Sssshh! It's a secret

About 30 years ago, I knew where my friends lived, not all of them had telephones, To correspond with my interstate relatives and international friends, I would use write letters and wait a fair bit to get a response. Things changed, Landlines became common, then computers brought in email addresses and quicker communication, and then finally mobile phones with each person having more than one mobile device thereby having more than one number to remember. Even the early Nokia phones had one number per entry, till they changed it to a phonebook with multiple entries.

Each technological advancement has with it some side effects and some more severe than others. All of this brought in Information Overload, and this is when people started to look for alternatives to the huge data warehouse that came for free (the Brain) to electronic driven spaces. Apple has also pushed onto the userbase (as an option) the iCloud.

What am I rambling about? I am on about the fact that we have to remember so much more than we had to years ago. With each service becoming available online and with each account comes a new username and password. It is so frustrating when I cannot have one single username, on a particular email service I could be username_1234 and on another user_name and yet another UName_12 because my name could be similar to another and I wasn't the first one to get it. Apart from that the second issue is remembering what password was used, each website has its own funny policies, some have length restrictions, some what kind of characters to be used and so on. The worst thing is that I do not even recollect how many websites I have had to create accounts with just to get some information or to submit some information. On and Off I get to know about it when I receive emails from them.

The good thing with modern browsers is the functionality to store usernames and passwords. This works for me as I prefer to use a particular browser, but what if I have to use another browser because a particular plug-in does not work. What if I want my information persisted across? I am at a loss.

This is where a wonderful app that functions both as a plug-in and an app by itself comes into play. It is 1-Password by AgileBits. It now has 1-password for use on various platforms, namely Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. The browsers extensions are available for the major browsers and apps.

1Password apart from keeping track of the website passwords also provides a secure storage facility for secure details like Credit Cards, Software Licenses, etc. All of this secure with a master password and can be transported across to either of the devices.

If 1Password has been configured properly and the Web Logins saved, not only does it fill the username and passwords, but also open your site and go to that page and then login as the saved profile. The only issue is that sometime when a site requests registration, the link is different than that of the login page. This can be fixed by simply altering the URL in 1Password Launcher. It has a lovely UI, more like a bookshelf with an item in each shelf.

Not only can it hold information, It can also contain files, these can be scans of important documents, letters, legal documents, etc all safe and secure. Tag each of the item to be able to search and organise the information. The latest version attempts to collect the Favourite Icons (favicons) from a website to display and visually help identify the site from which the information is saved. The list of features included are plenty. It is worth giving it a spin, once accustomed to 1Password, one can but wonder, How did they ever live without it for so long?

There are software that one can live with and some that one has to have, this clearly falls into the has to have category. Available from $14.99 for the iOS to $39.99 for a single license on a Mac or Windows. Where as a 5 user Family License is available for $69.99, if one requires more than one license, then going for the family license is the best way to go. There is a 30-day money back guarantee and Educational Licenses at $31.99 or a combo deal (Mac + Windows) for $49.99


SUMMARY
Software : 1Password (Mac)
Version : VER
Publisher : Agile Bits
Website : http://agilebits.com
Twitter : @1password
Platform : Mac OS X (10.6.x or higher)
Demo : 30 days
Price : $Various

And we have a copy of 1Password for one lucky winner, all you need to do
1. Follow @whatsin4me
2. Retweet the message "Read reviewme.oz-apps.com, follow @whatsin4me and RT this msg. You might win a copy of #1Password from @1Password"
or
Follow us on Facebook by liking our page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ReviewMe/137640632964588