1Password sparkles as a Macworld Gem

Image courtesy of Macworld

Macworld senior editor Dan Frakes was tasked with selecting a list of 10 must-install OS X applications. Anyone who’s been using a Mac for even a little while knows that this is no easy task, given the amount of amazing OS X software out there. Have a look at the article and you’ll see that Dan sneaked a couple of extra applications in there, so you’ll find an additional Gem or two to try out on your Mac.

We’re proud to say that when he was backed into a corner and had to pick nothing less than the best of the best, Dan included 1Password for Mac on this prestigious list of essential OS X applications:

This combination of a standalone program and a seamlessly integrated browser add-on lets you store passwords and other personal info in a secure database that’s accessible across all your browsers (and syncs with companion iPhone and iPad apps).

Hearty congratulations to our buddies @dropbox and @SmileSoftware, and all the other fantastic developers whose software made the cut. We are honoured to be in your company. Thank you to Dan, Macworld, and especially all our wonderful customers, blog readers, forum members, and Facebook/Twitter followers for making 1Password what it is today.

Automatic Syncing Using Dropbox

Yay! We’re ecstatic to announce that Apple approved the new 1Password Pro version in the App Store! It means that we can finally spill the beans on a cool new feature we’ve been itching to tell you about for a long time:

1Password can now sync automatically using Dropbox!

Also known as “syncing to the cloud”, this amazing feature allows you to keep your Mac, Windows, and iOS devices in sync at all times, even when they are running on different networks. (Yes, I did say Windows; 1Password for Windows is currently in beta testing)

You can find out how to enable this feature in the User Guide: Automatic Syncing Using Dropbox.

We hope you love “syncing to the cloud” using Dropbox as much as we do! Keeping all your Macs, Windows, and iOS devices in sync is now easy as pie. Gluten-free blueberry pie, that is :)

NOTES

If you are already using Dropbox to sync your 1Password data between your Macs and/or PCs, you simply need to install the latest 1Password version and start it at least once before configuring your iOS device.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is there a specific top-level Dropbox folder name or path that the data file must be in for the iPhone app to find it?
No. All you need to do is start the latest version of 1Password on your Desktop and it will write out a “pointer” file to tell the iOS devices where to find the data file.
Do I need to turn off wi-fi syncing on my iPhone?
Yes, but 1Password will automatically disable that for you when you enable Dropbox syncing.
I also have an iPod Touch. Can I have all of my devices sync to the same Dropbox keychain?
Absolutely!! Add as many devices as you want!
When does sync occur on iOS?
Syncing will start automatically when you start 1Password (after unlocking) and when you make a change to an item. We’re evaluating how to run the sync more often without compromising on battery life.
I never used Dropbox. Where do I start?
Macworld created a great video about using 1Password and Dropbox together.

1Password Guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

So there I was, going through my daily routine, responding to folks on Twitter, when I came across this tweet:

Hang on, what? 1Password on Jimmy Kimmel Live? I don’t really know anything about the show, so I asked @sleuth for more information. Jason sent me a link to the episode on ABC’s web site and told me to watch the 16-minute mark:

Imagine my delight when I saw 1Password’s icon in the Jimmy Kimmel web browser!

Now, I don’t know if you know this or not, but it wasn’t all that long ago that we caught a glimpse of 1Password’s unlock screen on TNT’s “Leverage.” We’re on our way, friends, and we wouldn’t be, if it weren’t for you!

[Begin dream sequence…]

Original photo by Christian Haugen

[…End dream sequence]

1Password is available for Android!

Hooray! We’ve got great news for Android phone owners: 1Password is now available for Android! We’ve heard for a while now that this was high on our users’ wish list, and we’re thrilled to be able to deliver. We’re even making it free during the beta period!

We’re looking for your feedback. We’ve already seen so many posts from our passionate Android users that we know we’re going to get the feedback that will make this truly great. Check out the forums and join the conversation!

Note that 1Password for Android is a read-only application. You can securely access your logins, passwords, notes and credit cards, but you can’t add new items from your phone.

Installation is simple. Before you get started, though, we just want to say again that this is a beta. Please back up your data before you install the 1Password beta for Android. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to begin:

Find the Market application icon on your Android phone and tap it to launch.
On the main Market page, tap the search button in the top right corner.
Type 1Password in the search field, and select the 1Password application when you see it in the search results.
Read the application description, and then tap the “Install” button.

You should now have a 1Password icon on your phone’s screen.

Finished

Next, you’ll need to copy over your 1Password data. It’s just a couple of steps:

Find your 1Password data file:
- On Mac, you can look in 1Password > Preferences > General to find your Data File location. The default is Home > Library > Application Support > 1Password > 1Password.agilekeychain.
- If you are using the Windows Beta, your 1Password.agilekeychain is likely stored in your DropBox folder.
Copy the 1Password.agilekeychain folder to the root directory of your phone’s SD card. You can connect your phone with a USB cable, or—if you’re lucky enough to have a new Mac which has one—use your SD card slot.

