Wednesday, December 21, 2011

mSeven Software Newsletter - December 2011


As you probably know, mSecure is our flagship product, but we also make a Gift Manager for iOS called mGifts. In this newsletter, we would like to introduce you to mGifts and how it can help you manage your gift list and budget this holiday season. There is still time to organize your gift giving for the holidays and throughout the year.
In this newsletter:
  • mGifts 3.0 is Available now
  • mSeven Software in the News
    • Gigaom recommends mGifts
    • PhoneTalk - mGifts; the ultimate gift list
    • Appolicious selects mGifts
    • Appmodo recommends mSecure
    • eWeek: “Cloud Support Makes mSecure Outstanding”
    • mSecure Password Manager receives 5 out of 5 rating
    • “Best password manager for iPhone and iPad – mSecure 3.0"
  • Best Practices - Listening to you!
  • How to Buy / Contact Us
  • Unsubscribe
Click here to read this newsletter on the web.


mGifts 3.0 is now Available for iOS

mSeven Software is announcing the launch of mGifts 3.0, offering iCloud syncing, budgeting and additional ease-of-use features for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch). mGifts provides a fun and convenient way of keeping track of all of your gift giving opportunities so no one is forgotten when it comes time to celebrate Christmas, anniversaries, birthdays and other special events.
mGifts is powerful and yet made simple with features like:
  • View by person, store, event or gifts list with filters.
  • Specify each person in gift list with an optional custom photo.
  • Setup gift-giving events like Christmas, birthdays for a year round gift list.
  • Optional 4-digit pin code to keep out the curious.
  • Add a photo of the gift to make sure the right one is acquired.
  • Keep all your devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod) in sync with iCloud (iOS 5 required).
  • Improved gift list sharing via SMS or email to enlist others to help in gift gathering.
  • Improved gift status view; idea, needed, purchased, wrapped or shipped to help track the entire gifting process.
  • Preloaded stores and icons to help fulfilling the gift list.
  • New Budget management feature to help contain costs by tracking spending by person, group or event.
  • New icons and other ease-of-user features to keep gifting fun and simple.
For more information on this and other features in mGifts 3.0, see the mGifts web page.
mGifts is a universal app - one purchase for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices!
*All devices must be connected to the same iTunes account


mGifts is now on sale for $2.99 until the end of the year.
($4.99 regular price)
Buy Now
See what bloggers are saying about mGifts in the reviews below.

mSeven Software News


Gigaom recommends mGifts Gigaom recommends mGifts as one of seven must-have apps for the holiday season. The author states: "mGifts will make it possible to stay organized enough, but unfortunately won’t help you pay for anything. mGifts isn’t exclusively holiday, related so you can use it all year for birthdays and anniversaries."
PhoneTalk - mGifts; the ultimate gift listPhone Talk by LetsTalk.com recommends mGifts as one of ten shopping apps for the holiday season. The author states: "The app features a clean interface for keeping track of who is getting what and the ability to see how much has been spent on each person. This list-making app isn’t just for the holiday season, but can be used all year round."
Appolicious Advisor selects mGifts
Appolicious
selects mGifts as one of five apps to organize your gift-giving this holiday season. The author states: "It’s like having a hundred little elves helping to organize your holiday shopping in the palm of your hand. You can actually use this handy app to organize gift giving all year round for birthdays, anniversaries and more."
Appmodo recommends mSecure 3.0
Appmodo said that mSecure for iOS is an “extremely user friendly, whether for the iPhone, iPad, or Mac”. MSecure 3.0 was featured in an review article titled “mSecure – Password Manager Review for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Mac” where mSecure was reviewed and recommended: “mSecure – Password Manager is a highly reliable app for recording your most important information and keeping it private.”

