Price:	$9.95		Reviewed by:	Neil Brown
Supplied:	Aun Heng (PalmGear)		Review date:	14/01/2005
Pros:	Added profile support Choice of discovery time Custom message on login screen Automated, simple entry		Cons:	No password support for profile editor

Introduction

In the days when I used my T3 as my everyday PDA, BlueKey was one of the best applications I had installed. It ran effortlessly before and after every use, allowing me to gain access to my PDA without entering passwords or pressing a button-sequence, but still prevent unauthorised access to my PDA. My review of BlueKey still stands true, and would have thought no more about the application if it had not been developed further. Little did I know that the developer was working on changes and tweaks to increase both the functionality and the interface- and a good job too, because I would have pestered him no end for news and updates. I am pleased, therefore, that the changes made in BlueKey2 are well thought-out and effectively implemented- and, more importantly, will help ensure BlueKey's place as probably the most user-friendly access control mechanism for a PalmOS machine.

As the main principle of BlueKey has not changed (thankfully!), I do not intend to repeat here everything I said about the application in my initial review. Instead, I am going to comment on the changes and improvements, so, if you are unfamiliar with the application, it might be worth reading my review of BlueKey1 first.

Profiles

The biggest change in the second version of BlueKey is profile support. By introducing the element of profiles, you are able to choose different settings depending on the time of day. For example, you can have a “home” profile, telling the application not to kick in between 1800 and 0900, allowing you free access during hours when you are at home, and the PDA is unlikely to fall into unsavoury hands. In the same line of thinking, you can set up a profile for “office” usage, say between 0900 and 1800, which either locks the PDA, forcing a recognition process, every time it is powered off, or after a short interval.

Profile support is an excellent idea, in my opinion, as, whilst the BlueKey authentication process was never long-winded, there were times when I just didn't have a linked Bluetooth device nearby- if I were sitting at home, for example, with my phone upstairs. Because these times tended to predictable, using a profile would have made things easier, which is essentially what BlueKey is all about.

Setting it up

The actual setting up of a profile is very easy- you tap on the “Profile” icon on the main screen, which takes you to a special screen where you can see all the profiles that you currently have setup. As the screenshot shows below, you can see the profile name, the locking times, and the process of locking. (The very observant amongst you will notice that the timings in the two different profiles I setup overlap, and so would not be very useful, as “Lockdown” would be permanently engaged!) By tapping on one of the profiles, you are able to immediately delete it, or move to the editing screen to change any of the details. Alternatively, you can create a new profile. Either of these latter options take you to the editing screen.

The profile editing screen is very clear, and is well layed out. You first choose your “active time”- the period in which you want the particular profile to take effect. This can span midnight, allowing you to easily create an “office” profile (say from 0900-1800), and then an “easy access” profile, from 1801 until 0859. Having chosen the time, you need to decide how you wish the application to work- when you power off the machine, after you run certain applications, after a specific time delay etc.

Device settings

After selecting the time and method, you need to look at which devices you wish to use as the keys. In the screenshot below, I have used a phone, followed by a PC, and then left the last device blank. When active, this would mean that the application polls first for “T68i”, then for “Pavilion”, and failing to find any of these, would ask you to retry, or to enter your password. This has not changed from the previous version; what has changed, however, is the ability to alter the time-period allocated for the discovery of each device. After experimentation (there is really no other way of determining this), I found that my T68 was generally recognised after 3 seconds, whereas my Bluetooth dongle took 5 seconds to return a positive match, as so was able to tweak the profile to match this.

Thinking about this further, I realised that, by having different profiles, you can configure the application to open using a wider range of devices. For example, “Pavilion” is never going to be in my office, unless I lugged a great desktop machine around with me for some reason. However, the office machine has integrated Bluetooth, and so would make a logical choice for the office profile.

Passwords: some thoughts There are two comments that I wish to make about the use of passwords in BlueKey, one of which cropped up in the previous review. Before BlueKey can operate, you have to provide an “override” password- thus, if no devices are detected, you can manually access your PDA. However, the password is set locally in BlueKey, rather than responding automatically to the system password. A small point, but this might a nice touch to add in the next version of the application. Secondly, there is no method of passwording the profile system. As such, if you leave your PDA in an “open” mode, allowing anyone to get into it for a set period, there is nothing to stop them changing the profile to work off their own device. I am not sure whether I would notice if someone changed my third device, for example, which makes me wonder if it might be an idea to implement password control on the profile screen, just to make sure that only you are able to change or create profiles.

Display message

BlueKey1 allowed the ability to have a customised message display after three failed logins, in an attempt to provide some form of “Owner” screen, should someone try to use your PDA if you were to lose it. This has been enhanced in version 2, allowing you to customise text to display as the machine is trying to find a key- thus, there is no excuse for someone trying to find the owner not to notice your details. Alternatively, depending on company policy, you may wish to insert something along the lines of the screen below, informing user against unauthorised usage. Do not forget to remove the lines about configuring a custom message, though, as that would be stupid.

Conclusion

BlueKey1 was a great application, upon which I thought it would be difficult to improve. Aun Heng has simply proven me wrong. BlueKey2 takes all the best parts of the original application, and adds to them, creating an even better application, which I am sure which attract much attention, and deservedly so. If you are looking for an easy to use, but at the same time configurable, method of securing your PDA, have a look at this application. Aun Heng has also been generous enough to release BlueKey2 as a free upgrade, so, if you purchased the original version, you are entitled to use version 2.

Version 2 came as a surprise, and an excellent surprise at that. Don't wait for version 3- go and download this application now!