This when all others have, or are in the process of, moved to finger print ID for phones. At least 12 of my 30 phone apps use my fingerprint.

I guess choice is always a good thing. However, passwords can always be hacked. Fingerprints, not so much.

One of the very important aspects is to look after your phone, and don't change your number.

In real terms, your phone content and phone authorisation cabability is becoming even more valuable than the hardware.

I considering having my phone surgically attached to my hand. It's there most of the time anyway.

And for the enlightened among us who see no value in owning a "smart phone"?

In my case, my extremely economical phone simply makes and receives the odd phone call, sends and receives texts within the family, and has a handy alarm clock - nothing else. Original cost $A 35.00 with a monthly charge of $A 10.00

Microsoft used to send a one time code to the phone - one such code arrived the following day.

@IanCP - your life... your choice; to each their own. Of course one doesn't know what one is missing.

I do most web stuff from my smart phone since I'm on the road so much. I connect to my home ISP through a proxy and have access to my desktop computer. I do all the promotion through social media and of course do things here at WW. I can do simple edits & upload files to my web server, restart instances, view logs if they're small, etc.

The tools available from smart phones are indispensable to me, especially GPS diving with Google maps. I sometimes go to new cities to work and would be lost without it.

TRied to use ISP through server to connect to PC?

It is good for those who live where the phone signal is reliable! There are still places even here in the U.K. where signal is intermittent at best.

It is good for those who live where the phone signal is reliable!

Ditto. Beyond that, I wouldn't want to trust my access to my life to a single piece of relatively vulnerable hardware. This is also earthquake country, so I'm further reluctant to put all my eggs in one basket.

, I wouldn't want to trust my access to my life to a single piece of relatively vulnerable hardware.

Neither would I, so I don't "put all my eggs in one basket." That would be having everything only on my computer.

So in addition to the computer, I also have an MS Surface and my smart phone (as well as 2 other tablets dedicated to studio stuff.)

To open my phone's 1st screen a password is needed, then nothing will work without fingerprint authentication. Not "relatively vulnerable" at all IMO.

I'm often in locations where 2G is all that I can expect, so when I get 3G i'm delighted. However, even getting 3G the signal is often inadequate to get reliably indoors.

That aside, i'm more concerned about the phone being stolen, or lost (it happens). So far i've never lost a phone, but I don't like to tempt fate. Theft is my biggest concern. If the phone breaks down I just get another.

The Lookout app native to newer Android phones has a "lost phone locator" even on the free version of the app. I've never had a reason to use it, but I did a test once. This was in Vegas with free WiFi so connectivity wasn't an issue.

I left my phone with my friend at a bar, then went across the street to my hotel room and used my notebook to access the Lookout website.

It did amazing job of locating my phone, right down to the address of the bar. Didn't say which table my friend was sitting at though :)

However there's an unnerving "Screach" feature.

@keyplyr

I do most web stuff from my smart phone since I'm on the road so much.

In your case it is an essential "business tool".

In my case a smart phone would merely be an expensive to buy, expensive to run, rarely used toy. My mobile phone sits all alone on the kitchen bench for about 28 days out of every 30 days of the month. Then I only take it out in case of an emergency breakdown in the car.

@IanCP - just a FYI

Newer smart phones have the latest technology. That includes advanced radio receivers which receive network signals better. Your available network may still be poor, but a new phone will do much better with it.

Plus, all the apps!

None of which I would use.

I see no sense whatever in paying several hundred dollars for a smartphone, plus paying 3-5 times my current monthly charges for a device which will simply sit idle while I am at my PC.

IanCP - I am not attempting to convince you to buy one :)

I actually held on to my cell phone about a year longer than most of my colleagues. I had no idea what smart phones had to offer... and new model smart phones are very expensive if you don't utilize their potential.

However, with the entire web moving toward mobile more & more, it may be wise for a site owner to get a look at what everyone else is seeing.

Had one for a while (cell phone) more PITA than anything else. The day I quit was rather liberating. If I need to TALK to someone face to face is step one, or ordinary land line step two. There is no step three.

Email, on the other hand, is constant and either desktop or laptop is used. My fat fingers don't play nice with little screens. :)

This move to biometrics for authentication sounds great, but I suspect it will fail as the vast majority of the world, much less prosperous and tech aligned countries with citizens who like privacy, will balk at that. The move will also leave out a huge chunk of potential users simply because they can't AFFORD a smart phone, much less a dumb land line, but do work from open access like libraries, etc.

And the criminal will find a way around it 3 seconds before it is implemented. That you can take to the bank.

Fingerprints aren't security and can be spoofed, though it does take a bit more work than hacking a password.

This move to biometrics for authentication sounds great, but I suspect it will fail as the vast majority of the world, much less prosperous and tech aligned countries with citizens who like privacy, will balk at that

China, Indonesia, India, et al... the most populous and low income areas of the world have embraced smart phone technology and smart phones have vastly outsold computers since 2015.

Biometrics continues in development. My phone is extremely secure... moreso than the WiFi & mobile networks I use.

Nevertheless, the Mobile First Index is a fast approaching reality and as webmasters I would think that owning at least one smartphone would be an essential tool of our trade.
[webmasterworld.com...]

I am now in FR but still need to access my US major bank account, they supplied me with a RSA device, which is a tiny device that every minute generate a new code (6 numbers) the device communicate with my S7 or laptop via infrared to synchronized code from my device with the bank's one. if they match I am in.
works very well.

However, passwords can always be hacked. Fingerprints, not so much.

Your fingerprints are harder to reset if they do get faked!