Head-to-Head Review: Spb Wallet 1.5 vs. eWallet 6

Posted by: weiganla on Mar 22 2008 - 2,166 views

A couple of days ago I was trying to set up a home wireless network for my parents. I needed the login and password for their DSL account, which of course wasn’t written down anywhere, and the only place it might be was stored in their email account, which I couldn’t get to because I’d disconnected the Internet to set up the network. Argh!

How are we supposed to keep track of all those darn codes, PINs, and serials? There’s the highly technical "scrap of paper" method, with or without any attempt to conceal the paper. I hear this one is particularly popular with high-powered executives. My parents go with the "only use one login and password for everything" technique, which gets complicated really fast: did we tack random numbers on the end to make the required length? Did we have to throw in any capitals? Let’s just try a few variations and hope we don’t get locked out before we guess right!

Spb and Ilium think there’s a better way. Their Spb Wallet and eWallet programs are at the head of the pack in one of the most competitive areas of mobile software, and both developers contacted JAMM about reviews of their latest versions around the same time. A digital wallet should be one of the first things you put on a new Pocket PC, but which one? Click past the jump for a comparison between two of the best!

Both of these programs do a terrific job at keeping your data organized and secure. Ilium and Spb both have programs on the JAMM Essentials list (including eWallet for Ilium) and had great showings at the Pocket PC Magazine Best of 2007 Awards, so you know anything they put out will be powerful and polished. eWallet and Spb Wallet obviously have a lot of features in common — I mean, look at the names — but each one also has some unique features that set it apart.

Overview

Some people think a wallet is a thing that holds money. On a good day I might have a 20 or two stuffed into the bills compartment, but most of the room in my wallet is taken up by cards. My drivers license, my credit cards, my frequent buyer hole-punch card to Smoothie King… mmm, smoothies. About half the time, what I need isn’t the actual card, it’s just the numbers and information off the card. Wouldn’t it be great if I could carry that information securely, along with all of my passwords, account numbers, call-if-stolen numbers that are invariably printed on the thing that might be stolen, etc.? Digital wallets can manage all that, and they take up a heck of a lot less space. Spb Wallet and eWallet do more than my actual wallet does (except for getting my Smoothie King hole-punches. Technology just isn’t there yet).

So, what’s the best way to present all of this information? eWallet was the first to put the information from a card into a user interface that actually looks like a card, and Spb Wallet uses the same idea. Let’s not go into whether this is a case of parallel evolution or imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s an effective and brilliant scheme. Both programs have pretty graphics and tons of templates to make adding information easy, so they look good and work great without a lot of effort on your part.

The other half of the programs is the desktop application. Since a lot of the information someone would want to keep in a digital wallet is really useful on a computer, it’s handy to have right there, and having a full-sized window to work with makes editing and syncing a snap. I see the desktop companion as an essential part of a digital wallet, and both Spb Wallet and eWallet have very nice ones. For this review I’ll mainly focus on the mobile application, but both programs have their own vision of how they should integrate into the rest of your tech life.

Getting Up and Running

Installation and registration is pretty much identical for both programs, using the standard desktop installer and ActiveSync. Both work as fully functional free trials for 30 days or until they are registered. eWallet is taking up about 2000 KB of space and Spb Wallet 3700 KB on my Axim x51v. My RAM took a hit of about 0.8 MB with eWallet and 0.5 MB with Spb Wallet, and both run contentedly from my SD card.

To really get rolling with these programs, you need to set up both the Windows Mobile and desktop portions. eWallet requires a separate registration code for the PC companion, while one code on Spb Wallet activates the whole package. Both programs will start you out with some handy tips and dummy cards in a new wallet. However, first you need to create your first wallet. Spb Wallet wanted a name and password, and I was ready to roll. eWallet was a little more demanding, taking me through a wizard that included a semi-confusing screen about sync direction and telling me, "You fool, this wallet doesn’t exist on your Pocket PC. Are you sure you want me to put it there? Really sure?"

The extra wrinkles are because Ilium sells eWallet in pieces: you can buy the mobile version (for Pocket PC, smartphone, or Palm) and the PC version separately. If eWallet is like a Baskin Robbins where you build your own double dip, Spb Wallet is Neapolitan — one tub, everything stuck together. It takes a little more effort for Baskin Robbins to combine flavors, but I wouldn’t say it’s a rocky road.

