MELBOURNE, Fla.–AuthenTec, the world’s leading provider of fingerprint sensors and solutions, today announced the winners of its Big Ideas contest from among hundreds of ideas for applications that take advantage of AuthenTec’s award-winning fingerprint sensors. The 25 winning ideas were selected by a panel of technology enthusiasts, and are now posted on the contest Web site at www.25Mandcounting.com. The Big Ideas contest was launched on November 14 following the shipment of AuthenTec’s 25 millionth fingerprint sensor.

The Big Ideas Grand Prize, a new AuthenTec-enabled laptop PC, will be awarded to Edwin Martin of England for his suggestion that an AuthenTec sensor could be built into a lockable diary that can only be opened by its owner. According to Mr. Martin’s daughter Katie, she and all of her friends would want one for Christmas. The 24 runners-up in the contest will receive a $25 Visa gift card for their winning submissions, which included:

* Sensor-equipped game consoles with unique settings for each user
* A fingerprint-enabled portable pill dispenser
* Fingerprint-enabled children’s safety locks
* Fingerprint-secured safe deposit boxes for banks
* Pharmaceutical cabinets protected by fingerprint sensors in healthcare facilities
* Power tools made more secure via fingerprint sensor
* A fingerprint-secured mechanic’s tool box
* Tamperproof thermostats

Additional winning submissions - as well as a few humorous entries - can be found on the contest Web site. Because of the low cost and small size of AuthenTec’s sensors, many of the contest ideas for fingerprint sensor uses are already being implemented today – from biometric door locks to uses in PCs, cell phones, time & attendance systems, and a host of other consumer, business and government applications.

“It was truly amazing how many new, innovative and interesting ideas we received from all over the world. We have always spoken about the exciting opportunities for our products in PCs, cell phones, access control systems and cars, but what really came out in the contest submissions is just how ubiquitous our products can one day be,” said AuthenTec Chairman & CEO Scott Moody. “Given the volume of the entries we received - all leveraging our Power of Touch® features such as security, navigation, personalization and even fun - it was a challenge for our panel of judges to narrow the list of Big Ideas to just 25. We’d really like thank all who provided entries to the contest, and we look forward to building on our industry leadership with the shipment of our next 25 million sensors.”

AuthenTec is also donating a new fingerprint-enabled laptop PC, $25 for every honorable mention (24 winners), and sports equipment to the Sonrise Orphanage and School in Rwanda. Sonrise provides food, clothing, housing and education to the neediest of Rwanda’s orphans. Additional information can be found at www.mustardseedproject.org.

AuthenTec has shipped over 15 million sensors in just the past 16 months, compared to the prior 10 million sensors shipped since the Company’s founding in 1998. AuthenTec’s fingerprint sensors, based on the Company’s patented TruePrint® technology which reads below the surface of the skin to the live layer where the true fingerprint resides. The sensors bring Power of Touch® features including security, convenience, personalization and navigation to over 17 million PCs and more than 7 million cell phones worldwide.

AuthenTec created the first fingerprint technology capable of being used by virtually anyone, anywhere. Nine years later, AuthenTec’s TruePrint® enabled fingerprint sensors are now providing for a new generation of electronic devices and applications that leverage the Power of Touch® for the added benefits of security, convenience, navigation, and unique personalization features. More than 220 models of PCs and mobile devices from the world’s foremost brands feature AuthenTec sensors.

About AuthenTec With 25 million sensors in use worldwide, AuthenTec is the world leader in providing fingerprint authentication sensors and solutions to the high-volume PC, wireless device, and access control markets. AuthenTec’s award-winning sensors take full advantage of The Power of Touch® by utilizing the Company’s patented TruePrint® technology to deliver the most convenient, reliable and cost-effective means available for enabling touch-powered features that extend beyond user authentication. The Company’s customers include: Acer, ASUSTeK, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, HTC, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Samsung, and Toshiba, among others.