UPEK and Microsoft launched the Worldwide Biometric Challenge, a developer contest for biometric applications on Windows 7, the first Windows operating system with native support for fingerprint biometric authentication.





The contest encourages software developers to utilize the WindowsBiometric Framework (WBF) to build applications that make use ofnotebook computers with integrated fingerprint sensors as well as USB peripheral fingerprint readers.

“There are tens of millions of laptops with fingerprint sensors in use.Today the applications running on those notebooks are limited in theirability to access the fingerprint capability,” commented Brian DeGonia,senior manager, product marketing at UPEK, Inc. “Windows 7 will bridgethe gap by making it much easier for the large and diverse Microsoftdeveloper community to develop innovative software that utilizes thefingerprint capability in new ways.”

Submissions to the Worldwide Biometric Challenge will be judged fortheir innovativeness, usefulness, usability and utilization of the WBF.Submissions are due November 9, 2009 and winners will be announcedNovember 16, 2009. The winner and runners-up will receive prizes andhave their applications featured on the UPEK website.

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