Even though Microsoft has not officially announced anything regarding the release of the new high-end Lumia phones, rumors have been circulating for some time about the duo. The two smartphones, codenamed Talkman and Cityman, will reportedly be feature rich, run on Windows 10, and have the new Edge browser with Cortana integration, according Dr.Windows and WinFuture.

The phones, rumored to be released sometime in August, will also include biometric authentication, something Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Windows, said would create a deep sense of trust with Windows users. Windows Hello, which uses infrared technology to identify your iris or face, has been touted by Redmond as being the technology that ends of the era of the password and the mental strain of remembering, “dozens of passwords to login to your many devices and services.” Microsoft has said that it will run on all Windows 10 devices.

Biometric authentication has been hacked in the past – a notable case involving Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone – and there are many doubters of the technology within the tech community. The great prevailing fear of course is if you are hacked you’re hacked forever. There was even a case in 2009 of a Chinese woman having her fingerprints surgically changed so she could get past immigration officials in Japan. And while you might think hacking an iris would be harder, there are those that believe it’s pretty easy if you have a high-res image of your target. Joe Belfiore, speaking about such attacks, has stated that consumers and businesses need not to fret, stating in a blog post, “We understand how critical it is to protect your biometric data from theft, and for this reason your ‘biometric signature’ is secured locally on the device and shared with no one but you. It is only used to unlock your device and “Passport”, it is never used to authenticate you over the network.”

Back to the lighter topic of the new phones: Reports suggest that the devices will be modeled on the Lumia 830, have aluminum frames with polycarbonate backs and feature wireless charging capabilities. The larger of the two phones, the Cityman, will feature a 5.7 inch display and Quarter High Definition resolution. It will have an octa-core processor, 32 GB of storage, a 20 megapixel camera at the back; 5 megapixel selfie shooter, and a 3300mAh battery. The Talkman will be slightly smaller with a 5.2 inch screen, containing a hexa-core Qualcomm processor, with the same camera features and a 3000mAh battery.

Photo credit: AdaptaLux via photopin cc