While all of this portable power (of the communicating, storing and purchasing varieties) is very cool, it's still pretty hard to make sure that if it gets lost or stolen that someone doesn't make use of your stuff or even worse, steal your identity. Seiko Epson is working on a solution: a 0.2mm fingerprint sensor that reads Fingerprints by processing the tiny electric current coming out of the tip of your finger. Attach it to a device (or a credit card) and only an authorized user can have access. Expect to see the sensor hit the market in 2010.

As commentor Prometheus on Gizmodo points out, these new chips don't guarantee security - with a determined effort, there are ways past a fingerprint lock. In other words: you'll still need to pay attention to your stuff and call the appropriate people (like your credit card or cell phone company) to change your account if something gets lost.

Via Gizmodo