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Editorial Review APC BIOPOD Biometric Password ManagerProvides users a convenient & secure way to manage ;& access multiple security phrases & codes ; Identifies users by fingerprints ; Automatically ;allows access to password-protected ;applications & Web sites ; Eliminates the ;need for password lists ; Controls user access ;by keeping out unauthorized users ; Registration ;for up to 20 different users ; Fast user switching ;for Windows XP ; Includes software ;CD, USB cable & manual ; 2-year warranty Biometric Password Manager ... Read more Reviews 
Cool AND useful, October 9, 2004
I decided a while ago that $20 was the golden price for fingerprint scanners - the price at which they are worth their cost. However, I got impatient and I'm glad I did. I managed to get my Biopod for $40 including shipping and it has been worth it simply in cool factor. Fortunately the annoying voice files are easily replacable (/Softex/Omnipass/Sounds/) and I have gotten plenty of compliments and "wows" from people in my dorm when my computer asks me in a female British accent for "biometric authorization". Just find one of the many text-to-speech sites out there with an interactive demo, and record your own sound files. As far as authorization goes, I have not seen a false positive from my other fingers or my friends' fingers, and the only time I get a negative is when I scan the wrong part of my finger. The Biopod recognizes my finger from a pretty good range of angles and different placements.
Cool factor aside, the Biopod has saved me a lot of password reset e-mails. It's not secure to use the same password on lots of different web sites these days and it was getting really hard for me to remember them all. When the bundled Omnipass software detects a password field in your active window it prompts you to enter your username and password in the window (for the last time), click on the Omnipass bubble that popped up, and then click on the window containing the fields. From that point on, whenever you visit that site you will be prompted for your fingerprint and logged in. On some sites with certain types of login methods, Omnipass will only be able to fill in the information, not automatically submit it as well, but I have found this to be very rarely the case. The Biopod is a huge time saver. Also, not that I have much cause to use it as a college student, but the encryption feature of the Omnipass software is pretty cool and I'm sure it's useful for those with sensitive data, whether you are hiding it from competitors or your parents.
I'm running XP Home SP1 and had no trouble setting up, installing, and enrolling. I've noticed no slowdown in any way whatsoever since installing the software, although admittedly not much slows down an Athlon 64 3000 and a GB of RAM.
I would strongly reccomend the Biopod to anyone looking to store their passwords, protect sensitive data, or just indulge their geeky side. If you want to wait for it to be $30 I wouldn't blame you, but it's a great little device.
Why didn't I get this sooner?!?!?!?, October 8, 2004
I use Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2, and had been using a virtual wallet to keep track of all my passwords. This product almost completely eliminated the need for the virtual wallet. The Biopod was up and running and was enrolling fingerprints in no time with absolutely no problems.
There are a few minor issues that are easily overcome:
The default audio instruction is annoying ("Place your finger on the sensor") -Switching to "Beeps only" is much more palatable.
File encryption is a little slow. But hey, at least the files are secure!
The software doesn't work with some websites, such as banking sites. When using Internet Explorer, I get the notice saying that it is "Safeguarding my information" and replaces my ID and Password with asterisks. Remembering one or two passwords is a lot easier that 100!
I would recommend this product to anyone using Windows XP and wants to stay secure without memorizing a lot of passwords.
Not what I thought it would be., September 17, 2005
If this product fits your needs, then it probably rates 5 stars. It may be a great accessory, but my experience was not so great. First of all, just the process of setting up the passwords was more involved than the roboform system that I have been using. The biggest problem of all, however, was the fact that it can be used with only Internet Explorer. I never saw any mention of that until I had the packaging torn open. I use Firefox, almost exclusively, so this item now sits here doing nothing at all. Fortunately, its cost was low.
APC Should be Embarassed, March 22, 2005
The device is actually a product of Softex, Inc. APC is just putting their logo on it and reselling it. People are supposed to feel comfortable buying it because of APC's name recognition and (up to now) good reputation.
The device does work - basically. Compared with Microsoft's device, fingerprint recognition is awkward. I find that I sometimes have to adjust my finger position several times before it will "recognize" me. The Microsoft device appears to be far more tolerant of slightly different finger placements.
When used on Windows XP, the Omnipass software that accompanies the device integrates with that operating system's Fast User Switching ("FUS") mechanism. So if you have multiple users (as for example in a family), you can enroll each person and have Windows automatically log them on to their accounts just by recognizing their individual fingerprint patterns. You can also do a Quick Switch from current user to different user just by placing (different user's) finger in the sensor. This is way more slick than pressing the "User" button on a Logitech keyboard or doing the old Windows+L key combination.
Unfortunately the Omnipass software is really flaky. When used in a multi-user environment on Windows XP with Fast User Switching, the program will crash / become non-functional quite rapidly after doing just a few switches between users. For example I alternated today between my main account (index finger) and my test account (middle finger) on Windows XP switching back & forth about 3 times. That's it - the program has stopped working and will not work again until I reboot.
