RoboForm is a password manager for Windows, Mac OS X and various mobile operating systems like Android that makes life easier and more secure. The program integrates well with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera. Users who work with different programs or browsers can still use the RoboForm interface to store and retrieve passwords manually.

Passwords and other data are stored in encrypted form by the application. A master password protects the data from being stolen or looked at. Once the master password is entered correctly, access to the program database is granted.

Installation

Users can select the browsers that they want RoboForm to integrate with. A toolbar is added to the selected browsers which offers fast access to saved logins, the password generator or form filling module.

The toolbar can be disabled without losing the program’s functionality in the browser.

First time users who have been using a different password manager before should start with the program’s import option to transfer their login data to their RoboForm password vault. It is possible to import passwords, bookmarks and other data from all supported web browsers and from popular password managers like Last Pass or KeePass.

Importing data from other programs saves time but it is not a necessary step to make use of RoboForm. You can alternatively add login data to the program manually.

RoboForm Editor

Roboform ships with an editor for organizing and managing logins, bookmarks, identities, contacts and notes.

The editor can be used to edit existing data, create folders to organize the data and to add identities, contacts and safe notes to the program. It feels strange that it is not possible to add login data directly to the editor. You can create new logins either in one of the supported web browsers (by logging in to the service that you want to save) or by right-clicking on the password manager’s system tray icon and selecting Logins > New from the context menu.

One interesting option provided by the RoboForm Editor is the ability to sign in into one or multiple web services from the editor window.

Using the password manager

Once you have set up the program you are ready to make use of it. Toolbar users have all options in reach with just a single click. Most users on the other hand may prefer not to have an additional toolbar displayed in their browser.

Part of the RoboForm functionality is also available via the right-click menu. Options to fill and save forms, to display the RoboForm toolbar and to customize the menu are displayed by default. The customize menu option offers to add or remove menu items.

The customization can be used to add links like the program’s password generator, the RoboForm Editor or a log off option to the context menu.

A right-click on a web page opens the context menu with all set options. It is for instance possible to select the Fill Forms option to fill out the username and password, and to optionally log in automatically on the site.

RoboForm will automatically recognize new sign ups and first time log ins on websites. The program display a prompt offering to save the login data. Users can force the saving of data by Alt-clicking on the login button. A similar option is available for text field form data which can be automatically saved with the shortcut Shift-Enter.

RoboForm shortcuts are automatically enabled in supported browsers (with an option to disable the feature in the preferences). This basically can be used to open menus directly in the browser. Alt-X for instance opens the login menu with options to create a new login, edit an existing login or log in to one of the existing web sites or services.

Shortcuts are available for all core functionality. Individual shortcuts can be edited or turned off in the RoboForm Options.

RoboForm Everywhere

RoboForm Everywhere offers to save passwords and data in the cloud. The benefit here is that it is easier to synchronize data between multiple computer systems. All it takes is to install RoboForm on all systems and to log in with the same account information.

Users can furthermore log in on the RoboForm website to access their login data online, even if the program itself is not installed on the computer system.

Misc

The developers have integrated many convenient features into RoboForm. Among those features is a profile switcher to manage different data sets more efficiently, a domain equivalences option which basically enables a log in on multiple domains, the option to change the encryption algorithm, backup and restoration options or the ability to configure a specific browser for logging in on the Internet (which does not have to be the default browser).

Free limited versions of RoboForm are offered as desktop applications or browser plugins.

Verdict

RoboForm Everywhere is a feature rich password and data manager that makes online life more secure and convenient at the same time.

I have encountered two issues with the program. RoboForm first installed the Firefox toolbar even though I disabled Firefox integration during installation. The latest version of Opera seems to be incompatible with RoboForm. A single icon is displayed in the Opera browser that in theory should display or hide the RoboForm toolbar in the browser. A click on that icon has no effect

Giveaway

We have ten RoboForm Everywhere licenses to give away. Leave a comment below for a chance to win one of the licenses. Please let us know how you are currently managing your online passwords.

A fast release like this usually indicates a serious problem that needs to be addressed right away. Most issues that require an immediate response are security related in nature. This time though it seems to be a popular add-on that is causing stability issues for Firefox 8 users.

An extension block request has been posted at Bugzilla. The request to hard block the popular Roboform extension has been added on November 2. According to information posted there Firefox 8 users are experiencing the majority of crashes while users of other Firefox versions are also experiencing crashes but to a lesser extent.

Add-ons that are blocked can usually be added to a blocklist remotely. This did not work in the case of the Roboform add-on as it was hooking dlls into Firefox which needed to be blocked by adding code to the browser.

The changelog has not been posted yet, it will later be available on this page. It is not clear if additional patches have made it into Firefox 8.0.1.

For now, we can only assume that the Roboform patch is the only code change in the new version of the web browser. This means that Firefox users who do not work with Roboform do not need to update their version of the browser to the latest version right away.

The Mozilla homepage is currently listing Firefox 8 as the latest version. Third party websites like Softpedia are already hosting the new version on their servers.

I’ll update the news as soon as the update is available at Mozilla.

RoboForm is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems and can be installed directly, on a USB device or on mobile devices such as Windows Mobile, Symbian or Blackberry. The software integrates nicely with web browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer or AOL / MSN and displays a toolbar that provides access to all the application’s functions and there is also a System Tray icon providing the same.

The password manager will automatically catch data that is entered in password forms and provides the means to store those passwords in the application so that it can be used to automatically log into the website or service.

Information are stored in so called passcards which do not only contain information like the username or password but additional parameters like cookie length or emails. The information can be protected with a master password which is similar to the feature of the same name in Firefox. The data is therefor protected and save from prying eyes until the master password is provided.

Keyboard shortcuts speed up the process further by providing access to some of the functions and menus. The password manager is only one of the features of RoboForm. It will also aid the user during registration.

It is not a problem to use very long and secure passwords since all passwords are stored in the application. The password generator helps the user by generating a secure password for the website or service.

It provides options to select the length of the password, the allowed characters and the minimum amount of numbers. The password generator will also display the bit strength of the password to give the user an indication of the strength.

Passwords are only one type of information that have to be provided during registration. RoboForm makes use of so called identities that can be used to fill in the other information automatically as well. Identities are data sets that contain information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers and any other type of data the user likes to add.

These information can then be used to automatically fill a registration form which can be a huge time saver for users who regularly sign up for new services on the Internet. Different identities are available to distinguish different users or different environments such as work and home.

Another useful feature of RoboForm is the note taking module. It can be used to store notes securely on the computer. Notes can also be protected by the master password so that no one can access them without providing the master password first. Notes are simple text documents that contain information saved by the user.

RoboForm is an interesting application for users who spend a lot of time on the Internet. If you ever had to register to 20+ services on a day you know how much time it takes to fill out all the information over and over again. Using RoboForm this could have been done in a fraction of the time since the data would have to be entered only once by the user.

We got five RoboForm Pro licenses. If you want one leave a comment below.