E-Wallet: What do you use it for?

[gai-jin]

I see that ewallet is a very popular utility for the pocketpc's, but I'm having trouble picturing a use for it, myself.

I suppose I can see where it would be useful to have credit card numbers on hand if you're shopping online, but in most cases a retailer will require the actual physical card to be present/swiped (and in theory verify a signature). So if you have to carry your physical cards around with you all the time anyway, what's the point of keeping the info in your PDA?

I've actually gotten a case for my ipaq which holds my credit cards/id/etc right in the case, so as to stop carrying a seperate wallet.

Your thoughts?

Gai-jin

[Sven Johannsen]

You are fairly right in my use. The credit card section I use on the desktop version more because of the convenience. I do use the capability to store assorted logins and passwords, Voice-mail codes, for work and cell, Pin numbers, company telephone based time entry system codes, registration codes.

[gai-jin]

PIN's and passwords I've never really had trouble remembering, so that doesn't seem very useful to me. Keeping software registration codes would be handy, but I could store those in plain text, I don't see that being a big security issue.

Again, the credit card feature is neat, but why is this app so popular?

Gai-jin

[TopDog]

I do use the capability to store assorted logins and passwords, Voice-mail codes, for work and cell, Pin numbers, company telephone based time entry system codes, registration codes.Same here. As a network-admin I have a LOT of different passwords to remember. Insurance-numbers, PIN and PUK-codes, membership-numbers, e.t.c. can also be handy to store in eWallet.

[Ed Hansberry]

• Credit card info along with 800 numbers to the credit card companies. I can use eWallet when making online purchases without finding my wallet and can call the CC companies if I lose my wallet.
• Insurance info. Health, life, homeowners, etc.
• Family SS#s. How many times do you need that info when filling out some form?
• Bank account info
• CD keys for all of my software (I keep this folder unencrypted for convenience)
• General reference info, things like air filter sizes, backup battery numbers for the PPCs I have with backup batteries, battery sizes for my HP 17BII.
• Forum passwords.
• Email passwords and server info
• NNTP servers and passwords
• key LAN passwords

Over 200 cards.

Keep in mind that I use this on my desktop almost as much as I do on my PPC. Having a desktop eWallet client means my data is always where I need it.

[gai-jin]

Thanks Ed,
That makes it sound much more useful. Hadn't thought of insurance card, ssn's, etc... Essentially, all the crap I had just cleaned out of my wallet, but couldn't figure out what to do with so it'd be close at hand...

Steve

[JohnJohn]

-travel IDs. Frequent Flyer, Frequent Stay'er, rental car account numbers
-web form/site passwords

[ChristopherTD]

I use mine to record anything that I may need to know on the move, but which I wouldn't want to be available to others if the Pocket PC is lost or stolen.

The Contacts Database is not a secure place to store credit card information, or other personal information that could be used fraudulently if it fell into the wrong hands.

eWallet is great for securing that type of data.

[gai-jin]

Assuming that you use some sort of PIN/Password/Fingerprint to lock the PDA, doesn't that pretty well secure the data on the PDA? Or is it still possible to get at the data w/o logging in somehow?

Gai-jin

[Godsongz]

It's nice having the added encryption on the sensitive data itself though. My PDAs are set to go back to a PIN login after 30 minutes of no usage, if someone where to pick it up within that 30 minute window then my PIN is bypassed. Information like CC's and SS numbers and Insurance info and all that... I just feel more comfortable with the added security.

There are also less sensitive sections of my eWallet that I leave un-encrypted, business cards, software serial numbers, auto records and such, just for the convenience of getting to the data faster.

[Thinkingmandavid]

So then after reading what others have used it for, it is obvious there is a lot of good ways to use it. I suggest anything requiring a pass word or id be stored in ewallet. Maximum security should always be the goal!