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Provides: Secure password management
Seller: SplashData, Inc.
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 1.6MB
Version Reviewed: 5.1
Price: $9.99
Age Rating: 4+

Quite honestly, I’m not sure how I went so long without having an application such as SplashID at my disposal. It was a life of transferring password secure word processing documents. Of trial and error. Of passwords e-mailed between my home and office computers. How’s that for security?

There’s just so much junk to remember these days that a password/data management program is pretty much a necessity. I’ve tried a few before for both the Mac and the iPhone, but they were usually too proprietary. Apps for helping me manage my website passwords, for example, did little to help me organize my software registration information; the required information was too disparate.

But now I’ve tried the iPhone app SplashID from SplashData, and I’ve finally found an app that understands data security is a fairly broad issue. Registration numbers, bank account access, website passwords…SplashID is ready for them all, and it keeps them in tightly packed in a clean interface. The information can be viewed by category (personal, business, etc.), by type (bank accounts, e-mail accounts, emergency information, web log-ins, etc.), or by all. Within each type and category, you can create your own or delete those that come with the system. I have no prescriptions, for example, so I can delete that type out to clean things up. And whether you’re creating new types/categories (for which you can even create custom icons) or working with those that come preconfigured, you have the option to add/delete/rename fields as you wish. Management of this information is very intuitive.

Of course, the whole point is so you can keep this information under one password. SplashID helps you set this up on first launch, and lets you know how secure your chosen password is (weak, fair, good, etc.). You can set up a hint to remind you of what it is, and you can determine how long SplashID can stay open before it locks back down. A password generator is also included. I’m surprised there’s no feature to have it ask you to reset your password every so often, but I don’t necessarily mind. Such demands may be good for security, but they’re also exceptionally annoying.

If you’re working solely with the iPhone, there are only a few other features worth mentioning. You view sort your data by most recently viewed, which becomes quite handy as your database fills up (compare it to your favorites in your iPhone contact database), and you can select multiple entries for e-mailing with the tap of a few buttons. The other big feature is the ability to sync SplashID with a desktop app, but this is where things get messy.

If you already own SplashID for the Mac, it’s not going to do you any good here. You can’t sync up the iPhone app with SplashID, you have to download SplashID Desktop. Version 4.6 is free, v5.1 will run you an additional $9.95. So, you’re now looking at nearly $20 to get the full functionality of a syncable password management app. At least you’re given the option to import all your previous SplashID information into the iPhone compatible version. Still, it’s not something iPhone users should have to deal with.

I will also point out that SplashID Desktop reads CSV, Cryptinfo TXT, eWallet TXT, MobileSaft TXT, TopSecret CSV and Yaps TXT files. If you’re currently using any of those, initial transfer is fairly simple. If not, you’ve got a lot of typing ahead of you. I highly recommend doing this on the desktop app, obviously. Setting up a few dozen entries on the iPhone is no fun at all, and you’ll make that $9.95 back on time saved.

When you do have the app installed and set up, synching the two is quite simple. It’s all done over WiFi, and I had no trouble getting the two to communicate (again, make sure you’re using SplashID Desktop, or else the synch won’t work). The desktop app basically forces you to find your iPhone connection (in a friendly way, of course), so the initial synch is pretty much mandatory. After that, simply hitting the synch button on your iPhone will do the trick, provided it’s on your network and the program is running.

And once everything’s in place, you’ve got all of your important, private information just a password away. More importantly, it’s all stored behind 256-bit Blowfish encryption. SplashID is a very useful, very important program. And although getting the information into your iPhone is harder than it should be, accessing and managing that info once it’s there is a breeze. Is it worth $10 to $20? Next time you desperately need access/account information and can’t remember it, you won’t be asking me that question.