• 
  Sync your wallets more easily with our improved Sync
  Setup
• 
  Synchronize with multiple PCs, PDAs, or computers on
  a network
• 
  Synchronize to remote locations on the web
• 
  View your wallets remotely with
  
  FilesAnywhere Remote Storage built right in
• 
  Get complete support from the Windows Vista Mobile
  Device Center
• 
  Know your data is secure with "Always On" password
  protection
• 
  Enjoy the great new look with new icons from
  IconIdea
• 
  Customize your cards even more with
  
  four free self-installing icon packs

LOOKING GOOD

The "great new look" of eWallet is mainly due to a
complete redesign of the icons used in the application.
I do have to say, the new icons are much nicer looking.
They are cleaner and more modern than the icons that
currently come with any of the other wallet applications.
Of course, this is a matter of personal preference.

Figure
1:
The new
icons are used in the desktop application…

Figure
2: …and are also in the Windows Mobile application.

If the new icons are not to your liking, Ilium
Software has conveniently provided

downloadable icon packs containing the icons
from previous from versions of eWallet. It was very
interesting to take a look at the download page and
see just how much the icons have evolved.

One quibble that I have with eWallet (and another Ilium
Software product, ListPro) is the process for exiting
the application on a Windows Mobile device. When you
close your wallet, you are presented with another screen
listing of all
the wallets on your device, even if there is only 1. This requires an extra click to
exit the application. I believe if there is only 1
wallet on the device you should be able to select an
option to immediately exit the application and save the
extra click.

Figure
3: An unnecessary extra click if there is only 1 wallet
on the device.

SYNCING GOOD
In my
opinion, the biggest new feature in version 5.0 is the ability to sync
your wallet to multiple devices and locations. I also use the
U3 version of eWallet on my

SanDisk Cruzer Titanium USB flash drive. Before, I had to manually
copy the wallet file over to the flash drive each time a change was
made. Now, eWallet will sync the same wallet between my desktop, Treo
and Cruzer.

Figure
4: You can see in this screenshot that eWallet is syncing my wallet
with my Treo and also with my Cruzer flash drive, which appears on my
desktop as the L: drive.

This is a killer feature and I am thrilled that Ilium
Software included it. That being said, while there is an
option for synchronization to automatically begin when a
Windows Mobile device is attached no such option exists
for a U3 drive. I would like to see this option become
available in the future. In the current state, you have
to launch SyncPro manually to get the U3 drive to sync.
Not a big deal, but it is definitely something I would
like to see added.

It is also important to keep in mind that the U3 version
of eWallet uses the same license as the desktop version. This is
a great value and I applaud Ilium Software for offering
users another choice on how to carry their data.

Speaking of choices, the new sync features go beyond
just U3 drives. You can sync the wallet to locations
such as a network drive or FTP site which is nice for
keeping an always up-to-date backup. Another new option
is to sync your wallet to a
FilesAnywhere
online storage account. This functionality is built-in
to eWallet, but the cost of the account is not. A
standard 2GB storage account costs $8.95 a month. I can
see the value here since you can get to the wallet from
any internet connected computer, but I still think that
the U3 drive is a better option. If you already have a FilesAnywhere account or were thinking of getting one,
then this feature will be of interest to you. You can
read more information about how eWallet and
FilesAnywhere work together

here.

At this point you may be thinking that it is complicated
to get all of the various locations and devices you want to sync set
up. Untrue, my friend. Ilium Software has updated the
synchronization setup screens to make the process very
easy.

Figure
5: This is the synchronization setup screen where you
can add, edit or remove a sync location.

Figure
6:

Adding a remote location to sync with is as simple as
browsing to it.

NO PASSWORD REQUIRED
The last
major new feature added to version 5.0 gives you the option to create a
wallet with no password. You can select this option while creating a new
wallet or by changing the security settings of an existing wallet.

Figure
7: During the New Wallet Wizard you can choose for the wallet not to
require a password.

Figure
8: You can also change an existing wallet to not require a password in
the security settings screen on both the Windows Mobile device and your
desktop.

PURCHASING

As always, eWallet is available at all the major
handheld software sites. You can also purchase it

directly from the Ilium Software Store for $29.99, which
includes both the Windows Mobile and the desktop
applications. If you purchased eWallet 4.1 in the
last 90 days, you can upgrade to version 5.0 for
free. If you purchased eWallet longer than 90 days
ago, the upgrade cost is $16.95 which includes both the Windows
Mobile and desktop licenses. Keep in mind that the
U3 application uses the same license as the desktop
application so there is no additional cost to use it
on a U3 drive. There is a 30-day trial version of
the application available

here.

PROS

• 
  
  Sharp, new icons
• 
  
  Ability to sync the same wallet with multiple
  devices and locations
• 
  
  Updated synchronization setup screen
• 
  
  Wallets can be set to not require a password
• 
  
  Compatible with the Windows Vista new Mobile Device
  Center

CONS

• 
  
  Extra screen listing all wallets when exiting should
  not be needed when there is only 1 wallet on the
  device
• 
  
  U3 synchronization does not begin automatically when
  you plug the drive in
• 
  
  FilesAnywhere online storage account costs extra
• 
  
  Version 5.0 no longer supports devices running
  anything earlier than Windows Mobile 2003

OVERALL
IMPRESSION

Ilium Software has taken a great application and
added some new and interesting features without
making it any more complicated to use. That being
said, if you do not need the ability to sync your
wallet to multiple locations or devices and you
already own a previous version of eWallet, it might
not be worth the $16.95 to upgrade to version 5.0. If
the new features are of value to you, you really
cannot go wrong here. Also, if you do not yet own
eWallet, version 5.0 adds even more reason to give it
a try. The new features cement eWallet’s position at
the top of the wallet application field. Therefore, I give
this product the following score: