Our smartphones are quickly becoming more than just communication devices; they are also increasingly our digital wallets and hold a growing range of personal information. Security remains paramount and that unfortunately still means a litany of passwords for most of us. Motorola thinks that a simpler and more secure solution could be a temporary digital tattoo. Imagine: Rather than remembering a password, you simply hold up your smartphone to your tattoo to unlock it. Sound farfetched? In fact, such a tattoo is now on sale from VivaLnk for the Moto X.
It’s another step in making it easier to unlock your phone on the go and keep your personal information safe. An average user takes 2.3 seconds to unlock their phone and does this about 39 times a day—a process that some people find so inconvenient that they do not lock their phones at all. Using NFC technology, digital tattoos make it faster to safely unlock your phone anywhere without having to enter a password.
The digital tattoos were developed by Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group (the same one working on Project Ara) and VivaLnk Inc. Each tattoo measures 24.13 millimeters (about the size of a nickel) and is only 160µm thick. Made of thin, flexible materials, it looks like copper pattern tattoo. Simply hold your smartphone within a centimeter of it and it is immediately unlocked via NFC.
Packs of 10 tattoos are now available through VivaLnk for US$9.99. They are currently only available in the U.S. and for the Moto X.
Motorola last year unveiled the Motorola Skip, a wearable accessory that fulfills the same function without needing to stick anything on your skin. It also sells for US$9.99 and works with the Moto X (and Droid Mini, Ultra and Maxx).
Would you use a temporary tattoo to unlock your smartphone? Let us know below.
Sources : VivaLnk // Motorola Blog