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Ilium Software's eWallet Professional 3.1

Clinton Fitch | Chief Reviews Editor
August 14, 2002

Unlike other reviews, this review of Ilium Software's eWallet Professional 3.1 is more of an addendum to my existing review of eWallet 2.0. It will cover the significant improvements that 3.1 have over the previous version but will not go into as much detail on functionality and installation as the previous review. I recommend reading the eWallet 2.0 review first then reading this review on the new and improved features.

With the 3.1 release of eWallet, Ilium Software added two significant features that truly make the application customizable in every way. These new features, added to the already impressive amount of data, types of data and ease-of-use in the previous version, may this release a clear "must have" for HPC users.

The first new feature is the ability to label any field with custom text. In previous versions, eWallet did not allow users to customize the fields on a card that was being put into their wallet. Now, every field on a card can be changed to fit the needs of the user. In my example below, I have created a new category which is for banking accounts. By default the category will be named Accounts.

I've renamed the category from Accounts to Clinton's Bank Accounts

I then rename the category to something friendlier, Clinton's Bank Accounts and tap OK. This ability to rename categories has been available for sometime in eWallet and makes it much easier to remember where particular information is stored.

Now that a new category has been created, I highlight it and tap the Add a New Card icon (or CTRL+R). Unlike previous versions, every field in the card is now an editable field. In my example, I have decided to rename the field Other Information to Address. To do this, I highlight the Other Information field name, and then hold the ALT key down while tapping the text which brings up a properties menu to allow me to rename it.

Hold ALT then tap the name of the field you want to edit and choose the Rename Field option on the menu

Next, type in the name that you want for the field then tap the OK button. Now the field is labeled Address.

 

The Other Information field is now named Address

With the ability to rename fields on each card, eWallet now allows for any detail to be identified easily and accurately on a card. This is particularly handy if users store technical or detailed information which does not fit one of the many templates that come built into the application.

The second new feature in eWallet 3.1 is the ability to save a created card as a template. This is very handy if users have multiple instances of a type of card. For example, in my eWallet, I have nearly 50 websites that I have log in credentials too. While the standard Web Site Card in eWallet is excellent, the ability to create my own template allows me to quickly identify not only my login credentials but also site contact information, expiration of my credentials, and so forth. Creating such a template is as easy as creating a new Card. In my example, I am going to change the default Web Site Card into something a bit more helpful for myself. The card, by default looks like this:

eWallet's default Web Site Card

Since every field is editable, I change the field names to friendlier and easily identifiable names and change the order of information. After I create the field I want, I tap OK and name the card, creating an empty card in my wallet.

My customized eWallet Card for Web Sites

To make the card a template, I select the card then go to the Edit - Save To Template option. This allows me to rename the card if I want to do so then I tap OK.

Rename the card to whatever you want the template name to be

With the new template created, all I have to do now is select it when I am adding a new card to use it. The new template will automatically be populated into the template directory when creating a new card, just as the original Web Site Card.

Choose the new template when you create a new card

 

Now I have my template for all my web site information which is customized to my needs

With the addition of these two new features, eWallet once again asserts itself as a key piece of HPC software. All of the abilities of the previous version, including 128-bit encryption, a small install footprint, and the ability to store virtually any type of information are in this new version, while still remaining at a low price.

Ilium Software sells the Handheld PC version alone for $19.95 and the Professional Edition for $29.95. The Professional Edition includes both the HPC version as well as the desktop version, allowing for file synchronization between the two devices via Active Sync. For those who have purchased the previous version of eWallet on or after July 1, 2002, the upgrade to the new version is free. More detailed information on the upgrade paths is available on the Ilium Software web site.

As always, Ilium sets itself apart from many software vendors with excellent customer support. This support can be reached via phone or email and prompt responses are the norm, not the exception. This outstanding support, coupled with this outstanding application, has Ilium Software setting the standard for other software vendors to follow.

System Requirements

HPC2000
StrongARM, MIPS

More information on Ilium Software eWallet Professional 3.1 can be found at
http://www.iliumsoft.com/

Ratings

Cost: 5- Star Rating
Usability: 5- Star Rating
Built-in Help: 5- Star Rating
Customer Service: 5- Star Rating
Overall: 5- Star Rating