Ilium eWallet for Smartphone

As our society has become more “wired” the security measures that have been put into place have increased as well. Gone are the days of one password that allowed access to multiple sites or computers. Today, on average, most people have 10 to 15 PINs or Passwords they have to keep up with and use regularly. While you may be above or below that average, the need for keeping those PINs and Passwords secure is an issue we all face. With mobility now an integrated part of our lives as well, the need for having these access codes private but easily accessible is now more important than ever.

Seeing this need, Ilium Software has released a new version of their award winning software eWallet for Smartphone. eWallet allows you to store PINs, Passwords and any other important information in a 256-bit RC4 encrypted file, making it virtually impossible to crack. Even with encryption, eWallet is a easy-to-use and fast application, perfectly suited for the Smartphone environment. It allows you to keep your information private but not so private you can’t get into it yourself! Also, with the release of eWallet 4.1, you now have a password generator both built into eWallet as well as a stand alone application (On the Desktop PC).

eWallet is installed on your Smartphone via ActiveSync and will require approximately 1.2MB of storage space. It can be installed in your Smartphone’s memory or on a storage card and works well either way. eWallet, now in version 4.1, is supported on Windows Mobile for Smartphone 2002, 2003 and 5.0. If you purchase the Professional Edition of eWallet, you will also receive the Windows PC version of the application as well. The Professional Edition will allow you to synchronize your eWallet file, referred to as a Wallet. By doing this, you can edit your wallet file on your PC then sync it to your phone for when you are on-the-go.

Figure 1: eWallet on PC

By default, eWallet creates a wallet named My Wallet which provides you a good starting point in creating your own wallet. Creating your own wallet file is done by tapping the Menu>New>Wallet menu or if you are in the File Directory, simply press the New Wallet Key. You are prompted for a name for the wallet as well as a password for the wallet. Additionally, you can optionally create a password hint should you forget your password. By default, all wallets on eWallet for Smartphone are password protected and encrypted. This security measure benefits you in two key ways. First, you do not have to worry if you password protected the file or not. It is protected and it is not possible to un-password a file. Second, should you loose your Smartphone, your data is secure as the password is required to open the wallet.

If you purchase the Professional version of eWallet, you will have a Desktop PC password generator application named PassBuilder. PassBuilder will use criteria you chose to create a password for you. These passwords can be chosen to include upper & lower case, punctuation and numbers.

Figure 2: File Naming on Smartphone

Figure 3: Password Creation on Smartphone

Figure 4: PassBuilder helps you create hard-to-crack passwords

If you are upgrading your wallet from a previous version, eWallet will prompt you asking if you want to encrypt the file using the new 256-bit encryption key. When you do this, you will no longer be able to use your wallet file with a previous version of eWallet.

Figure 5: New 256-bit encryption in eWallet

Once your eWallet wallet is open, you can organize your cards into categories or simply create them. By organizing them in categories, I find it is easier to locate cards, especially when in a rush. To create a new category in your wallet, tap the Menu soft key on your Smartphone then go to New>Category. You will then be given a menu to select the icon and type of card that will be in the category. You will then be given the option to rename the category if you choose and decide if you want the cards in that category password protected. In some cases, the information stored in a category does not need to be secured such as Frequent Flyer numbers. By not securing them, you can see the cards in the category without having to enter the password for the wallet itself.

Once a category is created, cards need to be created in it. Creating cards is done from the Menu>New menu and you will be prompted to select the type of card that you want to create. Next you will need to name then press Done to create the card. The card will be blank and you will need to add your information to it by tapping Menu>Edit. Depending on the type of card you chose to create, there will be various fields for you populate with information. In my example, I have created a Frequent Flyer account which has the organizations name, my ID number and other information.

Figure 6: Card Creation (Card Type Selection)

Figure 7: A completed Card

A key feature of eWallet is the ability to edit the field names as well. For example, if I wanted to change Organization to Airline on my Frequent Flyer cards, I could do so. By allowing you to do this, virtually any type of card can be created, giving you flexibility but also personalizing the application to make it work better for you.

Figure 8: Renamed Field in Card – Note Organization is now Airline

While there are limits to the number of cards and categories you can create, both limits are so high it is difficult if not impossible to reach them and not run out of storage memory on your device. Since I have been using eWallet for several years now, my wallet file has several hundred cards in it in multiple categories. As one who travels frequently, by using eWallet, I no longer have to carry multiple Frequent Flyer or Frequent Visitor cards with me. I have all of my membership information at hand should the need for it arise. Beyond this though, eWallet is a great application for storing software license key and serial number information, home inventory, checking and savings account information, credit card information and vehicle information. The types of cards and bits of information that can be stored in eWallet is limited only by your own creativity.

Figure 9: My Complete eWallet wallet

Overall there is little not to like about eWallet for Smartphone. The application runs well on Windows Mobile Smartphones and has an easy-to-use interface. The only real challenge in using eWallet, like other Smartphone applications, is the limited keyboard functionality inherent to the platform. Backing up the application is the great technical support team at Ilium Software. Ilium provides several FAQs as well as online troubleshooting for eWallet and their other applications. Technical Support can also be reached via a web based form on the Ilium website.

eWallet for Windows Mobile Smartphone is sold in two packages by Ilium. For the Smartphone application alone it is $19.95 (US) while the Professional version which includes the Windows PC desktop version is $29.95 (US). Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! highly recommends purchasing the Professional edition as it will make editing the wallet cards faster and easier as you will have the benefit of a full keyboard. Ilium offers a 30-day demonstration version of eWallet which is fully functional within that demonstration time period.

For more information on eWallet for Smartphone, visit http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ewallet.htm.

Clinton Fitch ~ MVP-Mobile Devices
Principle
Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! (http://www.clintonfitch.com) & HPC:Factor (http://www.hpcfactor.com)