Application Aims: Your Information Is “Eyes Only”

Reviewer's Comments
Reports of personal catastrophes due to identity theft seem to come to light ever more frequently. We all have numerous account numbers, PINs, user names, passwords and unique personal information that need protection from identity thieves. At the same time we must deal with the accessibility dilemma because the same information that requires protection has to be readily available to us and sometimes other authorized users. SplashID provides a tool to safeguard your sensitive information while keeping it readily available to you. Data is protected by sophisticated 256-bit Blowfish encryption which uses a 64-bit fixed block size and a variable key length of from 32 to 448 bits The better know AES encryption standard uses a 128-block size and key lengths of 128, 192 or 256 bits. There is no public record of a full round of either cipher ever having been broken.

Getting started with SplashID is a simple matter of following the Getting Started Wizard. Not surprisingly, one of the most important steps in the set up is creating a password for the application. There is an option to not set a password but that defeats the security purposes of the program. After initial set up, launching the application first takes you to the List View screen. Here you’ll see a display of all your recorded items. Selecting an item takes you to the Detailed View where the actual secure information is accessible. Information can be added, deleted, or changed in this view. Each item record has a number of built-in fields such as item name, category, description, and account number and users can also add up to nine custom entries for each item.

Since SplashID keeps track of your passwords, you don’t have to make them simple, and therefore breakable, in order to remember them. You can take advantage of the Automatic Password Generator to make true random passwords. You can set criteria to make the password stronger and there is a password strength indicator to rate the security of the result.

SplashID provides an easy-to-use solution to the modern dilemma created by the need to secure sensitive, personal information while being able to access it conveniently. The package includes a desktop version of the application which is virtually identical to the handheld one. Information can be entered on either the desktop or handheld and then synchronized to the other. This is both convenient and provides a great data backup feature. SplashID is a bit pricey at $29.95 as a stand-alone program but is more economical as a part of SplashWallet which also includes SplashMoney, SplashShopper, and SplashPhoto. The cost of the four programs together is $59.95.

Check out our BlackBerry reviews as well as our other application reviews to help you get the most out of your BlackBerry smartphone.