“Cloud Support Makes mSecure Outstanding” - eWeek
In his review of mSeven Software’s mSecure Password Manager, eWeek’s P.J. Connolly remarked, “All around, I’m hard-pressed to find anything I don’t like about mSecure.” Mr. Connolly, an esteemed technology journalist with over 132 articles and reviews to his credit, concluded, “In short, I’m impressed enough with mSecure that I may finally throw away that notebook I’ve kept for the last 15 years.” eWeek.com is a leading tech-industry newspaper and portal that has extensive array of reviews and news reports on technology products.
mSecure Password Manager receives 5 out of 5 rating from Tech Bargains
mSecure Password Manager for iOS has been reviewed by Clint Peitz of Tech Bargains which concluded: “The encryption is excellent and it has fail safes in case someone tries to crack the password. As it stands I plan on keeping this software and adding to it whenever I have info I need to retain for later. For its ease of use and features I am giving this a 5 out of 5.”
“Best password manager for iPhone and iPad – mSecure 3.0"
Mobzilaa reviewed and recommended mSecure in the article “Best password manager for iPhone and iPad – mSecure 3.0”. The author states, “If you do not yet use a password manager, I recommend checking this out.”

Best Practices - Listening to You!


To ensure mSeven continues to produce "Software made Simple", we want to learn a little about you, what you think about our products, ideas about possible future products and your feelings about app buying, So we put together a short 4 page survey.
Not many of us like to fill out surveys, but we would appreciate your time and we believe each question will be helpful in serving you better in the future. Thanks in advance!




That’s it for this newsletter. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email us at support@msevensoftware.com.

mSeven Software Team

Monday, September 19, 2011

mSeven Software Newsletter - September 2011


Happy days from the staff at mSeven Software. It's finally here, we have completed the 3.0 version of mSecure with many new features and tutorial videos. Additionally, mSecure continues to be named as the top password manger in several reviews. In this newsletter:
  • mSecure 3.0 is Available now - Free update for existing customers!
  • mSeven Software News
    • Gigaom recommends mSecure iOS for most security conscious users
    • mSecure for Android now on the Verizon Media Store
    • Healthcare IT News names mSecure for Android one of 10 Apps that Healthcare professionals should use
    • mSecure is one of the Top 5 Security Apps at IT Business Net
    • mSecure is reviewed by Prepaid-Wireless-Guide.com
  • Best Practices - mSecure Tutorials
  • How to Buy / Contact Us
  • Unsubscribe


mSecure 3.0 is now Available for iOS, Android, MacOS and Windows

mSecure 3.0 is now available for iOS, Android, MacOS and Windows. Upgrades for our current customers are free, so download these new versions today!! Note: mSecure version 3 will not be able to sync with mSecure version 2.x, you must update all your copies of mSecure software. As always, we recommend you backup your data files in case something gets deleted by accident.
mSecure 3.0 now supports groups for categorizing records, the ability to mark favorite records for fast access and Dropbox sync with a new Security Everywhere™ architecture for improved data security when syncing with cloud services such as Dropbox, iCloud (Q4) and Google Docs.
Please click on the Video below to see mSecure promotional video:
Please review the new mSecure 3.0 features and their benefits below:
Feature
Benefit
Ultra-Secure
Cloud sync format with compression and separate Sync Password Security not dependent on cloud security. Fast sync with cloud
Android and iOS support sync file attachments Easy way to backup data to email account.
Syncs Everywhere
Cloud sync via Dropbox (iCloud in Q4) using Internet Connection Sync most anywhere, no firewall setup, desktop app does not need top be running.
Share records via Email, SMS or Clipboard to other apps Share records with people you trust.
Made Simple
Groups to categorize records Group records into Personal, Business or custom-defined group for fast access
Mark any record as a Favorite Fast access to most used records
Toolbar on Main and Details panels Quick way to get to the most used functions, including Sync
Record counts indicators Know number of items in groups, records by alpha and types
Duplicate records and Types (iOS/Android Only) Quick way to generate similar records
Improved sync results reports Understand changes to your data during sync operations
Themes (iOS only) and Fonts (iOS and Android) Customize look and readability
For more information on this and other features in mSecure 3.0, see the user manuals for each platform.
* Time to crack a 12 character password using brute force attack as outlined by [web site]. Using weak password with public information in it could reduce this time significantly.

