The majority of security solutions for mobile devices work on the basis of protecting information on your device via some sort of encryption. Typically, you set a master password and this is used to hide and encode all your other passwords and anything else you consider sensitive enough to hide. MiniSafe is no great departure from this method of protecting data.
When you first run MiniSafe, it prompts you to set a master password which will in future protect access to any records you include in the program. To me, this is the central weakness of the wallet type programs: to access your private data and remove its encryption, all that’s needed is one password. MiniSafe allows passwords of only one character, which I feel is a mistake. It is not unusual these days to see a request for a more complex password involving numbers, letters and variations of case. Often, a ‘password strength meter’ is shown. Allowing such weak passwords means that MiniSafe is only as good as the password you set – so make sure it’s a good one!
Once the password is set, the user is shown a brief set of instructions. This is a good feature which could be incorporated into more applications. The instructions outline how the program works, and how to enter records into its database. After this, it’s straight into the main interface of the program, which is fairly easy to use. You can add records to a comprehensive series of categories, or create your own categories and use them. Unfortunately, there is no way to add email messages or pictures to the database, as its really only designed to protect ‘wallet’ type information.
So, while MiniSafe is easy to use, its level of security and its functionality aren’t much to shout about. That said, it is a very able wallet application with a small footprint and clear user interface.
