Tech Time ::: 1Password4 for Mac

Photos: Me, of my app and my desktop. Yea, sorry about your eyes.

Back in June, I posted about an iOS Password Management app that was pretty pleased with, but wasn't as enamored with the Mac desktop version of.  As a reader of their blog, and several other tech blogs, I knew that AgileBits was hard at work on a new version that included several updates that took care of most, if not all, of my complaints. 

Lo and behold, just a couple weeks ago, Agile Bits released the newest version of 1Password for Mac into the wild. 1Password4 for Mac so far seems to have been everything I was expecting it to be, and more.  

Finally, everything between my 1Password4 for iOS and my 1Password for Mac is in sync and no longer do I have a million and one passwords and logins from each time I visited a site clogging my app on my Mac, constantly bugging me to update and save things the way it used to only to add one more login I didn't need.  Now, if anything updates or has to change and I immediately correct it, the app is synced on both platforms and I don't have to fiddle with opening both apps on both platforms to update everything on my own, nor do I have duplication with 10 identical logins for the same websites. 

A huge change, and one that made me quite happy, is the interface. It looks more like the iOS app, and is a lot less cumbersome to move around.  There is also a "1Password Mini" (see it there?) which is in the menubar on the top right and allows you to get to your vault data without having to launch the app. Nice touch.  

The addition of "folders" within the vault is a great touch as well, so I could set up, say, a folder for all my forum logins, a folder for all my accounts related to my blogging, all the accounts related to my business, etc., and that's just a quick toggle on the left. I am going to start utilizing that feature I think.  The browser plugins were updated as well, so that you can just click to fill in your logins straight from the app through the plugin. 

Another equally awesome change is the addition of multiple "vaults", meaning you could have a vault for your home stuff, and a vault for your work stuff, all under one master password, and easily switchable. If you click on the top left, you can toggle between vaults, including a demo vault. In this case I went from my vault to the "demo" vault, belonging to Wendy Appleseed, where I can share all of her business.

Something I didn't expect, and was very pleased to see, was the inclusion of the security audit feature.  I try to keep on top of my passwords being secure and use different ones for everything. I also try to include symbols whenever possible. This feature will tell you which passwords are weak, too old, or if you've used the same one on which sites or apps.  If you spot a weak, old or duplicate password that you want to change in favor of a stronger password, you can use their password generator, and change it on the spot, and it saves your new password.   I apparently had 4 passwords that the app thought to be weak, so I updated those.

As we can see, Ms. Appleseed has some old passwords and a weak one.

Another huge plus is that 1Password4 also syncs to Dropbox AND iCloud,  great for backing up everything in the event of a problem, while also keeping everything super secure.  According to AgileBits' site, the app is using "256-bit Authenticated Encryption, PBKDF2 with HMAC-SHA512" (the short version of that pile of letters and numbers is that it means it's REALLY hard to crack open, even for someone with the means to do so),  which assures that the app keeps your stuff locked up securely.

So, you're reading this thinking "SOLD! Where do I get it and how much does all this security and fabulousness cost?"  Well, first, all 1Password 3 customers who purchased the app via the Mac App Store or via the AgileBits web store in 2013 will be upgraded to 1Password 4 for FREE. Since I was among those who bought from the Mac App Store, it popped up in my Software Updates like any update otherwise would.   

For the rest of you who may not have: the Launch-sale price for new customers is $39.99 – 20% off the regular price of $49.99 for single-user license,  $55.99 for family license. If you bought through the website before 2013: $24.99 – $10 off the upgrade price of $34.99, and $34.99 for the family pack (half price from the regular upgrade of $69.99!)  The iOS app is sold separately for $17.99. 

I am quite happy with this update, and I strongly recommend this app--in both Mac and Windows format--as well as the mobile version (iOS and Android) for storing your passwords and equally sensitive data. It really is secure and since we have a million and one things to keep track of, it is incredibly helpful at storing all of that to keep it straight.

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