January 26, 2011, 3:19 PM — If your Android smartphone's lock screen leaves you feeling a little insecure, you might soon be able to replace it with biometric security controls.
VIDEO: Speech recognition that doesn't suck
That's because mobile application developer Blue Planet Apps is developing an application for Android that will let you unlock your phone using voice and face recognition software. The application, known as BioLock, is currently being tested in its beta version and is expected to be released sometime over the next year.
It was given its first public showing this week by the popular Android blog AndroidGuys, which also posted a demonstration video showing off the app's capabilities.
In this Q&A with Blue Planet Apps CEO Jason Braverman, we'll learn how BioLock works, what metrics it uses to recognize users and why Blue Planet decided to develop specifically for Android.
So tell us a bit about how BioLock works.
Jason Braverman, CEO of Blue Planet Apps: It's a voice, iris and face-recognition system for Android, although we're still working on the iris end of it right now. It's not functional yet, but we think it will be done in the next 45 days. We've basically designed the app to replace the unlock screen on your phone, so you'll be able to unlock your phone using your voice or scans of your face or iris. We're also going to have an API that you can embed in functions of applications so you can open incoming emails using voice and face recognition.
What hardware requirements does the application have?
Not too many. You're really just looking at a 1GHz processor and a front-facing camera that you'll need to scan your iris or face.
Why did you decide to develop this application for Android before any other platforms?
