Acer partners with fingerprint technology firm Egis to develop cloud payment system

Computer manufacturer Acer announced it is partnering with fingerprint sensor provider Egis Technology to develop a cloud-based payment system that will allow users to make secure purchases on Acer mobile phones or wearable devices, according to a report by Want China Times.

Maverick Shih, president of Acer’s Build Your Own Cloud and tablet business group, said that Acer’s partnership with Egis Technology will allow Acer to enter the payment market — a space that was most recently joined by Apple Pay.

Acer will provide Egis’ fingerprint recognition technology on both its smartphones and wearable devices via its open cloud platform, said Shih, adding that the technology “is a critical part of authentication and making payments.”

Egis’ fingerprint solutions — which have previously been bundled with over 30 million PC and mobile products worldwide — allow users to quickly activate programs and documents by swiping their finger, providing an alternative to memorizing multiple passwords.

The partnership with Egis further builds on Acer’s move into the payment market, following its purchase of 7 million shares in online payment gateway PChomePay in January 2013.

Acer’s cloud-based payment system will likely position the company to go head to head with Apple Pay, which similarly uses a fingerprint scanner in tandem with Apple’s Passbook iOS app to allow iPhone users to make purchases.

Article Topics

authentication  |  consumer device  |  Egis Technology  |  fingerprint sensors  |  Mobile Payments