Sticky Password Cloud 7 review: The ideal solution for password management across platforms

It's a multi-device world. It's not uncommon to have a work PC, a home PC, a smartphone, and a tablet, often with different operating systems. It's also an increasingly insecure world, where every week seems to bring news of a new data breach.

With more and more day-to-day work moving from the desktop to the browser, and the expectation of a seamless shift as you move from one platform to another, these two facts converge dangerously: A password shared among multiple sites means all of your data, and perhaps your entire online identity, is only as safe as the most poorly-secured site you visit. Sticky Password can help.

Sticky Password will alert you to passwords you might consider changing.

Sticky Password Cloud runs as a standalone application under Windows, but also integrates itself into multiple browsers. The user can exclude some supported browsers, if desired. It also has Droid and iOS apps, all of which can share a common database of passwords, memos, and so on, through your personal, albeit unfortunately named, StickyPortal. When a new device attempts to connect to the shared cloud data, a one-time PIN is sent to the email address used when you set up the account.

Sticky Password helps you manage dozens, or hundreds, of passwords. You don't need to remember a thing -- except your master password for Sticky Password itself, of course. While Sticky Password doesn't force you to use a different password for each site, it makes it very easy to do so. It recognizes (most) login or account setup screens, and if it sees something that looks like it's asking you for a password, it can generate one, including mixed case, numbers, and symbols.

Random passwords foil dictionary and pattern-based attacks.

Sticky Password integrates well with most major PC browsers. It appears as a clickable icon in the menu bar or status bar (depending on browser and preference), and thankfully does not add a toolbar. Support for browser upgrades is prompt. Sticky Password is very actively supported; the company recognizes that this is a vital utility to its users and, in my experience, reported bugs are addressed promptly.

An obvious downside is that if your Sticky Password database is lost (through catastrophic drive failure, for example), you may be in serious trouble. There are some solutions to this: You can do an export (plain or encrypted) of your password database, and store this in a secondary location (if it's not encrypted, it better be very secure). Further, it produces backup database files regularly. You can back these files up (or make sure your favorite backup program or service, such as Carbonite, includes them), instead of doing an export yourself. And, with Sticky Password Cloud, you can now sync your passwords across multiple devices, with the encrypted data stored remotely. The user is in control of if data is synced.

This is something each user must weigh carefully. Any time all your information passes through a single bottleneck, there's a risk. No matter how secure the servers are, there is always a chance of an unknown exploit being discovered, or a user error leaving an opening. On the other hand, failing to use unique passwords on each site opens up even more points of risk.

Sticky Password allows organization into folders, helpful for large databases.

Sticky Password Cloud adds in a few new features beyond the cloud functionality. Lamantine Software has added grouping for secure memos, improved support for import of bookmarks and passwords from additional browsers, and updated Sticky Password Cloud to the latest look and feel.

Licensing for Sticky Password Cloud is a bit unusual: It covers all devices for a single user for one fee, 20.00, which is good, but it must be renewed annually, which is less good. For those who are not multi-device users or who do not want syncing, there is Sticky Password Desktop, which has no time limits on its license, and no cloud functionality.

Lamantine Software donates a portion of Sticky Password Cloud sales to helping endangered manatees (Oh, the huge manatees!).

Keith Ramos

How often can you protect both data and aquatic mammals? Not often!

Sticky Password is a permanent part of my computing life. I have been using it day in and day out for two years now, and I have encountered only small issues, rapidly resolved. If you are using another password management tool, compare feature sets. If you aren't using a password management tool, you should be, and Sticky Password is one of the best.

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GoodSync: Most Powerful Syncing Solution on the Planet?

GoodSync ($30, 30-day free trial) is the Godzilla of syncing programs, and I mean that in the best possible way. It has tons of features and offers unprecedented connectivity. Not only does it sync or back up one computer to another--including remotely across the Internet with the GoodSync Connect portal, but it also syncs with online services such as Microsoft's SkyDrive. Want offsite backup without the online storage charges? GoodSync could well be your answer.

Though it's not the sexiest interface, GoodSync's main window is extremely efficient and well laid out.You'll find all the basic sync and backup features in GoodSync: bidirectional and unidirectional syncing (aka backup), file filtering, job scheduling, and syncing of deletions. New in version 9 is the ability to include multiple sources (e.g., folders) and single files in a single job. I already mentioned that the program syncs with online services. It's nice having a program that will automatically download the files I create on SkyDrive using my smartphone. Other services supported are Google Docs, Windows Azure, Amazon S3, and Amazon Cloud Drive.

