Toshiba are planning to add fingerprint reading devices to their laptop computers in a bid to fight security problems as an extra feature. This facility is to be supplied by specialist Identix, that will use a biometric PCMCIA card with BioLogon software.

The device that uses the Identix DFR-300 optical fingerprint reader can be installed on notebook computers with PC card slots and the Biologon software can provide standalone and network log-on features.

How this works is that a user presses on the side of it to slide out a card which they then place their fingprint on this card that can then be scanned. The reader scans the image and matches it against the previously authenticated identification. Their computers will then only start once they have gone through this process.

The Toshiba/Identix biometric PCMCIA card will be available worldwide at all Toshiba mobile computer outlets.