint reader. I believe even the US models have them.

 

It looks like the Felica port/smart card reader thing as rezed mentions. It seems to be very popular in Japan.

 

A palm reader


OMG look at their "Enter" Key

Its huge!

 

Yup.
Here is a better pic .

 

You can buy it for a cool $3299 at Dynamism. Here are some better photos:
http://www.dynamism.com/sz93/gallery.shtml

 

It's the biometric reader just like the sz 470

 

It's the Felica/Suica port if i am correct. Apprently it used like a cash/debit card for making online purchases etc. I have been told by my japanese counter-part that phones can use it to make purchases too. Obviously it useless outside of Japan. Interestingly the same technology is used in Hong Kongs octopus cards for transport/7-eleven/etc.

 

I didn't go to the youtube link but this is the first correct answer. It's not a second finger scanner (>_<)!
We have a Doctor in my lab from Japan with this FeliCa reader on his SZ.

 

FeliCa and Octopus cards are awesome. I have no idea wy they have not taken off here. They are sooo convenient. Such a great idea. They have been around for at least six years now in Hong Kong. I can't wait to see my first Octopus capable Coke machine in the US. Or toll booth or parking meter.

 

Hi there,

the square no the plam rest is the bluetooth ariel

 

yes, just like "rezed" said, it's a Felica card reader just like cash payment. It's going global but starting Asia region now. I heard last yr that US r in the plan of rolling out something like that this yr for test in certain region. Japan, HK & Singapore been using it for about 2-3 yrs already and it work out well. I use it occasionally when I travel to Asia. It work great, fast!!! The worse thing is that everywhere in those countries use it as a primary transaction for public phone. It's more widely accept and prefer. I remembered 1 time a few yrs ago I had an extremely hard time to locate a public phone that accept regular coin. Spent hrs looking for 1 but can't even find 1. In the end, end up going back to the hotel to make the call.

 

For those who have not seen an Octopus card, here is a nice link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_Card

Felica is actually a joint venture between Sony, NTT DoCoMo and East Japan Railway.

 

Here is a link to Sony's Felica page.

http://www.sony.net/Products/felica/index.html