I had two problems open with APC back in the spring & summer of 2004 dealing with this product. The APC support staff seemed completely ill-equipped to address / understand the issues - perhaps it's because APC is just "fronting" the sale & distribution of the product for the real vendor Softex Inc. In both cases they kept closing my problems every 30 days (their problem management software) even though I was waiting for a response from them and the problem was unresolved. I never did get resolutions and my dialogue with the APC support engineers left much to be desired. I basically had to "teach" the engineers how the product is supposed to work, explain what it does, and then explain why it's not working properly. Really...
Anyway my perception is that we're just in the early days of a flood of such devices / biometric recognition security software solutions. I think the devices by APC & Microsoft that are out currently are just the initial volleys by the software/hardware vendors. I'm sure that there will be far more robust solutions out in the next 6 months. My recommendation - avoid this product (even though it's cheap - less than 50% of what I paid for it 1 year ago).
Lastly when you use a product like this - to store passwords to financial & other websites, I think one needs to confirm that the software used can be trusted. (See Microsoft, Symantec & other vendors' Trusted Computing initiatives). I have found - from time to time - strange Internet activity on my computer that seems to be related to Omnipass's "WebLink" software update capability. The endpoint for the traffic is neither a site at APC nor at Softex Inc. but what appears to be an end-user on a high speed Internet service somewhere in Texas. Sure, it's probably just checking my version with the currently released version of the software, but in the back of my mind I'm wondering - "are they harvesting the passwords from my Omnipass password vault"? Well basically it seems strange...
Worthless, April 3, 2006
I purchased a Biopod in March of 2006. Received brand new unit that included Omnipass software version 2.09. This software version released in 2004.
Contacted company that produced the software and they refused to upgrade to their latest version (v4) that had been released a month earlier unless they charged me the upgrade fee.
The version of software that comes with the Biopod (v2.09) pretty much only works with Internet Explorer and other Microsoft software. The new version (4) supposedly works with Firefox and several other non-Microsoft software programs.
I recommend you avoid this product due to old software. I returned mine and am ordering the IBM Fingerprint Reader.
How to use with Firefox., May 1, 2006
While it's true that the software packaged with the device is only compatible with Internet Explorer, there is a way to make it work with Firefox (sort of). Simply download the Firefox extension called IE Tab. This extension allows Firefox to open websites of your choosing with Internet Explorer. The beauty is that it opens these sites within a Firefox tab so it's barely noticeable that IE is being used. Unless you want to fork over the extra money for Omnipass 4.0, I think this is the best solution for Firefox users.
Works Great, May 21, 2005
I bought this to put on my kids computers, to keep them from using each others accounts. Even my 5 year old has no problem using it. After seeing how useful this device can be I'm going to have to buy a couple more.
I had no trouble installing this device (On Windows XP Pro SP2) takes about 5 minutes and 1 reboot and your logging onto Windows and accessing websites using only your fingerprint. Using this also makes it easier to use more secure passwords and not having to remember things like G5hT38yS(not a real password). Encrypting (and un-encrypting) files is as easy a a right click and placing your finder on the reader.
This product is well worth the money I spent, I am planning on buying 1 for every computer in my house now!
APC BIPOD, May 7, 2006
I've used this for about 3 months. At first, it seemed to work fine except for secure sites which it did not recognize at all. Then suddenly after 2 weeks of use, it failed to recognize my print. That corresponded to a software upgrade. I had to reinstall the device. Again it worked fine except for secure sites but after a sofware upgrade, I was again locked out and had to install the software again. Just today (7 May 06) another software upgrade killed its recognition capabilities. I'm tossing it out! Only can recommend it if you do not want software upgrades. It is the omnipass software which is the problem!
Works Great!, February 3, 2006
Although I didn't buy it through Amazon, I thought I'd write something quick since it looks like it's been a while since anyone's commented on the BioPod.
I bought mine at Walmart for about $50 (dumb, I know!) and use it at work. I'm in the IT department, so I was able to get one for R&D. Some of our users have literally dozens of passwords they have to type in for various systems and web sites, and although I only have about 10, it's great not having to remember them. I just have to remember to bring my fingers with me. :o)
The unit works great. I use it to log into our Windows network on my XP machine and to log into several vendor web sites. As long as I'm using MS Internet Explorer, it works flawlessly. It does not work at all with Firefox, which is the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.
We are continuing to look into the security of these types of devices, as most of them come with disclaimers that they shouldn't be used with online banking sites, etc. I don't know if they are admitting a possible security problem or just trying to cover their behinds. Conceptually, I still find fingerprint scanners to be infinitely more secure than writing passwords down on Post-It notes or on pieces of paper "hidden" under keyboards.
It goes part of the way, November 9, 2006
I was hoping to have a solution that lets me just log in with a single fingerprint. This was not the solution.
The APC biopod as fingerprint reader hardware seemed to be solid, however the Omnipass software that it was bundled with to manage login and authentication was just lacking. In order to log in, it was still required to perform the Windows ctrl-alt-del, and punch in the username. There was no way to configure the whole login process to be driven by just my fingerprint.
Attempting to find out from APC tech support how to configure it left me frustrated at the lack of response. I had to directly contact Softex (makers of the Omnipass software) several times to clarify the requirements, only to be told that logging in directly with just a fingerprint couldn't be done.
If that's what you want, go get the Silex fingerprint reader, or maybe the IBM fingerprint reader. Both of which will let you log right in without having to do the ctrl-alt-delete.
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