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PRODUCT REVIEW
Secure your passwords visually with visKeeper
By Cynthia Green
I found visKeeper, by sfr, to be a fascinating product. I'm a database administrator and, at last count, I have 297 passwords in my password database. It's not just work (multiple roles on multiple databases on multiple machines), it seems like half the Web sites I visit need me to set up an account and password. I currently keep all these passwords on a database that is not password protected (don't tell my security people). My previous PDA (a Sony Clie T665C) had terrible Graffiti recognition and it would have been too difficult and time consuming to have to enter a password every time I opened database.
So you can see why I need something like visKeeper.
When you open your visKeeper database (called a safe), you are presented with a picture. Entering your password is as easy as touching one or more points on the picture. But, I am getting ahead of myself (you can tell that this picture thing is my favorite part of this product).
visKeeper comes in three formats: Windows, Palm OS, and Pocket PC. One license ($20 US) gets you all three products. I really like products for my PDA that have a Windows version. I can do the majority of the data entry on my PC and sync it up with my PDA.
Installation
The PC installation went smoothly. The only thing I would change is to have the documentation included in the executable or ZIP file. The documentation has to be downloaded separately. Once you get the documentation, though, it is well written and offered in PDF format.
The company who created visKeeper, sfr, is a German firm. I have frequently struggled with documentation from software firms in countries where English is not the predominant language (unlike most Europeans, I am only able to speak "American"). These manuals were clear and easy to understand.
When you start the program for the first time you are presented with a choice of entering an activation code or selecting a 30 day trial. It's a 32-digit activation code, so type carefully. The initial screen shows you the default "safe". Figure A shows you what it looks like on the Pocket PC.
FIGURE A
 
Here's the Pocket PC "safe". Roll over picture for a larger image.
The screen looks different for the Palm OS, as you can see in Figure B.
FIGURE B
 
Here's the "safe" for the Palm OS. Roll over picture for a larger image.
And, if you're a Windows user, you can access the same "safe" as shown in Figure C.
FIGURE C
 
Here's what it looks like in Windows. Roll over picture for a larger image.
Creating a password
Your first task is to create visKeeper password. Choose "Password -> Change Picture" from the main menu. You will be asked to select a picture (I like the dolphins shown in Figure D). For now, just choose one of the JPG files presented. We will get into how to use other pictures later.
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