That’s it! You can now launch 1Password on your Android phone. You should see the unlock screen where you can enter the same Master Password that you used on the Desktop. Now you’ve got mobile access to all of your 1Password data, and we can’t wait to hear what you think! Please join us in the forums and let us know!

1Password for Android Screenshots

Updates for 1Password and Knox!

We wanted to end June on a high note, so we’ve released updates to both Knox and 1Password! We’re constantly making both programs more powerful, and at the same time continuing to improve their ease-of-use. Here’s what’s new:

Knox

In Knox, our secure encryption and backup solution, we’ve made a few big changes for version 2.0.3 (release notes). First, we’ve implemented support for Beta builds, which will improve our testing periods and, in turn, the quality of major releases. To get in on the beta versions, simply go to Knox > Preferences > Version and check the “Include Betas” checkbox on the window that pops up. If you like being on the cutting edge, we’d love to have you join our beta team!

Next, we reduced the size of the application by 50%, making it just 4.5MB (and an easy 2.4MB download). We’ve also changed the way Knox handles its menubar mode; you won’t see a temporary icon on the dock before it launches in the menubar, and no more “Knox bubble” (we replaced it with a throbber). This is more intuitive, plus it means launching twice as fast.

We fit in a couple more fixes, too, allowing you to disable auto-updates and making the correct version number appear under Preferences. Check for updates inside of Knox to get the latest version (Knox > Check for Updates).

1Password

For 1Password, we’ve released version 3.2.5 with multiple fixes and improvements. For starters, it adds a window with upgrade instructions when an unsupported browser version is encountered, making browser updates—such as the recent release of Safari 5—a little smoother. We’ve also made interface improvements such as disabling preferences in 1Password > Preferences > Browsers when you’ve disabled browser extensions, and stripping newline characters from title fields. You’ll even find support for additional HTML5 form field types (url and number).

If you’ve been using 1Password to fill comment fields on sites like The Unofficial Apple Weblog, you’ll be excited about one enhancement in particular: from now on, 1Password will fill your username and password, but not auto-submit if the form contains a text field. This means you can use 1Password to fill in your info when leaving comments on blogs without accidentally submitting duplicate comments, even when auto-submit is turned on!

In addition to some performance improvements, 1Password also received a few bug fixes. Some conflicts were being incorrectly reported when syncing, which has been fixed, and bookmarklet creation reliability has been improved. If you noticed the strong password generator resetting to 50-character passwords every time, yes, we got that one, too. We also squashed a bug in 1PasswordAnywhere which would add “Hide” to copied passwords in some circumstances, and fixed the one that would cause display problems in the unlock field when typing over an incorrect password. Even the help system has been improved!

These updates are free to current users (Knox 2 users and 1Password 3 users, respectively). Grab ‘em while they’re hot by using the “Check for Updates” menu!

1Password 3.2.3 is out!

1Password 3.2.3 was just released, and it has a few important fixes and changes. For the full list, check the release notes in the forum.

Have you ever noticed that results from your Trash showed up when you did searches “Everywhere?” It hasn’t been an issue for everybody, but you may have seen it happen. Well, no more! Sure, it makes sense to include them. After all, everywhere means everywhere. We assume, though, that if you moved something to the trash, you probably don’t want to see it in your general search results. Version 3.2.3 of 1Password represents just that kind of thoughtful respect for our users. You’re worth it.

We also assume our customers are surfing the latest and greatest websites. 1Password now correctly handles logins which use the new HTML5 email input field type. Even if you don’t know what that is, we’ve got it covered so you don’t have to worry about it.

1PasswordAnywhere got some love, too. Bug fixes, better error catching and improved logging make solving sync issues and fixing problems faster and easier. The biggest improvement is in handling double-byte characters (Hindi, Kanji, etc.), so even more people can access this cool feature.

If you haven’t tried out 1PasswordAnywhere, you should take a look. It works with Dropbox or any USB flash drive. Even if you’re already using 1Password touch, 1PasswordAnywhere can offer another convenient method for securely accessing your private data when you’re away from your computer. It works especially well with Dropbox, which also happens to be our favorite method of syncing across multiple computers in general.

All you have to do is set up your Dropbox sync (follow the easy instructions here) and open up your data file (which will appear as a folder) in the Dropbox web app. Inside, there’s a file called 1Password.html. Click it, type in your master password, and you’ve got access to your entire data file from most web browsers. You can get some more info at our help site.

1Password 3.2.3 is up and ready for download. If you’re already running 1Password, just check for updates within the application (go to 1Password -> Check for Updates if you don’t have automatic updates turned on). The update is free for existing 1Password 3 users, and a free trial for new users.

Join our customer care team!

Which is another way of saying… Halp.

Thanks to the absolutely fantastic members of our 1Password, AllBookmarks, and Knox families; our blog readers; our Twitter followers; our Facebook fans; and our wonderful forum community—in short, thanks to all of you, our software is finding its way into more people’s lives. We pride ourselves on our customer care and interaction: from blog comments to tweets to forum posts and e-mail messages, we want to be there to answer your questions quickly, seven days a week. To maintain this level of service, we need your help.

