DoCoMo touts fingerprint-friendly handset

NEWS NTT DoCoMo has released a handset that uses fingerprint recognition technology. The mova F505i is meant to cut out the problem of unauthorised phone use. It also boasts a hefty, 16MB chunk of video memory that can hold 29 minutes of moving pictures or 1,040 photos. The phone, on sale from 11 July in Japan, represents the latest move by phone manufacturers to find new ways of keeping mobiles secure. Users will be able to lock and unlock their phone just by placing a pre-registered finger on the handset's sensor, which can store up to 10 fingerprints. DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile operator, said the model is the fifth in its 505i series of enhanced i-mode 2G handsets and also comes with a Macromedia Flash browser.