mac.iLounge

Whether or not it’s obvious, you almost certainly have a huge number of logins, passwords, and usernames for various web sites—as well as credit cards, drivers licenses, passports, and other information that you sometimes would like to access on your computer. Our favorite way to manage them all is 1Password from AgileBits, which has recently received two major updates: first, AgileBits added support for OS X Lion and Safari 5.1, and then it released a new version for the Mac App Store. 1Password gives you the luxury of security without the need to actually remember everything on your own. Updated: We’ve added some screenshots and new information about the Mac App Store release of 1Password; check it out after the break!

The app installs a small extension in your web browser of choice, enabling you to automatically save passwords and logins whenever you enter them. The next time you come to a site, you can simply hit the “1P” button next to the address bar, and 1Password will fill the boxes in for you. Everything inside of 1Password is secured with one master password, so as long as you can remember that, you’re all set. You can also save software licenses and set up a digital wallet of your credit and ID cards, which makes online shopping even easier than it already is. You can also sync your data quickly to iPhone and iPad apps, which let you take everything on the road with you.

Updated September 9, 2011: AgileBits has released 1Password in the Mac App Store. It’s on sale for a limited time for only $20, and includes a free upgrade to 1Password 4 when it is released—an update that will only be available in the Mac App Store. If you’ve been contemplating making the purchase, now is definitely the time to do it. We’ve been testing and loving 1Password across all of our Apple devices, as it provides an extremely convenient, beautifully designed interface for storing personal data securely. Synchronization is fast and easy, and the app uses smart shortcuts such as letting you just click on a stored number to automatically copy it for insertion into a web form. At the original $60 asking price, 1Password was a bit too expensive, but it’s very easy to recommend at the new price.