New device for checking ID

A local tech firm has developed an android device equipped with a fingerprint scanner and a smartcard reader that can identify people by matching them with the national database on the fly.

The device called AbeTree would change the way different authorities verify one's identity and introduce a new security feature in various sectors, including banking.

“It [AbeTree] can scan your fingerprint and then verify it with the national identity (NID) database of the Election Commission through Wifi or mobile network connection,” says product developer Amjad Khan, CEO of Commlink Infotech.

“The purpose of it is to identify any person on the fly,” he said.

Although the country developed its NID database way back in 2008, till date, the database is not accessed by various authorities due to the lack of proper networking and equipment.

Currently, the citizens are required to show their NID cards to various public and private authorities to avail various services. The NID cards are never verified and this allows the scope for criminals to use fake NID cards.

But with AbeTree, verifying the NID cards or fingerprints would be possible for anyone, says Amjad, who, as a Bangladeshi American, also has been running a tech firm in Maryland since 1992.

In addition, this tablet device can also function as a phone and mobile cash register.

Original electronic devices are rarely designed inside Bangladesh although the country has several local electronics brands.

AbeTree will hit the markets in Dhaka in February with a price tag of less than Tk 15,000. According to Amjad, the product has been copyrighted in the USA where it was being shipped now.

The device may look like a typical android tablet from a distance, but it is actually a highly customised machine.

Its motherboard was developed by Commlink. It was entirely designed in Dhaka and it had been assembled in China, Amjad said. “I went for China because it's very cost effective,” he added.

He has also designed and developed the smartcard reader and a fingerprint scanner that are hardwired into the surface of the tab. It also features Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities and a camera.

“It took us 10 months to develop the software in Android,” Amjad Khan said, adding, “The main designing took us three months.”

In industrial term, this is called a Point of Sale (POS) device, which has diversified use to retailers, banks and similar organisations.