PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a personal digital assistant and its authentication method regarding reading of a users fingerprint and facilitation of use authentication with the personal digital assistant based on the relevant fingerprint information.SOLUTION: This personal digital assistant has an input operation key for input operations and an information processing control part 21 for processes based on the input information from the relevant input operation key. The input operation key is provided with a fingerprint information reading means for reading the fingerprint information, and the information processing control part 21 is provided with a function to perform the user authentication based on the fingerprint information.COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT【課題】ユーザの指紋を読み取るとともに、当該指紋情報に基づき携帯情報端末での使用者認証を容易に行うことに関する携帯端末とその認証方法等を提供する。【解決手段】入力操作用の入力操作キーと、当該入力操作キーからの入力情報に基づき処理を行う情報処理制御部21とを有し、前記入力操作キーに指紋情報を読み取る指紋情報読取手段を設け、前記情報処理制御部21が、前記指紋情報に基づいて使用者認証を行う機能を備えた携帯情報端末。【選択図】図2