mSeven Software News


Gigaom recommends Password Manager for iOS
mSecure Password manager for iOS has been selected by Gigaom as the password manager of choice for most security conscious users. mSecure was featured in an article titled "Can Your iPhone Keep a Secret? Password Managers Compared" where four password managers including mSecure were reviewed. The author said about mSecure: "With its simple design and straightforward approach to managing passwords, it's everything almost anyone would ever need in a password manager.  I would definitely recommend it for the $20 complete price tag"

mSecure for Android on the Verizon Media Store
mSecure Password Manager for Android is now available in the Verizon Media Store both on-line and on Verizon phones. Verizon tests each app with each of their phones to insure a positive customer experience. mSecure has already been certified on eight of Verizon's most popular phones, including Droid Charge/Incredible/X2, HTC Thunderbolt, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Sony's Xperia, LG Vortex and more.

mSecure keeps Health Students and Professionals password healthy
mSecure Password Manager for iOS has been selected by Healthcare IT News as the password manager of choice for Students and Professionals to store passwords and personal information. In the article titled "Top 10 apps for HIT students and professionals", 10 smart phone apps including mSecure were reviewed. Hertencia Bowe, the national health information management program coordinator for Rasmussen College, said about mSecure Password Manager: "The mSecure Password Manager app allows users to store all email and computer-related passwords, plus credit card numbers and more, helping users to access data safely and effectively, anywhere."

mSecure Password Manager is one of "Top 5 Security Apps"
mSecure Password Manager for Android has been selected by IT Business Net as one of five security apps it recommends to security conscious users. mSecure was mentioned in an article titled "The App Guide: Top 5 Security Apps" where a locator, anti-virus, folder lock and mSecure were reviewed and recommended. The Author, A Swords said about mSecure: "mSecure is an affordable and powerful alternative. The app stores all the most important personal info you need while surfing the Web -- passwords, bank account numbers, credit cards, etc. -- and uses 256-bit data encryption, which is basically impenetrable."

mSecure Password Manager, "a fantastic Password Management Application"
mSecure was featured in an article titled "mSecure - Password Manager" where mSecure for Android was reviewed and recommended. The site editor, the Wireless-Guy, said about mSecure: "mSecure from mSeven Software is a fantastic password management application." The article went on to talk about the desktop sync capability: "The synchronization with the desktop works well. It worked so well that I bought the desktop app after a day (it's a 30 day trial)."

Best Practices - mSecure Tutorials


The following tutorials will assist you in the use of mSecure on our supported platforms. We have included Video Tutorials as well as screen shot tutorials with a narrative. Here are the links to the current Tutorials for mSecure Password Manager.
That's it for this newsletter, in the next newsletter we will review more features in mSecure 3.0. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email us at support@msevensoftware.com.

mSeven Software Team

Thursday, March 31, 2011

mSeven Software Newsletter - April 2011

mSeven Newsletter
- April 2011


Greetings from the staff at mSeven Software. Now that the web site makeover is complete, we are hard at work on the new version of mSecure. So stay tuned!
In this newsletter:
  • mSeven Software News
    • GizmoCrunch: Best Android Privacy Apps
    • mSecure for Android now on the New Amazon App Store
    • iPhone Business Profile: Using mSecure in the Law
      Profession
    • New mSeven Blog - mSecure Customer Stories
    • Recent Updates
    • Coming Features
  • Best Practices
    • Security starts with your Password Choice
  • How to Buy / Contact Us
  • Unsubscribe



mSeven Software News


mSecure Password Manager - Best Android Privacy AppsGizmoCrunch has included mSecure as one of four apps in their "Best Android Privacy Apps". mSecure is the password manager of choice in a group including SMS blocking, Anti-virus and Privacy Inspector apps.
GizmoCrunch especially notes mSecure's "Ultra-Secure" capability to keep passwords safe and secure in the case where the device is lost or stolen.

mSecure for Android on the New Amazon App Store

mSecure Password Manager for Android is now available on the new Amazon's App Store. You can now buy new copies of mSecure for Android on the Amazon App Store. To promote the new app store, Amazon is giving away a paid app each day, check it out!

