Switchers' Blog

1Password and iPad: Part 1

Yes, I said "part 1."

I hope it comes as no surprise that we're planning, plotting, and otherwise scheming to bring 1Password to the iPad in a big way. But if you are surprised, well... surprise! I hope it's good news, because we're really excited about our progress. So excited, in fact, that we feel like sharing some of our design concepts with you.

We aren't content to leave you with using that 2x button on our iPhone app. It's an iPhone app! And while it is the Best 1Password iPhone App Ever (if we may so humbly say ourselves), the iPad is an entirely different beast, and we're giving it the utmost attention it deserves. Keep in mind that the following screenshots are design mockups from deep within our labs. They aren't finished or even working models yet, and you wouldn't believe what I had to go through to be able to post them publicly. Honestly, don't bother asking, because I can't tell.

Pleasantries aside, let's get on with the show. Meet our initial vision of 1Password for iPad!

Above is a mockup of 1Password running vertically on iPad. Smashing, isn't it? Dan Peterson, our in-house design demigod, has been cranking away on iPad and 1Password touch projects since we got back from The Agile Cruise, and it shows!

But of course, what is 1Password on iPad without a landscape mode? I'm glad you asked.

Check out those gorgeous icons, the item list with alphabet scroller, and the stylish bolts that really bring the item detail area together. And yes, we have popovers! I told you we're hitting the iPad in a big way.

We're not finished yet, but we think we're on the right track. We want to bring you the best 1Password on iPad experience possible, so let us know what you think of our prototypes here in the comments!

1Password touch 2.3 is live in App Store!

You waited patiently, and we worked diligently to bring you 1Password touch and 1Password touch Pro 2.3. It's live in App Store now, so fire up iTunes or your i-device and get downloading!

This is a pretty major update that brings both 1Password touch versions in better feature parity with 1Password 3 for Mac. New in version 2.3 are dedicated Accounts and Software tabs to match the Mac version, and don't forget, you can always customize the bottom tab bar to add the features you use most!

Also new is the option to reset the Master Password if you forgot it. Be warned, however, that if you forget your Master Password, we cannot help you retrieve it. Plus, resetting your Master Password will permanently delete all items that it protects. 1Password wouldn't be a very secure app if your mischievous coworker, recent ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, or arch villain could just reset your Master Password and view all the items it encrypts, right?

Also new in 1Password touch and Pro 2.3 are copy-and-paste improvements while using the built-in browser, better WiFi sync instructions, a fix for restoring backups with Firefox, and logging into Gmail.com.

Interestingly, Apple must have loved our 1Password touch and Pro 2.3 update so much that it approved the new version the same day we submitted! No joke: we uploaded the new versions to iTunes Connect at about 2am Friday morning (yea, that's right, we work practically around the clock out of love for y'all!), and they were approved and in the store by around 4pm, if not a little earlier. This is great news, and I've heard some of the same stories while saying hi to customers and other developers on the floor at Macworld Expo, too. This apparent change in policy has our team pretty excited, so stay tuned for more frequent updates to 1Password touch!

Now run, don't walk, and grab 1Password touch and 1Password touch Pro 2.3 in App Store!

How to: Use the multi-item clipboard feature in 1Password touch Pro

Ask for a better explanation of how to use 1Password touch Pro's multi-item clipboard, and ye shall receive. We've created a short demo video, embedded above, on how to use this feature. It uses a basic example of Facebook's mobile site which requires an email and password, but it should apply to just about any login or form-filling situation.

Let us know what you think of the demo. When all you need is a single password most of the time, our Quick Copy and Paste feature works great. When you need multiple items, you need to do some more leg work in order to skirt around several limitations in how we're allowed to interact with Mobile Safari. Naturally, we're always on the hunt for better ways to implement features, and we have a couple ideas in the oven.

