Athena Smartcard Solutions Introduces ASEDrive IIIe Combo Bio, Fingerprint Biometric Smart Card Reader with UPEK TouchChip Sensor

ASEDrive IIIe Combo Bio F2 is the latest addition to Athena's smart card reader family. The reader offers ISO7816 smart card support, Bio API fingerprint sensor support for Match-on-Card functionality, & flash upgradeability in a user friendly and ergonomic package.

Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) November 2, 2008 - Athena Smartcard Solutions enhances its advanced bio smart card reader line with the introduction of the ASEDrive Combo IIIe Bio F2, a combined biometric and smart card reader which incorporates Athena's ASEDrive smart card reader technology and UPEK® TouchChip® TCS2 or TCS1 fingerprint sensor, enabling strong user authentication. The smart card reader complies with the PC/SC standards, Windows 2000, XP and Vista, Linux and MAC. The device is ergonomically shaped to enable easy user access to the card and the UPEK TCS2 or TCS1 area sensor. The reader supports Bio API and Precise Biometrics' Match-on-Card technology for strong multi-factor authentication.

All ASEDrive readers have passed the Microsoft Hardware Quality Labs tests and are eligible for the 'Designed for Windows XP' & "Vista" logos.    

Combined with Athena's ASECard Crypto smart card and the bio middleware, customers can now benefit from high performance 2 or 3 factor authentication coupled with an affordable price.

"We are pleased Athena once more selected the UPEK TCS2 TouchChip area sensor to add fingerprint authentication to their ASEDrive IIIe smart card reader line, stated Mike Chaudoin, Director of Standards and Security for UPEK.. "The TCS2 uses the same UPEK silicon sensor technology certified by the FBI for FIPS 201 applications, but with a smaller image capture area and lower cost. The UPEK TCS2 was selected over competing silicon sensors for its excellent image quality and for real-world robustness. When user convenience and cost sensitivity combined with high image quality are required, the UPEK TCS2 fingerprint sensor is an excellent choice."

About Athena

Athena Smartcard Solutions, one of the industry's fastest growing vendors, is a leading provider of smart cards for ID, tokens, smart card readers, smart card keyboards and smart card management systems -- protecting computer networks -- and an innovative supplier of cards and operating systems for banking and GSM. Athena's offices in the US, Europe, and Asia serve customers worldwide including some of the world's, leading banks, manufactures, Government organizations. The company's dedicated engineering, sales, and support staff has over 20 years' experience in smart card and security technology including some of the original innovators and developers of Java Card and inventors of key technologies of the MULTOS operating system.

Athena's products include Common Criteria and FIPS certified contact and dual interface open platform and file system based cryptographic smart cards for Windows Authentication, PIV, CNS/CIE, JICSAP, GSM, and EMV. The Athena ASEDrive line of smart card readers includes high performance USB desktop, internal, keyboard and biometric smart card keyboard readers. Athena's cryptographic middleware solutions including the ASECard Crypto Toolkit with support for all major operating systems, and through the Athena CMS, our customers enjoy smart card life-cycle management solutions for contact and contactless cards.

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For more information, please visit Athena Smartcard Solutions (http://www.athena-scs.com)

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