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Password managers - the best thing since sliced bread!

For my personal password depository I have tried journals, excel spreadsheets, notes, outlook, my Treo, you name it. My hand written journal worked the best using codes to remind myself of passwords. Anyways I thought I had the best solution until one day I received an email from Palm software for my Treo 650. I noticed a free trial for a password manager called Turbopassword by Chapura. I tried it and became speechless immediately.

Firstly the program works on my Treo 650 AND my desk top PC. Here is how it works, you have a MAIN password that opens the "vault" of ALL your passwords. Just remember ONE password for your book club, active rain, travel network, PIN for telephoned prescriptions, whatever...

JUST WAIT, it gets better! Once you are logged into Tubopasswords the program will remember everything you do. So for example...you log into your Active Rain account, the program recognizes you are entering a password and it automatically sucks in the information and asks you if you want to add this web site, username, and password to Turbo. Wow...even better....the next time your ready to log into your Active Rain account, just click a little icon on your browser tool bar and whala la, Turbo AUTOMATICALLY fills in the username and password. That's right, it FILLS IN THE INFORMATION AUTOMATICALLY!!!

JUST WAIT, there is more...I have several different accounts with the same bank using the SAME web site. Yup, Turbo asks me which account I want to log into. In addition, very often I have to use another trusted computer within the office and with Turbo, I dont memorize passwords anymore. ...yikes, not a very good first impression when trying to log into your account to show property for sale. No worries, it synch's up to my Treo so I just pull out my cell phone, log into Turbo on my Palm and look at what the password is and enter away.

PALM was offering a free 30 day trialwhen I downloaded the software. Now this may sound like a commercial for TURBOPASSWORDS but it is really a commercial for password managers. I just happened to find Turbo and my staff have all downloaded the program so we don't have any pieces of paper anymore with bank accounts on them, etc. The Turbo download cost me $40 and after having the program for 1 year I would pay ALOT more...and I have already compiled OVER 75 passwords.

Do yourself a favor, find a password manager that works with your PDA AND your desktop. It's the single best $40 I have spent in YEARS.

Posted by Larry Chatt on 07/13/2008 07:20 AM

Comments (13)

password manager, pda, passwords, treo 650

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13 Comments on Password managers - the best thing since sliced bread!

Great idea. Thanks for sharing. Veronica

07/13/2008 07:24 AM

by Veronica DeCarolis (Weidel Realtors)

I like it. I like you have tried it all. It all has been a nightmare. We have RE websites then Agent sites then blogs and finally mortgage sites. ALL require log ins.

07/13/2008 07:26 AM

by Laura Jefferson..Lexington's Realtor (Asset Realty)

Thanks Larry, Chapura is a great 3rd party software for lots of programs, I use it on my palm but since I switched to blackberry, haven't used it. Not sure if I can even do it, blackberry is so proprietary, do you know?

07/13/2008 07:32 AM

by Missy Caulk Ann Arbor Realtor Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams Ann Arbor)

It seems like the antithesis of security to give your "password" to some you don't know. I keep mine on 3x5 cards in case of a crash.

07/13/2008 07:41 AM

by Heath Coker, Broker Owner (Cape Group Real Estate & REindex.com)

Thanks for all the comments....Missy, I am not sure about the Blackberry. I did just search Active Rain for password managers and there is a TON of stuff. Firefox 3.0, roboform, and a bunch of others that do similar things as Turbo. The only caution I would have that Missy has already seen is to be sure to find software that works with your PDA also. It's a HUGE tool to be able to pull out your phone/PDA and look up passwords. Password managers do their job and let you forget all your passwords but if you are at a clients home and you need to log into a web site and you are clueless it can provide for a BAD impression. Pull out your PDA and look up your password and it provides for an impressive client experience.

Missy, on another subject...do you like your Blackberry more than the TREO? I just spent 2 hrs on two different calls with PALM to get my TREO to synch up right...what a pain

07/13/2008 07:46 AM

by Larry Chatt (Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc)

My concern would be that if someone got access to the vault -- they would have access to all my personal information. So, the jury is out.

07/13/2008 07:48 AM

by Lorraine and Loretta Kratz (Crescent Moon Realty, Inc. & Land N Sea Auctions.)

Hi Heath, your right I am not excited with putting my passwords on a web site. The great thing about Turbo is that it all resides on your HARD DRIVE or your PDA. You only tell your PC...when you see this web page...plug in this information. Once you download the software there are no further connections with Turbo or your password. As far as other web based password managers...yikes not sure but you bring up a great point to do your research cause your passwords are a quick way to hand out your personal information.

07/13/2008 07:52 AM

by Larry Chatt (Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc)

I never had the Treo, too many people had problems with the later models. I had a palm, no have a palm for lockboxes and use Chapura to synce Outlook with it. I love my blackberry, and am due to upgrade. I am so tempted to get the new Iphone. But, if I don't I will stick with blackberry, the support is great.

07/13/2008 08:21 AM

by Missy Caulk Ann Arbor Realtor Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams Ann Arbor)

Larry, sounds like a great way to keep track of all the passwords. I also have a Treo so that is a plus. I am forever clicking on the web page link, "Forgot your password?" and waiting for the email so I can log on.

Good Post!

07/13/2008 08:30 AM

by Michael Setunsky (Michael's Commercial LLC)

Larry - I had the same reservations at Heath, thanks for clarifying the storage location. I just checked and have over 50 logins /pwds. While most are the same or some variation on the theme, it is tough. I'm bookmarking this to check it out later.

07/14/2008 11:56 PM

by Erik Hitzelberger, --Louisville-Bullitt County Real Estate (RE/MAX Alliance)

Thanks Erik, you bet. Having the passwords on your hard drive should mean they are safe but I think an even worse procedure is to let your computer remember your passwords through windows OP system. I have a lap top and if it ever got stolen...holy cow, they just go into my favorites and start wacking away at my bank accounts, google accounts, whatever. Now I have everything in Turbo so they have to hack into Turbo which would be pretty tough...

One question, when you say "bookmark" the page do you mean you are sticking it into your internet explorer favorites or is there some way within Active Rain to bookmark pages for later review...

Thanks!

07/15/2008 07:43 AM

by Larry Chatt (Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc)

I will certainly have to give it a try. I am so tired of trying to remember passwords since each website has different requirements for passwords......drives me crazy!

08/20/2008 12:40 PM

by Rick Tourgee - Provincetown and Cape Cod (Century 21 Shoreland)

Is it not amazing the technology that is out there! Thank you so much for this information. I have kept my user ID and passwords on an excel spreadsheet on my main office computer and on my USB travel drive. I makes me extremely uncomfortable and nervous but until now this has been the easiest way to keep track. We all need to lend each other a hand in passing on these new e-technologies. I am changing the entire way I live and do business.

08/26/2008 07:51 PM

by Andrea Tsakanikas (International Luxury)

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