Secret-keeper apps for the iPhone

As just about everyone who has ever used one will tell you, the iPhone is truly an amazing device. With its do-everything abilities--especially now with third-party software--it's the kind of device you're likely to carry everywhere. And what better use for a device you'll always have with you than to store important information--Web site logins, bank account information, social security numbers, insurance information, and more. As such, you may be tempted to use the iPhone's Notes program to store these little tidbits of information for fast access.

Ah, but there are some obvious problems to that approach that security-minded readers doubtlessly can rattle off. First, anyone you allow to use your iPhone will be able to access your notes. Second, if you were to ever lose your iPhone, your secret notes could easily fall into the wrong hands. So what's the solution, other than not storing this useful information on your iPhone (or iPod touch, for that matter)?

The answer lies in what I like to call "secret keeper" programs. This class of program aims to store your confidential information in an encrypted state, protected by a password only you know. On the Mac, there are many such programs, including PasswordWallet, SplashID, and Wallet to name just a few.

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As just about everyone who has ever used one will tell you, the iPhone is truly an amazing device. With its do-everything abilities--especially now with third-party software--it's the kind of device you're likely to carry everywhere. And what better use for a device you'll always have with you than to store important information--Web site logins, bank account information, social security numbers, insurance information, and more. As such, you may be tempted to use the iPhone's Notes program to store these little tidbits of information for fast access.

Ah, but there are some obvious problems to that approach that security-minded readers doubtlessly can rattle off. First, anyone you allow to use your iPhone will be able to access your notes. Second, if you were to ever lose your iPhone, your secret notes could easily fall into the wrong hands. So what's the solution, other than not storing this useful information on your iPhone (or iPod touch, for that matter)?

The answer lies in what I like to call "secret keeper" programs. This class of program aims to store your confidential information in an encrypted state, protected by a password only you know. On the Mac, there are many such programs, including PasswordWallet, SplashID, and Wallet to name just a few.

These kind of programs share several key features: they encrypt data, which you access with a secure password. They usually let you categorize the data you're storing so that you can track, for instance, logins and credit card numbers; you can customize categories to meet your needs. A final consideration involves data synchronization--ideally, you should be able to enter your data in one location and synchronize it to other Macs and portable devices.

Combing through the App Store, I wound up with three offerings that fit my definition of a "secret keeper" application--LockBox, eWallet, and SplashID. One is free, one has amazing data management skills, and one (for an additional cost) offers the ability to sync your secret data with a Mac or PC.

The free solution

LockBox offers a basic but functional interfaceLockBox is a simple secret tracker that worked well enough for those with basic needs--and you can't beat the non-existent price tag. The program restricts passwords to numbers only, but that password can be a very long string of numbers.

LockBox offers six categories (five defined, plus one "other") to organize your secrets. Within each category, however, the fields are the same--one title, two Information lines, and three Notes lines. This means you won't have a field labeled Credit Card Number for your credit cards, nor will you be able to create clickable URLs for Web site addresses.

You also can't sort your entries, nor can you search them--as noted, this is a secret keeper for those with basic needs. But if that's you, you'll probably find LockBox works well enough, and it doesn't cost anything to try.

Data management wizard

If you're more of an incredibly detail-oriented person, and you like to track every single tidbit of information about your secret data, eWallet may be your program. You can have multiple different storage areas (called wallets), each with unique passwords. Within each wallet, you can set up categories to further organize your secrets, which are stored on individual cards. Each card is of a certain type--bank account, credit card, library card, and even a "photo" type for storing images taken with the iPhone's camera. You can customize these card types to meet your needs.

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