Passcodes are such a pain that I've relaxed the
security settings on my Android phone. I'm willing to forgo the extra safety,
just so I'm asked to punch in the code less often. When I got my hands on
Apple's new iPhone 5S, one of the first things I tried was a feature that
allows you to bypass the passcode using a fingerprint.
I had a lot of
fun unlocking the phone over and over again. Who knew biometric authentication
could be such a blast?
The fingerprint sensor alone is worth the extra $100
you'll pay for the 5S over an iPhone 5C. Both phones will come out Friday. In
the week I've had with both, I've also been impressed with the better camera and
slow-motion video in the 5S.
The 5C,
meanwhile, is largely last year's iPhone 5 with a plastic casing instead of
aluminum and glass. This isn't cheap plastic, but a type offering the slippery
feel of a shiny ceramic tile. It comes in five colors.
Both phones come with iOS 7, the most radical change to
Apple's operating system software for mobile devices since its 2007 debut. Many
of the changes are cosmetic, but there are functional improvements such as
easier access to frequently used settings and apps.
I will review iOS 7 separately. Many existing iPhone
users won't need more than the free update, which is available starting
Wednesday. Neither the 5C nor the 5S offers improvements on the screen size,
which remains at 4 inches diagonally. But new features and new colors may draw
you to one of these new iPhones.
iPhone
5S (available in silver, gold or gray; starts at $199 with two-year service
contract, or $649 without a contract):
When you set up the 5S, you're asked to tap the home
button with a finger several times so the phone can create a mathematical
representation of your print. To unlock the phone, you simply tap the home
button, and the phone will compare the two taps. You can tap from any angle,
even sideways or upside down. This fingerprint ID also works as a way to
authenticate the purchase of apps and content within apps.
For security reasons, there are still times you'll need
your four-digit passcode, including after 48 hours of inactivity and before
adding a new fingerprint. If the phone fails to recognize your print, you can
always use the passcode. I had trouble only when my fingers were wet or greasy.
One evening, I ordered pizza with an oily pepperoni topping and ate it without
a napkin. The fingerprint sensor worked after one slice, but not two. Indian
naan bread also threw off the sensor.
Apple says it stores the print data on your phone, in a
place that's inaccessible to other apps or to Apple's remote servers. The
company also says it's not possible to convert a fingerprint from a police file
into something the phone will recognize, as the sensor reads a sub-epidermal
layer of the finger. And the finger needs to be live — cutting off a thumb
won't work.
I'm convinced Apple has given a lot of thought to
security. If you're still uneasy about the fingerprint scan, you can stick with
the passcode. The feature is optional.
Meanwhile, the 5S's camera takes better night and
indoor shots. Although the main camera remains at 8 megapixels, individual
pixels are larger and thus better at sensing light. The camera's shutter also
opens wider to let in more light. For flash shots, the camera fires two bursts
of light at once, each slightly different in color. The iPhone adjusts the
combination of the two colors automatically to match ambient lighting.
I typically avoid using the flash in any camera
because its strong burst of whitish light overpowers whatever's in the room. In
a hallway with strong yellow light, for instance, the flashes on my high-end
camera and the iPhone 5 made the walls white. The 5S, on the other hand,
managed to preserve the yellow. I also got better skin tones on some flash
shots taken with the 5S. Using the 5C, faces and arms looked more pale.
No comments:
Post a Comment