From Apple.com - iPhone Business Profile: Using mSecure in the Law Profession
mSecure was featured in an iPhone business profile on the Apple.com web site. The article was about how the iPhone and its apps are used at the of Klemchuk Kubasta Law firm. Here is the quote from the article:
Kelly Kubasta relies heavily on mSecure, a password manager that helps him keep all of his separate passwords and logins safe. “Each federal court that you practice before has a different ECF login,” he says. “So it’s incredibly difficult to remember all of those passwords without an assistant at your side all the time. I use mSecure to maintain those passwords for myself.”
For more info, read the Gaining the edge in intellectual property law with iPhone article

New Blog: Customer Stories
Customer stories are a great way of communicating product benefits and usage tips. Most people love reading stories about how people evaluate and use products because they learn by example through stories. So we have started a new customer stories blog that we hope will provide you with the opportunity to read and write about our products. If you would like to submit a story about how you evaluated or use mSecure, please send it to dave@mSevenSoftware.com.


Updates
(February/March)


  • mSecure for iOS
    was updated in March. Version 2.1.2 included the following fixes:
    • Fixed an issue when using the Japanese 10 Key keyboard
    • Fixed memory issues when doing a sync
    • Fixed an issue where the edit view isn't properly resized
    • Fixed an auto-rotation display issue
    • Fixed an issue with doing an email restore
    • Fixed an issue with changing the keyboard while editing a
      record
  • mSecure for Android was updated in March.
    Version 2.1.6 included the following:
    • Support for Zero Configuration Network (i.e. Bonjour),so no need to enter IP addresses to sync or backup to your desktop.
  • mSecure for Macintosh was also updated to 2.1.3 and included the following fixes:
    • Fixed a syncing issue that could occur if a password is set on desktop but not on the device. (This could potentially result in a loss of data.)
  • mSecure for Windows was updated to versions 2.1.2 and included the following fixes:
    • Added preference to not hide "Sensitive" fields at launch
    • Added "Clear Recents" menu to clear the list of recently opened files
    • Added Ctrl+S to put focus in search box
    • Fixed issue with last used type not being retained
    • Added support for Android version of mSecure
    • Other minor bug fixes
Click here for a complete release history.

Coming Features
In the next release of mSecure for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, we have many exciting things planned. One feature planned for the next release is support for organizing your records by groups. This groups feature will allow you to flag some records as business related and others as Personal records and to be able to create your own groups. You will also be able to mark records as your favorites so you can keep your favorite records handy. Release is targeted for Spring 2011. The next newsletter will disclose some of the other new features that will be included in the next release.If you have any ideas for new features, please post them on our Facebook discussions page.

Best Practices


Security Starts with your Password Choice
By David Pfeiffer
This support corner will focus on password “Best practices” when using any password manager including
mSecure. Because all your passwords are protected by a "master" password, it is essential that this password be a "strong" password. So we will talk about what makes a strong password and how to create a password that you can remember and how to back it up in case you forget it.

Security is only as Good as your Password
The security of your data is predicated on two factors: the encryption algorithm and the password used to encrypt the data. mSecure uses a 256 Blowfish encryption which is a wonderful algorithm that has never been knowingly cracked (data deciphered by algorithmic means). Because of the strength of the encryption algorithm, it is the password selection thatdetermines the safety of your personal information.

