[LINK] SMH Blurb tries to help ailing biometrics industry - 1

[Harry]

Roger Clarke wrote:

> Born-again biometrics
> February 19, 2008
> Next
> The Sydney Morning Herald
> http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/bornagain-biometrics/2008/02/18/1203190738826.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[...]

> Jack Gijrath, Singapore-based director of business development for
> Philips security spin-off NXP, believes the Australian Government's
> cancellation of the access card is more a political issue than a body
> blow against biometrics.

".. security spin-off .." ?

Philips separated it's semiconductor division and named it NXP. If it has a
section focussing on biometric sensors it is only a small part of that business.

http://www.nxp.com/

Biometric semiconductor sensing isn't obvious in their product list (under
Identification or Sensors) but it is likely they would have products like
fingerprint sensors. Video and media processing semiconductors have a
significant consumer market in Philips products and others. Philips retained
the medical imaging systems business and hold a share of that market in
Australia. These systems might already have application in "biometric" image
analysis and identification.

The NXP Identification products *do* include smart card and RFID systems that
could be used in conjunction with biometric ID of existing card holders so
they (or another Philips subsidiary) would be a tenderer for ID systems of
this type.

I suspect they would have tendered for the not-an-ID-card and would be happy
to see it reconsidered in some form (20 million units plus on-going
replacements plus readers and backroom infrastructure); irrespective of
biometric magic.

Looks like the non-attributed journalist has cut and pasted its own
"PR spin-off".

Harry