Overall, SplashID works exactly as you'd expect, and seems solid and reliable. The only problem I had with the program was with the import feature. The program is supposed to be able to import from YAPS (Yet Another Password Safe) and several other password safe programs. I use YAPS, so I tried the import, after first exporting from YAPS. I crashed my Zire 72 repeatedly, and was never able to get this to work. It did, however, work fine when I HotSynced my Palm and then did the import into the desktop version.

I would much prefer to not have to have the same password set on the handheld and the desktop. I rarely take my laptop out of the house; to access my passwords at home, I really don't need to enter a password first. Still, it is much more secure this way, and it's really only a minor inconvenience.

For its solid functionality, SplashID gets a rating of four out of five.

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise, has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com.