Are you a passionate user of our software? Has it become such an integral part of your computing life that you’re lost without it? Do you rush to recommend it to your friends and family when they express frustration about password maintenance or file/folder protection? Are you the one to whom everyone turns when they need help with their computers and iDevices?

Awesome! Now, are you all those things and also, by chance, looking for a job? =)

If so, we might be looking for you! If you could just send us an e-mail, it would probably make it easier for us to find you. The position is full-time and requires proficiency in the use of our applications; excellent written (English) communication skills; and a positive, friendly attitude. Your physical location is irrelevant, so long as you have a reliable Internet connection and can at least partially align your work schedule with the rest of ours.

You’re probably wondering what joining our team means, eh? The majority of our time is spent responding to customers’ queries via e-mail or on the forums. On occasion, when something’s a real head-scratcher, we’ll screen share via iChat, so it would be good if you knew how to do that. We congregate around the virtual water cooler (IRC) to bounce ideas off each other and share the fun stuff our customers say to us. We also spend a bit of time on QA, so if you’re familiar with setting up multiple partitions and OS/software versions and such, that’d be a good thing, too.

In return, you get to work in your pyjamas, work with a great team, and play with cool stuff.

When you e-mail us, we don’t need to see a formal resume or CV. Just give us an idea of your experience with our applications, your technical background, and why you’d like to work with us.

Did I mention you get to work in your pyjamas?

Safari 5 arrives and 1Password 3.2 is live

Image © Apple

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2010, being held in San Francisco this week, kicked off this morning with a keynote by Steve Jobs. A lot was covered, including iPad software updates, the iTunes App Store, iPhone 4, and iOS 4. Right now, what we’d like to talk to you about is…

Safari 5

Image © Apple

It’s here, and we’re ready. 1Password 3 has been updated for Safari 5 compatibility, so you won’t have to wait to upgrade to Safari 5 or do without 1Password in Safari. In addition, this update (1Password for Mac version 3.2) includes a number of fixes and improvements, as usual, so it’s worth your while to grab the latest version even if you’re not upgrading to Safari 5 just yet.

1Password 3.2’s requirements haven’t changed, so if you’ve been running 1Password 3, the update will not give you any trouble.

To install the latest version, run 1Password 3 on your Mac and click 1Password > Check for Updates.

UPDATE: It seems that there is a problem with version 3.2. We are working on an update.

UPDATE 2: Please update to version 3.2.1 to restore 1P button in Safari 5.

1Password Wins 2010 “ADA”

Image courtesy of Ars Technica

That’s Ars Design Award. :D
(A tip of the tuque to Chris @ Ars for that witticism.)

We just learned that 1Password 3 for Mac has won the Reader’s Choice Award and is the runner up for the Best New Mac OS X App in this year’s Ars Design Awards.

Please excuse us for just a moment…

*snoopydance*

Okay, all better now.

To the Ars panel of judges, and to all of you, we say a heartfelt “thank you.” We are honoured and flattered and humbled and all that warm fuzzy stuff. 1Password enjoys the company of fantastic winners and runners up, most of which we use ourselves; congratulations to you all.

You have helped us make 1Password what it is today and we look forward to working with you to make it even better! You are all amazing.

We await our “custom laser-engraved, 2.83kg, 4” cube of solid 6061 aluminium alloy.” (That’s what Ars says we’re getting—go check out how cool the award looks!)

Thank you so very, very much.

1Password protects you from the latest phishing tricks.

Warning: Thief You may have heard about the latest scare in phishing attacks: “tabnabbing.” As explained over at TidBITS, tabnabbing changes your tabs while they’re in the background to simulate logins on sites such as GMail or PayPal, even changing the “favicon” in the tab to make it look authentic. You switch back to your tab and, without much consideration, enter your username and password. Poof, your information is sent to the devious hacker who’s been waiting for unsuspecting victims. It’s especially insidious because the link seems completely innocuous to begin with, and offers no sign of being a phishing attack. Fortunately, 1Password protects you here, too.

1Password bases its automatic login selections on the domain of the site you’re logging into. A tabnabbing site can change everything except the URL, so 1Password automatically knows you’re not really on GMail or PayPal (or any spoofed site). Just like in other phishing situations, 1Password offers a fool-proof strategy: if the URL is legitimate, it will match your login information and let you in with ease, but with any non-legitimate URL (which all phishing scams will have), the match won’t be made and you’ll stay protected.

There’s another tricky deception floating around right now: using non-latin characters to build URLs that look exactly like the real thing, but are completely different (and generally dangerous) sites. Correction: This little scare has been thoroughly debunked (see comments here), sorry for unnecessary worry we may have caused. Don’t worry, though, 1Password has this covered, too, using the same technique mentioned above. The URLs may look the same to the eye, but they won’t match up to 1Password.

1Password doesn’t just store your passwords securely, it offers a first line of defense against online attacks. To sum it all up, if you let 1Password handle your logins, you can worry a lot less about your online security!