OpenID Implementation Works on Mobile Platforms

Swedish company Accumulate has implemented a version of the OpenID standard for mobile phones.

OpenID is a Web-based single sign-on platform that lets users log in to many different sites using a user name and password via a third party. Currently it works at more than 50,000 Web sites, according to Accumulate. The new Mobile OpenID client works with devices based on Android, Nokia Series 40 and 60, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry devices and phones that support Java. There is also a browser-based client for the iPhone, and Accumulate is currently working on a native client for the Apple's smartphone.

Using OpenID makes the log-in process much simpler, according to Stefan Hultberg, CEO at Accumulate. But since you are still authenticating using a user name and password it doesn't make it that much more secure, as that information can be stolen by hackers, he said. He argued that Mobile OpenID eliminates that risk factor by moving the authentication process from the PC to the mobile phone.