Also note that the multi-item clipboard feature is a 1Password touch Pro exclusive. While we're adding Pro-level features, 1Password touch Pro is on sale from its eventual regular price of $14.99. We are slowly increasing the price as we add features, but as of this writing, you can score 1Password touch Pro for only $7.99—nearly 50% off.

David Chartier
Chief Media Producer, Agile Web Solutions

1Password and 1Password Pro 2.2 updates released

Good news everyone: The App Store badge on your iPhone or iPod touch should be sporting at least one red icon, and there's a great reason for that! We released updates for 1Password touch and 1Password touch Pro, bringing both to version 2.2. What's so awesome about a couple of small updates? I'm glad you asked.

1Password touch and 1Password touch Pro both received some major new features, as well as roughly a (virtual) ton of changes and fixes (no joke, we weighed it on our virtual office scale). We outlined some of these upcoming features and differences between 1Password touch and its big Pro brother back in June, and this 2.2 update delivers on some of them.

First, 1Password touch now has our custom Quick Copy and Paste feature that the Pro version gained in June. This feature took a little while longer to bring to the standard version because of a rejection over a minor issue, but then we simply got bowled over with customer support questions about 1Password touch Pro and iPhone OS 3.0. With the release of 1Password touch 2.2, owners can copy an entire username, password, software license, or other snippet with a single tap.

1Password touch also gains a database reset option, auto-capitalization in Notes fields, support for Landscape Mode in various views (including the browser!), and the ability to rearrange the toolbar tabs.

1Password touch Pro lives up to its "Pro" name with two exclusive new features, as well as all the improvements and fixes we added to the standard version. First, 1Password touch Pro can sync the folders you create in 1Password for the Mac to keep all your stuff organized on-the-go (note that creating, editing, or adding items to folders is coming in a future update). Second, you can now copy multiple fields to the clipboard when using our Look Up in 1Password Safari bookmarklet.

There really are quite a few feature changes and bug fixes in both of these new versions of 1Password touch, so be sure to check out their iTunes pages for the full details. Also remember that 1Password touch Pro is on sale for a limited time while we add Pro-level features. 1Password touch Pro will eventually cost $14.99. But you can grab a copy for a steal of a price ($7.99 as of this writing) and lock in free updates.

David Chartier
Chief Media Producer, Agile Web Solutions

Features coming soon to 1Password touch Pro (Updated)

Update: We released 1Password touch and 1Password touch Pro 2.2 in early August with some new features, so we have updated this chart accordingly. 1Password touch Pro's price has also increased to $7.99 on its journey towards its eventual price of $14.99.

Original post:

Earlier this week we explained why 1Password touch Pro is not yet so different from its little brother, and why we will be offering it at a heavily discounted sale price for a while. But if you're wondering which upcoming features actually put the "Pro" in 1Password touch Pro, this is the post for you.

Below is a chart which details the current features that separate 1Password touch Pro from the standard version. More importantly, it lists some of the big new features that are coming soon to the Pro version:

Features on the way include Favorites for easy access to frequently used items, Folders to better organize your 1Password information, and wireless sync via MobileMe and other WebDAV services. But those are just the big ones that the developers will let me talk about publicly—they have plenty of other exciting features in store for 1Password touch Pro.

If 1Password touch is your weapon of choice, don't fret. It will continue to get other new features and compatibility upgrades.

We know that, right now, the feature differences between 1Password touch and Pro are not quite where they should be. This is partly why 1Password touch Pro, at the time of this writing, is heavily discounted at $5.99 from its eventual retail price. For those who are on the decision fence between these two version, we hope this chart helps you make your choice.

David Chartier
Chief Media Producer, Agile Web Solutions

A tale of two 1Password touch apps

Alright, we'll admit it: 1Password touch and our new 1Password touch Pro are not the best candidates for a round of "One of These Things is Not Like The Other." Sure, we just introduced the Pro version with Quick Copy and Paste and a "Look up in 1Password" Safari bookmarklet (get it here). But besides those features, they're pretty much the same.

