Review: SplashID for BlackBerry Smartphones

The next secure database application we will look at is definitely making waves, if you will pardon the pun. SplashID from Splash Data is hailed as being ‘one of the crown jewels in the Splash Data family’.  With my Berry, I’ve gotten used to relying on its calendar and contact list to remember names and dates for me. This left me to fill my noggin beyond capacity with logins, URLs, passwords, account and other personal information. Critical information then leaking out of my nose (or at least I think that’s what it is), I turned to my memo pad and password keeper. I know, not the most secure (memopad) or organized (password keeper) solutions, but it got me through the day.

SplashID is designed for no-nonsense, neat and clean access to your personal information and your dirty little secrets. You can use the handheld application as a stand alone product or you can partner it up with the SplashID Desktop Manager on your computer.

No more will you have to write down vital data on a scrap piece of paper and tuck it away in a drawer. No more simplifying your passwords or using one for everything you use. No more forgetting passwords or important account information and having to search through papers for them.

Let us dive into SplashID and wade through all it has to offer….

Dive! Dive! Dive!

SplashID and Ascendo DataVault share a few similarities. For an easy comparison, check out my review of DataVault that was posted a couple of months ago. As with all secured databases, you are prompted to create a password and a password hint for continuing. Now you’ll only have to remember one and let SplashID keep track of the rest. My mind feels emptier already (stop laughing at me). If you decide to use the Desktop version as well, make sure the password is the same for both applications to ensure synchronization. SplashID protects your information using 256-bit Blowfish encryption. After ten failed attempts to unlock SplashID, you will be locked out.

Can’t think of a password? Worry not! My favorite feature of this application is the password generator. SplashID will help you create a powerful password by asking you what you want in a password, even if you want it pronounceable!

If you close SplashID or leave it idle for a predetermined amount of time, you will need this password to get back in. You can choose to lock the application when it’s been idle for between 1 and 30 minutes.  Anywhere between 1 and 5 is all you need, in my opinion. A true Crack Addict won’t put his/her Berry down for any longer than 10. You can also choose when to lock SplashID when it’s in the background, though the best setting to choose in this case is “Immediately.”

The main screen is filled in by a slew of entry examples. Thoughtful of SplashData to show how a completed application looks, but now I have to delete them. Once you have deleted the sample entries *sigh* a click of the menu button will let you select to add one of your own. SplashID accommodates for almost any type of entry possible from Bank Accounts to Web Logins. You can then list them under Business or Personal Categories. With SplashID you have two wonderful views to choose from which are List View and Tree View. In List View, you can sort by Category or Type and Tree View already separates the Business and Personal Categories for you. An example of each can be seen below.

There is also a Detailed View, where you can scroll up and down through each entry. Each entry will encompass the screen, and then scroll again to look for its notes. It’s a great idea but I find the application very touchy and I found myself zooming past complete entries altogether.

Caution should be advised when choosing how many fields you want to see in each entry for your List view. SplashID doesn’t share DataVault’s “Roll & Scroll” feature. The fields get all snuggly with each other and they wrestle for space on the BlackBerry screen, making them difficult to read.

Each Entry Type comes with the appropriate predetermined fields you can fill in, and custom fields you can fill in as you see fit. For example; a Web Login Entry will have Description, Username, Password and URL already laid out for you.  Along with the fields, an accompanying icon will be displayed, but you can choose to replace it with the any of the other 63 icons SplashID may have. Well 64, if you include the “no icon” option. Navigating through the grid of icons may be tedious as you cannot zip vertically to get to the bottom; you have to scroll through horizontally. They’ve also included a Notes field for each entry and a field indicating the date the entry was last modified. It should be noted that you can create your own type of entry and choose the value of each of the fields.

Like with DataVault, you can email an entry to a fellow SplashID user. And even encrypt/decrypt your emails between the both of you.

Emerging from the depths

SplashID offers to keep your personal information in style. I prefer the Tree view, but I will give props to the List view as it presents your information how you want to. The password generator is invaluable, as I find using it to generate new passwords for work. Easier navigation through some fields, such as icon selection, will hopefully be included in future version. This version offers you the ability to share your “top secret info” with fellow SplashID users.  SplashID is available at the CrackBerry store for $29.95. If you are drowning in IDs and passwords, climb aboard the SplashID raft.

Pros

• easy to use predetermined templates
• ability to create your own type of entry
• password generator

Cons

• some fields and views are difficult to navigate
• list view can become difficult to read if you have one too many entries

Download

• Download Free Trial or buy SplashID >>