Peruse GoodSync, and it quickly becomes apparent that someone has a passion to become the best. The GoodSync interface doesn't feature a lot of bitmaps or a sexy color scheme, but it is intuitive and easy to use. That said, there are so many options that it may take you a while to get up to speed with the program.

Unlike many syncing programs, GoodSync displays all files from both the source and destination on the right side of the main window and only their status on the left. This can be a bit disconcerting with a one-way sync from a small folder with few files to a folder with many files--such as syncing SkyDrive to My Documents. To avoid this, always use a dedicated destination folder for the sync.

GoodSync's ability to connect to online services left me wanting more--a positive thing. It would be great to be able to connect remotely to my NAS box's Rsync service. GoodSync doesn't support this yet, but it does support FTP, SFTP, and Webdav, which can be used to the same effect.

While GoodSync functions as a "free" version after the 30-day trial period, it's limited to three jobs of 100 files. That's enough to perhaps sync a thumb drive or two, but effectively renders the program useless for backup. You're better off with Windows Briefcase for the stuff the free version of GoodSync handles. Also, you'll need a license for each PC you want to sync between remotely using the GoodSync Connect service. Not that this is unusual, but those $30 licenses can add up in a hurry.

If GoodSync isn't the most powerful syncing solution on the planet, then someone out there is flying really low under the radar. It's most definitely worth downloading.

--Jon L. Jacobi

GoodSync is an easy and reliable file backup and file synchronization software. It automatically analyzes, synchronizes, and backs up your emails, precious family photos, contacts, MP3s, financial documents, and other important files locally - between desktops, laptops, servers, external drives, and Windows Mobile devices, as well as remotely with FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3 servers. With GoodSync you can automatically backup your files to ensure you'll never lose them again. You can utilize GoodSync's synchronization option to easily Synchronize your files between multiple computers and devices. GoodSync is simple enough for a beginner, yet has many advanced options to satisfy the most advanced computer users.

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DriverMax Updates Drivers for Free...But It's Not the Best Solution

It can be hard to justify paying for software that handles a task that can, otherwise, be done for free--even when the software makes the process easier. That's why I was intrigued by DriverMax, one of the few free applications that helps you identify and update aging drivers. It works as advertised, but pales in comparison to its free rival SlimDrivers.

DriverMax's scan results include both outdated and current drivers, differentiated only by a small green or red icon, which can be confusing.Both DriverMax and SlimDrivers stand out among driver updating utilities because of their non-existent price tags: These are free applications that not only scan for outdated drivers, but also allow you to download and apply the updates, too. The free versions of rivals Perfect Updater, DriverScanner, and Driver Reviver driver scans, only; to download updates, you have to pay $30 for the full versions of the software.

But once you move beyond the price, DriverMax lags behind SlimDrivers. Where that product features a slick interface and an almost-seamless update process, DriverMax stumbles. Its interface is usable, certainly, but not as clean as it could be. I also dislike how its scan results include both outdated and updated drivers, and differentiates between the two with only a small icon. I continually found myself attempting to update drivers that were actually current, only to be told that no more current drivers were available.

And when I did update an outdate driver, the process was a bit convoluted. DriverMax informs you that, as a free user, you will be directed to a page on the DriverMax Web site, where you can choose between the recommended driver or another one. Only PRO users ($29 per year) can download drivers from within the application. Being bumped to a Website to download the drivers is annoying, but it's less so than the message I saw every time I landed there: "You are a free user and the DriverMax servers are currently overloaded. Since you are not a PRO user, you have to wait." The wait was usually no longer than 20 seconds, but it felt unnecessary. Add in the fact that DriverMax's free version only allows you to download two driver updates per day, and you'll realize that this application quickly makes the updating process a very time consuming project.

DriverMax does create a system restore point for you before installing drivers, which is a nice touch. But it's not enough to convince me to use this app. In the time I spent waiting for the DriverMax servers to handle my download requests, I switched my attention to SlimDrivers instead. That's the free app I'll be using to keep my drivers current.

-- Liane Cassavoy

DriverMax is a powerful utility which helps you download, backup and restore the drivers installed on your Windows Vista or Windows XP computer and check if newer versions are available. Download all drivers from one place in just a few steps. After backing up your drivers you will have all of them in a single place and will be able to reinstall all of your drivers or just the ones you choose in a single step which takes about one minute. This utility can save you a lot of time when reinstalling Windows, especially on older computers for which the original CDs containing the drivers have been lost. You no longer have to track down old driver installation CDs, insert one installation CD after another or spend hours searching for drivers on the Internet. DriverMax is also able to display a detailed report about all drivers (versions, release dates) installed on your system. Identify unknown devices in your computer and get Windows Vista rating information before you purchase new hardware!

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