Soon you’ll be able to unlock Windows 10 with wearables

When you step back and think about it, passwords are a pretty antiquated means of security. I mean, they don’t actually require the user to identify themselves at all. Any user with knowledge of the password can get into an account as easily as someone with the right key can get into a door. We now have at our disposal a wide array of different metrics that could enable for far better identification, which is one of the reasons why Google is looking at making passwords obsolete for apps by 2017. Microsoft is jumping on the same bandwagon with Windows Hello, and today at a demo at Computex, the company revealed that they will soon be letting users unlock their PCs with wearables.

Windows Hello is a service that allows users to bypass clumsy passwords and their somewhat more secure PIN cousin by taking advantage of facial recognition and fingerprint scanning. The demo today showed that the Microsoft Band or security wearables like the Bionym Nymi can be used to unlock Windows 10. As these technologies become more and more astute, it’s expected that using a combination of more natural signatures will eventually replace passwords.

This feature will come part and parcel with a series of new updates to the Windows Hello Companion Device Framework. Soon developers of a variety of wearables will be able to add this capability to their products, so can expect to be able to log into your computer with your Android wearable in the near future. Microsoft says that wearables could even be used to identify the user for streamlined digital purchases. They also teased a potential forthcoming feature that would allow your PC to unlock by recognizing your smartphone.

What do you think of Windows Hello’s upcoming ability to bypass passwords with wearables? A natural progression in the evolution of security, or does this seem to be a step backwards? Give us your opinion in the comments.