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I’ve been struggling for a while finding something that I can put all of my passwords in for online stuff that doesn’t have limitations or security holes.

For a while, I used Splash ID on my PC and phone, which was convenient.  But it was a piece of software I had to have on one computer, and I couldn’t find my passwords when I didn’t have that computer.  I used it on a BlackBerry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile phone in conjunction with the PC app, but it wasn’t that terribly useful to have it on the phone, except when I was away from my normal computer and needed one of the passwords.  It also was somewhat buggy and crashed at the most inopportune times.

I was somewhat worried about the data being secured enough – these apps claim they use good encryption, etc. but I also didn’t think it was a good idea to have all of this on my phone and on my PC.  I was afraid of my phone being stolen and then the passwords being retrieved from it.

So I began using common passwords for things by adding numbers and other items in front and in the middle.  That resulted in forgetting a bunch of the passwords, and making me feel less secure because the passwords weren’t that good.

Recently I looked again at options and found Passpack.  The difference with this solution is that it’s all online.  While that might sound like a worse idea because the passwords are stored somewhere out online, it’s important to understand their security model to know that it’s not possible for them to even read your passwords.

I also like the idea of disposable logins, or one time passwords, as well as their multiple levels of login and authentication security.  I’ve set up all of the features, and it is very clear every time I login to the site that I’ve gotten the right site, right place and nothing strange is going on.

I generally use these sorts of tools for storing things that are medium security, like logins to online stores and such.  I never use them to store bank account, email, or other critical services like that.  Those passwords are unique and I never even write them down.  It’s a must, though for the hundred or so online places that I have accounts with, and I much prefer using something like this for a number of reasons.

First, it allows me to generate a unique password of varying lengths for every site I login to.  No duplication.  Second, it allows me to get to them from anywhere – since all of these passwords are for online resources, I’ll already be online when I’m trying to login.  And finally, the auto-login functionality is very helpful for those really long, 20+ character passwords – typing those can be a pain.

So far Passpack has really impressed me with their UI, feature set, and reliablity, and especially their security model.

steve Computers, Uncategorized online password storage, passpack, security

I woke up late this evening because I couldn’t sleep, and I noticed my new G1 phone wanted me to allow it to upgrade to a new version of software.  Since I bought my phone, I was running RC19, and had been waiting for this upgrade.

I was really impressed how fast it was to upgrade – I assume the files were already pre-downloaded since it immediately rebooted when I clicked “Allow” and started the process.  It seemed that there were three major steps, and things were up and running again.

I went directly from RC19 to RC30 – bypassing the RC2x versions that were out there.

I’m sure there are other phones out there that do over the air upgrades, but none of the big smartphones I’ve used before.  The method that the G1 and Google Android has come up with should be a model for others out there.  Well done.

steve Phone g1, google phone, rc30 upgrade

A few days ago I got a call from AT&T saying that I was likely going to have an increase on my cell phone bill due to the amount of SMS’es I send and receive.   I had upgraded to the iPhone 3G shortly after it came out, and had an unlimited SMS plan.

Unlimited, to AT&T, doesn’t mean unlimited.  Apparently if you go over some threshold that only they know, they consider you using this service beyond what “normal” users would, and as such, they would like to charge you more than even the unlimited amount.

After a few calls back and forth to AT&T and working my way up the chain, it was obvious that even without this increase in my plan, that there were other increases coming to iPhone customers, especially anyone who uses them for business reasons, as I did.

So at ~$120 a month after taxes and use, I felt it was time to look for another provider that not only charged less, but also had better coverage.  For several years I had been struggling with getting good coverage both at home and at friends houses nearby.  In many cases I would have no service at all for long periods of time.  This was with three different phones, iPhone 1st gen, AT&T Tilt, and the iPhone 3G.  And this was in a pretty populated area of Seattle – Queen Anne.

I had used T-Mobile before, and had good success with them at home in terms of service coverage, but their phone models were lagging behind everyone else, and at the time I wanted the iPhone, so hence AT&T.

A friend of mine had the new G1 phone, and after playing around a little with it, and with the G1 simulator, I decided to go with the G1 on T-Mobile.

The phone itself has a few quirks, including the Jay Leno-like chin at the bottom of the phone, which has taken some getting used to.  But the rest of it is well designed and thought out.  Battery life is an issue, just like any other 3G capable phone.  All of the neat features everyone talks about can’t be used unless you charge it every 4-6 hours.

The real exciting thing to me is the Android operating system.  It’s been well thought out, and being a bit of a Google centric person myself, I really like the integration with their services.  In addition, many usability things that I have wished for in past phones have been well thought out here.

So far, the coverage at home is excellent, and the phone has worked exactly as I would expect.  Even by this point on other phones and networks, I would have found a few problems.  I’m sure there will be some, but I’m pretty confident they’ll be small, or someone will fix them in the open source community.

Looking forward to posts on the phone over the next few weeks as I learn more…

steve Phone android, g1, google phone, t-mobile