Windows Phone Thoughts: Digital & Secure: FlexWallet 2005 Reviewed

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Digital & Secure: FlexWallet 2005 Reviewed

Posted by Dave Potter in "SOFTWARE" @ 09:30 AM


Installation
First time users of this application will love the quick and easy installation process. The integrated installer takes care of both the desktop version and the Pocket PC version in one pass. No muss – no fuss.

For previous users, though, the process is a little more complex. First of all, the new version does not overwrite older versions. It installs independently. So if you're like me, and forget to uninstall the older version first, you're left with two versions of FlexWallet on both your PC and your Pocket PC. (oops!)

Secondly, FlexWallet 2005 does not recognize wallets created with previous versions of FlexWallet. This, however, should not be cause for panic since the old wallets can be quickly and easily imported and converted with just a few mouse clicks using the PC version of FlexWallet 2005. The details of this process are described here. Unfortunately, the Pocket PC version is not capable of performing this import / conversion process.

OK – so now that you’ve got your data in a new 2005 wallet, how do you get it back onto your Pocket PC? Enter the ‘Wallet Synchronization Wizard’ which describes step by step how to change your ActiveSync settings to enable file synchronization. This is primarily intended for less experienced users. Us ‘seasoned’ users will already be familiar with this process. Once file synchronization is set up in ActiveSync and your wallet is saved in the appropriate synchronization folder on your PC, just sync your Pocket PC and you’re done. You can now use the Pocket PC FlexWallet 2005 application to open, view and modify your wallet.

Security
Unquestionably the most important aspect of any e-wallet is security. We are talking about some pretty sensitive information after all. Well, fear not, my friend! FlexWallet features 128-bit industrial strength encryption which is toted by Two Peaks as being “Stronger and more robust… because it generates multiple irreversible digital signatures from your password to encrypt your data”. I am not an encryption or security expert – but this sounds to me like it should be more than adequate for the majority of users.

In addition to this, Two Peaks has added a new ‘Hybrid’ password system. Older versions only supported numeric passwords whereas FlexWallet 2005 supports both numeric and alpha-numeric passwords. Numeric passwords are easier to enter – but are less secure. Alpha-numeric passwords, on the other hand, are more difficult to enter through the Pocket PC SIP – but are much more secure. I personally prefer the numeric option – but it’s nice to know that there is an alternative. Another nice little add-on is the Password Generator which they’ve included in the PC version of FlexWallet 2005.

One thing that I was disappointed not to find in FlexWallet 2005 was a lock-out safety protocol for multiple unsuccessful login attempts. FlexWallet does shut down after a set number of unsuccessful login attempts, but it does not lockup the application to block access from any would-be data thieves. This means that they are free to restart FlexWallet and keep trying. Not a perfect solution… Perhaps we’ll find this feature in the next version?

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