Security

The whole point of a digital wallet is to keep sensitive information safe. If you’re not just a little paranoid about identity theft — and these days, everyone ought to be — there is no point in bothering with either of these programs. From one mildly, justifiably paranoid person to another, both Spb Wallet and eWallet make me feel reasonably secure, which is a big step up from where I was before.

Both programs use 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption — according to Ilium, the method used by some government agencies — with a key generated from your wallet password, which is not stored in any file. Obviously, this means your wallet password is your major line of defense, so you’d better make it strong (both eWallet and Spb Wallet give password strength feedback). On the other hand, this password is not recorded anywhere and it would be really stupid and self-defeating to write it down, so the burden is on you to come up with something memorable.

Another nice feature of both programs is a password maker. Thanks to eWallet and Spb Wallet, all of my passwords have changed from stuff like "benniethedog2003" to things along the lines of "IL2m^nU#e9)87$-". Crack that!

eWallet and Spb Wallet each offer the capability to attach other files to your cards so the whole lot is encrypted. This is a convenient way to securely carry, say, sensitive company documents. It’s a feature that makes these programs more like digital safes than just wallets.

Another security concern is keylogging programs, and both programs again step up to the plate with countermeasures. A lot of programs now are smart about phone numbers and web addresses, but Spb Wallet and eWallet take it a step further to frustrate keyloggers. When you open a website from within a card on either program, username and password are automatically filled in. Spb Wallet is even stronger on this front: wallet passwords on both the desktop and PPC components are entered on a touchpad.

Finally, you can set up your wallets to lock after a certain period of inactivity or missed login attempts. Ilium and Spb seem to have thought of everything — but I’m still concerned about Van Eck phreaking.

Opening It Up

It’s time to take a look inside the programs. Once you’ve logged into your wallet, your cards appear organized into folders that can be navigated in either icon or tree view. Spb Wallet also offers a "most used" view.

 

 

As the screenshots show, both programs can easily handle a huge variety of information from bank account numbers to clothing sizes. eWallet sports 31 templates and Spb Wallet comes with 59 with many more available online. And of course you can always create your own.

Playing With Cards

The heart of both programs is the cards. Each starts you off with some samples, and editing them is the fastest way to get some of your own information recorded. Just open a card and click the "Edit" softkey, then fill in the fields.

Customization is extremely powerful in both programs, but the steps are different. However, I think that with a little effort I could almost exactly reproduce the looks of an eWallet card in Spb Wallet and vice versa. Spb Wallet tends to rely more heavily on its templates, and it is more difficult to do things like add fields and change their names; however, it has so many templates available that chances are one of them will be perfect for you. eWallet takes a little more work on the front end to set up a card, but if you need lots of flexibility that may not be a bad thing.

Getting the information in is just the beginning. The next step is making it look good. Since the method is a little different, I’ll go through the steps for eWallet and then Spb Wallet.

eWallet Card Creation

So, we’re in eWallet and making a new card. The process here is kind of like a wizard. First, we decide what kind of card it is going to be.

Then, we’re into the card properties — no going back to change templates. We fill in the fields like in the screenshot above. Tap-and-hold lets you change field names. Then we go to the rest of the tabs in the card’s properties. Appearance is self-explanatory, but if you want something other than black-on-white you should spend some time there — card type defines the fields, not the looks. Attachment allows you to pin other files to a card.

 

See the check box that says "Display as Flex View" in the Appearance tab? eWallet essentially acquired FlexWallet, another well-regarded digital wallet program, between the release of eWallet versions 5 and 6 (the current one). The major change to eWallet as a result is the new Flex View, which shows your information in rows instead of on a "card." Sometimes this new view works really well, like in the right-hand image:

…and sometimes not. This looks like a glitch due to the use of a background image rather than just a color:

 

Speaking of images, another new feature in eWallet 6 is the ability to use image backgrounds for cards, not just solid colors, through the Picture tab. Any JPG or BMP can be used, but Ilium have provided a downloadable pack to get you started. The final step is the Notes tab, where you can add any information that doesn’t fit neatly into the fields.

Spb Wallet Card Creation

Now we’ve switched programs and are making a new card in Spb Wallet. This process is a little more streamlined and a little less flexible (in some ways, anyway) than eWallet. We’re taken straight to Card Properties.

