Welcome to Agile Web Solutions!

Here at Touchtip we use the incredible 1Password desktop application which syncs our passwords to our iPhones and iPod touches. 1Password is currently Mac only, and we have yet to discover an equivalent tool for PC, but 1Password has also just released a standalone app for iPhone and iPod touch, available free for a limited time from the App Store.

Martin McKeay: "I’ve been using 1Password on both the iPhone and the MBP for several weeks now and I’m impressed. The sync works great, which I was especially greatful of when I had to reinstall 2.0.2 software on my iPhone after an aborted jailbreak attempt. I’ve been using the password creation portion of the program to replace the memorized passwords I’ve been using. I allow Firefox to memorize some passwords, but the most sensitive ones are still only going to be in 1Password or my head. Having the ability to quickly look up the password means they can be strong and I don’t have to keep them in my head."

Today I had one of those what-the-heck software moments that occurs when a program breaks where it's least expected. A premier feature in the iPhone app I was tinkering with had up and vanished after a version update. 1Password for iPhone, first reviewed by my colleague Josh Lowensohn, is better known by its Mac counterpart, which encrypts log-ons and passwords on the Mac and automatically fills them in on Web pages.

Anyone who remembers the old Groucho Marx TV Show "You Bet Your Life" knows that Groucho would always ask, "What's the secret word?" at a particular point in the show. Today, in our heightened concern for security, we are getting asked for the secret word everywhere we go – especially online. Stores, banks, for making purchases, filling out forms, etc. And we're supposed to remember all of them? Gimme a break. Or better yet, write them down on a piece of paper, Post-It or store it a file on the computer. Sure, I know you do that, because I do it myself. There's gotta be a better way.

A long time ago I realized I needed some help keeping track of my passwords. It would be absolute folly to use the same ID and password for each account, so that means I need to record them somewhere secure. My original solution (back in the Mac OS X 10.2 days) was to keep a text file in an encrypted disk image. That worked well, but it quickly grew out of control. There are several good password managers, but 1Password is the best because it integrates well with the browser