Selecting a Safe Password
The most important aspect of password selection is NOT to make it easy for the hacker to guess your password. Here are some common MISTAKES that people make in selecting a password:
  • Using readily available personal information in the password. Examples of this are using your son's or daughter's name as a password. While it is easy to remember to it, it is easy for the hacker to guess as well given access to your contacts or other public information.
  • Using a common password like "12345", "password", "letmein", "baseball". See this web site for the 500 worst passwords. This would include using the name of the product in the password, for example: msecure.
  • Using the same password everywhere. While the password maybe strong, if you use this password for a web site that has been compromised, the hacker will have your password for other sites.
Memorable - Strong Passwords
Given a strong passwords is essential, there are sites, like Microsoft Security site, that will tell you how strong your password is. Many sites now enforce "Strong" passwords containing mixed case, numbers and sometimes special characters (i.e. @$*). These passwords can be difficult to come up with and even harder to remember. So here are a couple of ways of creating strong passwords that are easy to remember:
  • A memorable password is usually based on an easy-to-remember phrase that could NOT easily be discovered by reading your Facebook page or blog entries. It maybe a song, movie or character that you secretly admire.

    Use special characters (i.e. @$*) to mask the phrase. You can use replace characters in a easy-to-remember password phrase replacing letters with look-a-like numbers and symbols, i.e., Blake Edwards ->8!@ke_3dw@rd$. Here several characters are replaced with special characters that look like the characters. For example the "@" replaces the "a" character.

    Or you can use multiple characters to represent a letter in your password phrase, i.e. Blake Edwards- > 8!@ke_3d\/\/@rd$ (note how the W was made from forward and backward slashes). This password formulation is very strong and would take a modern PC a million years to calculate all permutations.
  • Another method is to come up with a longer phrase. Here you can abbreviate a memorable phrase by taking the first letters and using them in your password and then changing some of the characters as outlined above.

    For example, lets say your favorite move is "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. This would become: "ofotcn". Now replace the middle "o"s with zeros and capitalize the first and last letter of the password and add the year the movie was made -> Of0tcN1975.

    Now you have a very strong password with an easy to remember phrase and algorithm to help you put it together. For more ideas on this method, see this web site.

    Be creative and come up with your own character substitution algorithm. Just remember to write it down somewhere!
Save it - Save it - Save it
Now that you have some new tools to develop a strong password, you now need to find a place to backup your master password in a safe place. We recommend that you save the password in a physical location such as a safe with your other important documents.
Please keep in mind - if you forget your password, we cannot reclaim it for you. There
are NO backdoors in mSecure because it would be an opportunity for hackers.
Also don't forget to
backup your data.
So in summary:
  • Make your password stronger using the techniques above
  • Write your password down and store it somewhere
That’s it for this newsletter, in the next newsletter we will discuss best practices regarding password manager must-have features. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email us at support@msevensoftware.com

mSeven Software Team

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

mSecure Password Manager Newsletter - February 2011

Click here to see the latest posts.

mSecure Newsletter - February 2011
From all of us at mSeven Software, we hope this email finds you well! In this newsletter:
News


mSecure Password Manager for Android Keeps Personal Information Safe and Accessible
 mSecure Password Manager, the most popular iPhone/iOS Password Manager in the Apple Store, is now available for Android powered cell phones. mSecure for Android uses the same ultra-secure 256bit blowfish encryption to protect personal information such as account numbers, usernames, passwords and more. mSecure for Android was written from the ground up to be an Android product and has an premium Android look and feel with features like collapsible section headers, search-as-you-type, sort, notifications bar access and backup/restore to the SD card. mSecure for Android is also fully-compatible with our desktop products; mBackup and mSecure Desktop to make personal information accessible and secure everywhere its needed.

 mSecure Password Manager for Android is available at the Android Marketplace for $4.99. 

mSecure for Macintosh is now available on the New Mac App Store
 mSecure Password Manager for Mac is now available on the new Mac App store. You can now buy new copies of mSecure for Android on the App Store to receive update notices, easy update installs and iTunes purchasing convenience. Click here to the see the iTunes web page.

mSecure for Mac receives Five Star Review from Software.Informer.com
 Informer.com recently reviewed mSecure for Mac and gave it a 5 out of 5 star award! The review noted mSecure's blowfish encrypted storage, editable category type templates and how easy the product was to use! Click here to read the review.

