By now, you’ve probably heard that AgileBits has released 1Password 4 for the Mac. Josh Centers covers what’s new briefly in “1Password 4 for Mac Better Than Ever” (3 October 2013), but for full documentation of 1Password, check out Joe Kissell’s latest title, “Take Control of 1Password.”.
1Password has long been one of the first few apps I install on my devices after a fresh start and I’ve always recommend the app to everyone looking to take security and privacy of his online presence seriously. AgileBits have done a remarkable job with the app and with the release of 1Password v4 for iOS late last year, they completely revamped the user interface and added a bunch of notable features, making it the best password manager app available for iOS. Today, the company has released 1Password 4 for Mac, a major update that not only brings a complete revamp of the user interface just like the iOS version, also adds some incredible new features to the app that now make 1Password, quite easily, the best password management suite.
Learn about 1Password 4 Syncing for Mac options for accessing your 1Password 4 data on mobile devices and other computers. Alerts If you received an email from the DOE Learning Portal titled ' Federal Mandatory Training DOE Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Training'. 1Password 4 for Mac 1Password 4 Setup for Mac 1Password 4 Web Browser Extensions for Mac 1Password 4 Adding and Using LDAP Credentials for Mac 1Password 4 Syncing for Mac Set Up This step is broken up into two paths. Choose one below: When you have comple. If you’re new to 1Password, learn how to use the Mac app to manage your passwords, credit cards, secure notes, and more. Get 1Password in your browser 1Password works everywhere you do, including on Linux or Chrome OS. Easily sign in to sites, use suggested passwords, and find what you need.
1Password for Mac’s last major release was in 2009. The release of 1Password 4 for iOS made the Mac version seem old, outdated and out of touch with modern times. Thankfully, AgileBits have managed to bring a delightful UX to the Mac app once again.
Revamped User Interface
Of course, the most notable feature of this release is its revamped User Interface (UI). The app now sports a slick, modern look to it and feels right at home on Mountain Lion or the upcoming Mavericks release. The app icon, the window design, the layout and the sidebar icons have all been updated. 1Password now feels impressively spiffy & smooth.
I love how, just like on the iOS version, the lock of the vault on the first screen slightly pulsates blue & grey, and once you have entered your password, it turns 90 degrees, changes color to green and lets you in. It’s the little details like these that score high cookie points from us.
1Password mini
In version 3.x of 1Password, you had to either rely on the main application window or the compatible browser extensions to access your password databases and retrieve the password for the site or app you wanted to log in with. While this worked most of the time, it was cumbersome when the website didn’t support this for some reason or opened the login frame in a pop-up window that couldn’t invoke the browser extension. This method also made it impossible to log in into Desktop apps without launching the whole app and copy/pasting your password into the app. With 1Password 4, AgileBits have also shipped a tiny, menu-bar client to go along with the main app. This little app, called 1Password mini works independent of the main app and can access your entire database without the need of having the main app window open. Invoked by using the global hotkey, 1Password mini quietly sits in the menubar till you need it. Once invoked, you can browse through the 1Password database and directly use your credentials to log in on whatever app you’re trying. 1Password 4 still supports browser extensions, but they’ve been rewritten in native Cocoa and work along with 1Password mini to give you an optimum experience.
This is the most brilliant feature that 1Password 4 brings to the desktop and it works just as advertised. The upgrade to version 4 is worth for this feature alone.
Multiple Vaults & a Demo Vault
1Password 4 supports the ability to maintain separate vaults, each with its own set of logins, preferences and locations. If you have a business computer or multiple people use the same device, each of them can have their own vault in 1Password and protect it with their own password without worrying about the other using accessing it.
Additionally, 1Password 4 also now supports to share any individual item via email or obfuscated iMessage, just like the iOS version. For example, if you want your colleague to manage your business twitter account, you can share the login credentials with him right from 1Password.
This version also brings the Demo Vault to the Desktop. The feature, which was first seen on 1Password 4 for iOS, lets you login with a ‘demo’ password and 1Password will load demo content for you, so that you can show around the features and functionality of the app to your friends and family without revealing any of your own passwords.
Favorites
One of my favorite features in 1Password 4 for iOS is Favorites. The app allows you to mark some of your most frequently accessed items as favorites and makes them available easily grouped together. This feature is now also available on the Mac and if you sync the same vault across your devices, your favorites automatically show up on the Mac as well.
Security Audit
With 1Password 4, AgileBits have included a nifty feature called ‘Security Audit’. Available in the Sidebar, this feature lets you filter out all the passwords that you should ideally change. The options include ‘Weak Passwords’, ‘Duplicate Passwords’ and passwords you haven’t changed for a long time, such as passwords that are 6-12 month old, 1-3 years old and 3+ years old. It is never a good idea to use the same passwords on multiple websites or services and it is recommended that you change your password every few months, so this is a handy feature that’ll help you get that done.
Miscellaneous
With the growing concerns about online privacy and the 'how safe really is your data in the cloud' debate, AgileBits have brought the Wi-fi sync feature back in this version. This way, you can sync your vaults across all your devices directly via Wi-fi. I continue use the Dropbox sync for my personal vault.
If you’ve been running 1Password 3 on your Mac, it will automatically recognize the database when you run 1Password 4 for the first time. Dickinson and driver download for windows. Additionally, with Dropbox sync, you can also point the app towards your saved database file and will be pick it right up.