 

Filling in fields is straightforward, unless you want to change the name of or add fields. To do that, you have to edit the template, which is a process in itself. Fortunately, other tweaks are a lot simpler.

The View tab gives a preview of what the card will look like. Unlike in eWallet, card types (templates) in Spb Wallet do define looks, and each one has a unique background loaded. To edit the view, you have to uncheck "inherit template view." Copying the card view from the base template lets you do little things like change font size, drag and drop text box positions, or add a field that normally displays in the notes area to the card itself. If you don’t copy from the base template, you start with a completely blank slate and build up, picking backgrounds and fields to show and font colors and so on. The last two tabs, Attachments and Notes, work similarly to the ones in eWallet; not much to see there.

I’ve mentioned templates several times. Editing a template is not much different from editing a card, so I’m not going to go into it in detail. But it is kind of a pain to have to do too often. Spb Wallet takes a creative approach to this problem by providing an online Template Gallery with literally hundreds of templates to download. Their staff will even make new templates for the Gallery on request.

Compared to eWallet, you can customize a similar amount without having to make direct changes to the templates. eWallet’s big advantage is the ease of customizing field names. Spb Wallet has an edge in choosing, positioning, and sizing the information on the card. Both have many well-thought-out templates (some are better in eWallet, some in Spb Wallet) and nice graphics capabilities.

Innovative Extras

Digital wallets are one of the oldest product types for Pocket PCs. With all those years of trial and error, the big names have figured out what works and what doesn’t to store secure information. In other words, there are very good reasons why eWallet and Spb Wallet are so similar. Since the Pocket PC applications and even the desktop companions have pretty well settled into mature forms, developers have to get creative to set themselves apart. Ilium and Spb have both come up with clever ideas, and it will be very interesting to see how this concept war will play out.

Spb’s approach is the Spb Wallet toolbar. It’s a link between the information in your digital wallet and the websites where that information is useful. From it, you can launch Spb Wallet, go to a website already in Spb Wallet, generate a password, and even — my favorite — capture a card from a login and password you have filled out on a web page, even if it’s an autofilled password that only shows up as asterisks and you’ve forgotten what it actually is. With the two-way communication between Spb Wallet and the browser, there is no need to type or autofill again, and information is now much more secure with practically no inconvenience.

Ilium has gone in a different direction. Since they’re smart people who see that web-based applications are primed to take off, they have created the eWallet Web Companion, currently in beta (eWallet 6 users can sign up here). The Web Companion allows you to view your eWallet files from anything with an Internet connection, from an iPhone to a Wii. You don’t get much more mobile than that! Because Web Companion is still in beta, I won’t discuss it beyond the publicly available information in the last few sentences.

Conclusion

Last time I did a head-to-head review I had a partner, and he preferred one program while I favored the other. That made writing a wrap-up really easy because we took tentative sides but the overall review did not. I don’t think you guys will fall for that this time. I mean, I’ve made it pretty obvious that I think a digital wallet is an indispensable part of a mobile setup. I’m one person, and logic says that I’m actively using exactly one of these two programs.

Almost a year back, I won eWallet 5 in a contest and used it exclusively until I got the review copy of Spb Wallet 1.5. Not much later, Ilium asked me to look at eWallet 6. I’ve used both programs extensively, and honestly I think they’re both terrific. They’re head and shoulders above any of the other wallet programs I’ve tried, and you won’t go wrong with either. Before you make your own decision, I strongly recommend that you look at both free trials. Seriously, do it. Here and here. Get to know their strengths and quirks, kick the tires. Whichever one you try first, you can import the data you store there into the other.

However, I just need one wallet program, and after this review goes up, eWallet is coming off. I almost hate to say goodbye to it, but Spb Wallet allows me to protect and access my secure data faster, easier, and smoother. I like the interface, I like the graphics integration, and I depend on the toolbar for daily surfing. And Spb Wallet is just more fun. On the other hand, I’m a volunteer reviewer who makes crazy analogies and bad puns; we’re a small demographic. Try for yourself, but I’ll be sticking with Spb Wallet — at least until the next round of updates.

Vital Stats

Spb Wallet can be purchased from Spb Software House and the JAMM Store for $29.95.

eWallet is available from Ilium and the JAMM Store for $29.95. As a JAMM Essential, it is always 20% off in the JAMM Store with code JAMM-ESSENTIAL.

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