eWallet for Mac preview
eWallet has always been my application of choice when it comes an electronic database of passwords that I can carry around on a mobile device. Since my move to the iPhone, I was eagerly awaiting the release of eWallet for that platform. With the desktop version on Windows, I had the opportunity to replicate my previous experience of being able to synchronize data between the iPhone and desktop – at least on the Windows system, I had access to password-relevant information.
But as someone who is moving between Macintosh and Windows fairly frequently, I was disappointed that no Mac-compatible desktop version of eWallet was available. For some time, the promise of a port to Mac OS X has been made, without any timeline of when the product would be available. Thankfully, the wait for that is almost over. Ilium has provided a first glimpse of their eWallet desktop application for the Mac. In conjunction with the release of eWallet 7.0 for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry and Windows, I have had the opportunity to download and install a preview edition for Mac OS X.
The application looks and behaves very much the same as the Windows version. The software sports a new look and feel and provides a variety of additional views that may be hidden or displayed by clicking a button in the status bar.
Not all features are supported in the preview edition – search functionality is missing and most notably, the ability to synchronize with a mobile device is not yet supported. Other than that, all the necessary information is accessible, which is the most important feature for me. I had no problem copying my Windows eWallet file to the iMac for use there.
With the preview edition almost complete, the wait for the finished product shouldn’t be too long now. A nice change to the licensing policy means that a purchase of eWallet no longer restricted the use of the software to a single device. Finally, seamless synchronization of important information from and to Windows, Mac and the iPhone will be a reality.
I too have been waiting for this since I switched from Windows/WM to Mac/iPhone. And I am very glad indeed to see the beta.
However… eWallet, like all apps that keep your information on the iPhone, faces a sync nightmare. For reasons no one seems to understand, Apple has made it extremely difficult to transfer information between the iPhone and a desktop (Mac or otherwise). It can’t be done over the USB cable, can’t be done automatically at iPhone/iTunes sync time, and requires some ridiculous TCP kludge over wi-fi.
In this case, you have to manually use FTP to transfer the eWallet data file(s) back and forth. This is so cumbrous and error-prone that I am unsure it is worth it.
On the other hand, all alternatives will face the same problem, until Apple relents and allows sane syncing.
Cross your fingers.