mSeven launches a New Web Site with Self-help Support in multiple Languages mSeven Launches a new web site with a new look to assist our US and overseas customers in their evaluation of our products. The new site contains a new Support section with extensive support FAQs (frequently-asked-questions), online user's manuals, best practices blog, release notes and other resources in multiple languages. Our web site rework is ongoing project, so please visit often to see what we are up to or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
 mSeven launches Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites

mSeven goes social with its launch of the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites to better connect with customers and their associates. We will continue to support our customers via email, but added the socials sites to keep our customers informed about our products as possible. For example, on our Facebook site, you can get a $5 off your purchase of mSecure for Mac or Windows. If you want to keep up with our latest products, releases and specials, please follow us on Twitter. On the mSeven YouTube site you will be able to find our product demo videos and support videos. 
 
Visit our Facebook site for a $5 off coupon. 

Updates (December/January)

mSecure Password Manager for iOS was updated in December. Version 2.1.2 included the following fixes:
  • Fixed memory issues when doing a sync
  • Fixed an issue where the edit view isn’t properly resized
  • Fixed an auto-rotation display issue
  • Fixed other minor issues
mSecure Password Manager for Mac was also updated to 2.1.2 and included the following fixes:
  • Added Preference to show hidden fields by default
  • Fixed an issue with using the Quit menu from the Dock
  • Fixed an issue with sorting by the icon column
mSecure Password Manager for Windows was updated to versions 2.1.1 and included the following fixes:
  • Added "Clear Recents" menu to clear the list of recently opened files
  • Added Ctrl+S to put focus in search box
  • Added support for Android version of mSecure
Best Practices

By Ray MarshalliOS Users: Do NOT depend solely upon iTunes to backup your data. iTunes only saves the last backup, so if you experience data loss during an OS update and then sync again with iTunes, your data may lost.


This support corner will focus on data backup “Best practices” when using any password manager including mSecure. It is heart breaking when a customer emails us that his data is gone because of hardware failure or human error. Although, there may be a way to get the data back, it takes time and effort and there is little we can do because we have no backdoors or access to your data.
 
 First it is important you understand your device’s backup capabilities:
  • Android Users: The Google phone backup does NOT backup your mSecure data at all, so if you lose your phone or your phone is wiped out, your data is gone.
  • Windows/Mac Users: Unless you sync your data to your phone or have a backup solution, your data is not backed up.
Data loss is not common, but is very painful when it does happen and can be easily avoided if you follow some simple rules:
When to backup your data:
  • After you make significant changes to your data.
  • BEFORE you change your password. If you forget your new password or mistype it twice, you will be glad you have this backup.
  • BEFORE you make any changes to the way you sync your devices; i.e., syncing with a new device or new desktop for the first time.
 How to Backup your data:
  • iOS: the easiest backup method is to use the “Backup via Email” on the preferences panel. This sends an encrypted backup file to your email account. The next best method is download and install our free mBackup application on your Mac or Windows desktop and perform backups over your wireless network.
  • Android: the easiest backup method is to use the “Backup to SD” on the Settings panel. This puts an encrypted backup file on your SD card in the “mSecure” folder. You should also backup this file using access to the SD card via USB or download and install our free mBackup application on your Mac or Windows desktop and perform backups over your wireless network.
  • Mac/Windows: The data file for the desktop version of mSecure is located in your “Documents->mSecure” folder and is called “mSecure.mscm” (Mac) or “mSecure.mscw” (Windows). If your backup program is scheduled to backup your “Documents” folder occasionally, you should be covered.
mBackup supports the ability to capture multiple data sets so you can keep a history of your data changes. mSecure desktop only supports one level of backup from the device, but it is great for keeping things in sync between multiple devices and desktops.

That’s it for this newsletter, in the next newsletter we will discuss best practices regarding passwords. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email us at

mSeven Software Team
support@msevensoftware.com

Welcome to our Newsletter Blog

Welcome to the mSeven Newsletter Blog. The purpose of this blog is to keep our customers informed of what is going on from a product, usuage and technical point of view.

As always, if you should have any questions or concerns please contact us at support@msevensoftware.com