Review Conditions
SPB Wallet was installed on a Nokia E71, an S60 3rd edition FP1 device. The desktop application was installed on a Windows XP SP 2 OS.
Installation
The setup.exe installs both the desktop app and the symbian application on the mobile too. There is also an option to install the .sis file on the mobile independently. The registration of license key can be done on the mobile. SBP Wallet installs a tool bar for IE and Firefox. More about it later in the review.
First View
SBP Wallet is yet another application that stores all your passwords and other personal information on your s60 device in a secure manner. We have already reviewed SBSH Safe Wallet here. Lets see how this measures up.
Main Review
Desktop application
At first run of the application on the desktop, you will be asked to create a new wallet or open an existing one or sync. You should select the location of the ‘wallet’, which stores your personal information. The wallet has a proprietary file format, .swl. But the wallet can also be exported to a text format. A password is mandatory for a wallet and is expected when a new wallet is created. The strength of the password is verified by the application.
I was using SBSH SafeWallet before and I wanted to import all my personal information from SBSH SafeWallet into SPB Wallet. I exported the wallet as a txt file from SBSH SafeWallet. SPB Wallet is designed for easy migration from other Secure Information Managers. You can import data from other applications like eWallet, FlexWallet, CodeWallet, Handy Safe, etc. There is also support to import CSV files. But SBSH SafeWallet is not supported. So even when I exported the contents of SHSB Safe Wallet to a text file, SPB Wallet couldn’t import it successfully. Eventually I had to update my Handy Safe database, export the data as a text file from Handy Safe and then import it into SPB Wallet. I wish there was support for importing of data from SBSH Safewallet.
Importing a text file created out of HandySafe was a breeze. For every card, I could specify the template that should be used in SPB Wallet or just allow it to choose the defaults.
With a SPB Wallet tool bar integrated with IE and Firefox, creating new Cards is very simple. Just enter the login details on a website and click “Capture Card” and the contents are stored as a new Card in SPB Wallet. When you get back to the site, just click “Fill Page” and the login details is just filled up. This is a very good feature.
Mobile Device
On the mobile after the sync the wallet (.swl file) is placed in an obscure location that is not known to the user. I wouldn’t bother where the wallet is placed except that when I open the app on my device, it wants to know the location of the wallet. I really don’t care. That’s the job of the application. So I searched for .wpl files and found that it was in E:\Data\Others\My Wallet.swl. When I create a new wallet on the mobile device, I am asked the location where the wallet should be placed. The user should not be bothered with this detail.
When nearly 60 templates available, you can store any personal information when the right context. SPB Wallet saves so much time because of the rich set of templates.
Handling
SPB Wallet is very easy to use both on the device and the desktop. There is a “Most Used Cards” menu that is good for a quick reference. The Find option is amazing. It shows results as you type. I typed a common password I use and it showed up in more than 15 Cards. I must change it soon! There are some themes and colors for the logon button. Not very exciting but there has been attempt to liven up things for the user!
Weaknesses
I didn’t find many. I don’t want to be bothered about the location of the wallet on my mobile device, not the first time and definitely not every time I open SPB Wallet on the device. It really puts me off. Just display all the wallets on the device and ask for the password when I open it!!
Conclusion
SPB Wallet is a feature rich and well designed secure information manager for your s60 devices. Its can be downloaded here for a trial or purchase. Its worth a look and I will give it 3 of 5.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I got a Windows error when I tried to sync it from my PC. For me that rules it out since I am not going to trust an application with all my passwords unless it is 100% robust.