1Password 4 for Mac is a remarkable update from AgileBits and a great addition to what is a must-have app on iOS as well as Mac. The update is available on the Mac App Store today, and surprisingly, the good folks at AgileBits have made the update available completely FREE to existing Mac App Store customers. If you hadn’t already purchased it, 1Password 4 for Mac is available for just $39.99 and is absolutely worth every penny you spend on it.
Additionally, you can purchase the app directly from the AgileBits website. If you purchased the app directly in 2013, you will get the update for Free. In case you currently have a 1Password v3 license, the upgrade cost for you is just $24.99.
Honestly, there’s no other app I’d recommend as highly as I would recommend 1Password. Here’s a handy link you can share with your friends: http://get1.pw
Despite working in the tech press, there are very few applications that I follow religiously. I find out about most updates from an email, or a tweet. AgileBits’ 1Password 4 for the Mac is an application I have heard whispers around the techosphere about for months and have been patiently waiting for. I have relied on previous versions of this software to keep my Macs and other computers safe. After taking it for a spin, I’m going to tell you why you should too.
Security Shouldn’t Be Hard
Having a password manager may not seem sexy. That’s until your Pass123 password you use on all your sites gets hacked. You get hacked, and your accounts and credit cards get compromised. Then you try to get serious about security. Only it’s darn near impossible to remember secure passwords and the website requirements sure don’t make it easy. That’s where a password manager like 1Password comes into play. Sure there are others and Apple is inching to this game with iCloud Keychain, but there are some attributes I think puts 1Password at the top of the lift.
You remember those days before cell phones where you had to remember everyone’s number? How many phone numbers do you actually know now? It’s a bit like that. 1Password stores all your passwords in an encrypted database file on your computer. You just have to know the password to that database file. Since you don’t have to remember the password, you’re free to come up with the most ridiculous random password you can think of. Though you don’t have to. 1Password includes a random password generator to do it all for you. What makes this even more secure is that its all done via local storage with a 256-bit authenticated encryption. There is no 1Password account and if AgileBits get hacked, they don’t have your master password. On a Mac, you can access your password through the in-app database or you can do it the easy way by simple pressing Command- backslash to insert the correct password. 1Password also has the ability to create different password vaults if you want to keep your work and home passwords separate. Vaults can even be shared and if that is too broad so can individual items.
That means its all stuck on your Mac right? Absolutely not. Versions of 1Password exist for Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows. 1Password employs several syncing techniques to bring these together including iCloud, Wi-Fi sync, and for those of you in a cross platform world, it has syncing via DropBox. That’s how I do it and it’s worked nothing but flawlessly. I literally have all my passwords available to me on a new machine or mobile device as soon as my dropbox is done being synced. This was put to the test the other day when I had to reinstall my user account after an error related to my OS X Mavericks upgrade. Because of 1Password and other synced services, I was back up and running in a ridiculously short time.
Interface
1Password is a three-part solution. There is the main application which is the central depository for your passwords. There’s also a mini version of the menu bar. The last part of the triad is probably going to be the one you most interact with, the browser extension. The extension is available for Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and new for IP4, Opera as well. With either a right click to the contextual menu, or the cmd- keyboard command, you have most options of the full 1Password software when it comes to adding and storing passwords.
The interface of the main application is easy to use and very familiar if you’ve ever used a 3-pane mail or RSS app. It’s been overhauled since 1Password 3 for a little more color to match Mavericks. It’s also got some new features, like designating favorites for immediate access. You have your main menu on the far left. This gives you your items and categories. The next pane over is the list of items. You’ll have all your logins here. This is generally also the largest pane. To make things easy, there’s a search above the second pane on the toolbar. The interface is clean, but not customizable. It makes it really easy It really doesn’t have to be though, it does what it needs to. Almost everything can be done from the graphical interface, that includes accessing a built-in audit for your passwords.
Did I Say It Was Just for Passwords?
The name 1Password is a little misleading because it’s so much more than that now. Then again, 1placeforanythingyouneedsecureandeasilyaccessible is a bit convoluted isn’t it? In addition to passwords, 1Password can hold secure notes, credit/debit cards, your social security number, drivers license information, software keys, bank account, fishing license info, passport info, and I could go on all day for this. Not only does it keep it all safe, if you need access to it online, you got it. This kind of flexibility makes 1Password really appealing.
Pricing and Availability
In the world of the App Stores, software has been really devalued in most cases. AgileBits chose not to go this route and for that reason, you’re probably going to balk a bit with what I’m about to tell you. For a new user, or someone coming over from an older non-Mac App Store version, 1Password costs $49.99 in the MAS. If you need the Windows version, that is $49.99 as well. You can buy both for $69.99 and save some money The iOS version is $17.99 and the Android reader app is free. No, that’s not $1.99. Yes, they have to pay their bills and their employees. If you got 1Password 3 from the Mac App Store, you’re probably not reading this because it’s a free update.
1password For Mac 7.4.3
1password For Mac Standalone
Final Verdict
1Password makes it easy to save your own bacon. No, it’s not cheap, but then again it’s not crap. Biometric usb devices driver. You can save everything you need to keep safe and easily access it across multiple platforms. Just pay the $50 already and get to it.