So what gives? Why—after a year of giving 1Password touch away for free—did we start charging for it a week before WWDC, then introduce a separate Pro version that, well, isn't quite Pro yet? The answer is: it's complicated.

1Password touch

First, the new 1Password touch (1Pt) price. Believe it or not, we've been giving this fine little password and identity manager away for free since we launched it almost a year ago. We hoped that, at least for some, it would be a gateway drug to get people interested in 1Password on the Mac.

1Pt became quite popular, whether people were buying 1Password for the Mac or not (Industry ProTip: Not all iPhone and iPod touch owners are Mac users). So popular, in fact, that it now accounts for the lion's share of our support load. Toss in the fact that the App Store still doesn't allow developers to charge so much as a nickel for upgrades or even updates, and we quickly found ourselves with a dead-end business model resembling that of most web 2.0 companies.

Ultimately, we decided that we had to start charging for 1Password touch, so we flipped the switch to $4.99 just a week before the new iPhone was announced.

1Password touch Pro

At the same time, we were already working on 1Password touch Pro (1Pt Pro) which, as the Pro with a capital "P" might suggest, is designed to offer more powerful features that some of our users have asked for. Features like more organization with folders and favorites, syncing over-the-air with MobileMe and other WebDAV services, and much more are all in store for the Pro version.

The reason that we launched Pro without most of its pro-level features is that a crucial upgrade to our regular version got stuck in Apple's App Store review process. We submitted it two and a half weeks before WWDC, but like many other App Store horror stories, we hadn't heard a word from Apple (in fact, it just went live last night around 3am, over 3 weeks after submission). The 1Pt update fixed some issues with our new Wi-Fi Sync engine, about which customers had a number of questions and bug reports. We were starting to get nervous about having a 3.0-ready app for the launch last week, something Apple was encouraging of all developers. Instead of submitting another update to the regular version and risk knocking ourselves to the back of the review line, we decided to try a different approach.

We decided to double our chance at getting a 3.0-ready app into the store. We stripped most of the unfinished features out of 1Pt Pro and submitted it as our iPhone-OS-3.0-ready app (in fact, it requires 3.0; 1Pt Pro will not work on any previous iPhone OS). This gave us a second shot at being ready for OS 3.0, and the (admittedly non-ideal) situation offered an opportunity to launch 1Pt Pro at a rock-bottom introductory price of $5.99. Sure, not everyone needs 1Password touch Pro. But those that do, or think they might, can now get it for 60% off of its eventual retail price and be ready for when the real features start arriving. Again, Apple doesn't allow App Store developers to charge for upgrades or updates, and it shows no signs of changing this policy. The price you pay now for either 1Pt or 1Pt Pro is all you pay. As far as our plans are concerned right now, when 1Pt Pro goes back to a regular price of $14.99, or even when we release 1Pt Pro 3.0, you won't have to pay another dime.

Lesson Learned

After all the feedback here on the blog and in our forums, it's clear now where we made our mistake. We rushed to get ready for 3.0, but we didn't explain to you—the customers without which we would not have jobs—what was going on. Things can get crazy around the intersection of an annual trade show and a massive platform update, and we apologize for getting swept up in the storm. We aren't a company who believes in overcharging and under-delivering for our customers, and we hope the past three years and 100+ free updates and upgrades to 1Password on the Mac will help prove that (not to mention 1Password touch being free for almost a year). The stripped down, highly discounted Pro edition is a temporary solution. In the near future we will submit 1Password touch 2.2, a free upgrade that fully supports iPhone OS 3.0 and our Quick Copy and Paste feature. Soon, 1Pt Pro will begin filling its shoes with the more powerful features you've been asking for.

We hope this post clears up the situation around 1Pt and 1Pt Pro, but as always, we more than welcome your feedback and questions. Thanks for being Agile Web Solutions customers. We are both proud and grateful to serve you all.

David Chartier
Chief Media Producer, Agile Web Solutions