Apple has updated their MobileMe News “blog” with a helpful tip for added security, and for when that security necessitates the need for a helpful little reminder.

First up, Apple reminds everyone that even good passwords, left static for too long, grow old and stale.

One simple way to increase the security of your life online is to change your account password periodically.

You can change your MobileMe password via the Account icon, and Apple provides some suggestions for picking good passwords. (Here’s ours — use something long and with lots of numbers and symbols thrown in. Pseudo-random is the best. Use GRC.com to generate it, or use a good password manager (I use 1Password on the Mac, my PC friends recommend RoboForm) to both generate and store lots of logins).

Next up is what to do if you forget your MobileMe password, and it’s fairly standard stuff, involving a secret question:

Should you ever forget your MobileMe password, go to the MobileMe login page at me.com and click the Forgot password link. You’ll be taken to a page and given the option of resetting your password by answering a secret question to establish your identity.

Pro tip: If you’re even a semi-public figure, or just “don’t trust anyone” make up a fake history, with fake maiden names, pet names, etc. or anyone who knows your background can hack your account as easily as they did Salma Hayak’s.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

How To: Recover Your MobileMe Password and Update it Often for Added Security

A former pick of the week for me, and one of my most-used Mac and iPhone apps, has just seen the latter, mobile version updated. I had a chance to try out 1Password touch 2.0 [Free - iTunes link], and the new ability to sync Wallet Items, along with an entirely new, very robust way to sync over Wi-Fi, work the way such things ought.

If you loves security, and want the ability to take your super-strong, pseudo-random passwords, as well as credit cards, debit cards, and all that new goodness, with you, give it a try.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

1Password touch 2.0 Now Available

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: G-Map US East

I have been using G-Map US East for the iPhone now for a couple of months. Why wait for FULL GPS Navigation with Turn-by-Turn with Software 3.0 when you can have it now. All that is lacking is the audible cue to turn, but it has excellent visual cues. Easy to use and fast calculations make this one a winner! The developer says they will add Audible Turn-by-Turn with Software 3.0. Did I mention that Internet access is not required? That’s right, all of the maps are on your hard drive with no subscription! [$24.99 - iTunes link]

James’ Pick: Lose It!

Now that it’s time for swimsuit season, I need to lose my winter layer that has accumulated over the past few months. Lose It! is a free application that allows you to set your weight loss goals with flexibility. The app counts your calorie intake (with a pretty robust food database), tracks your exercise and progress towards your goal. [Free - iTunes link]

Jeremy’s Pick: UFC Undisputed 2009

[Ed: Since we couldn't pull Jeremy off his Xbox 360 in time to get a pick in, we tapped out and made his new affliction a rare exceptional pick ] 10 second knockout. On advanced difficultly I might add… I’m gonna be a beast in this game. [Free-ish Demo - official web site]

Leanna’s Pick: F-MyLife

This little app lets you see the stories posted on http://www.fmylife.com/. There was a recent update to F-MyLife that has made the user experience even more enjoyable. This is a great time-filler app when you’ve got a few minutes to kill, or if you’ve just had an FML experience, make a post directly from F-MyLife. [ Free - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: Geodefense

Current favorite for this week is GeoDefence. I was a bit hesitant in getting it as I had fieldrunners, however, this game is just as cool. It has more upgrades and towers also the main thing is that the path is created for you and you have to set up the towers along the path. [$3.99 - iTunes Link]

Rene’s Pick: 1Password

1Password is an app I use so often I’ve almost forgotten it doesn’t come standard on OS X — Mac or iPhone. Until I re-install or restore, then I try to login to a secure website and — Boom! — where’s my 1Password? I can’t think of higher praise than that. It allows you to store gnarly, pseudo-random logins for websites, providing security, yet use them with the minimum of hassle possible, providing convenience to boot. And it syncs between multiple Macs and the iPhone. Swoon [Free - iTunes link]

Special Guest Pick from Editor-in-Chief Dieter Bohn: Kindle

What’s great about it: used to be that if you needed information instantly, you hit up Google to see what the internet says. That’s great and I use it every day (heck, every hour), but while that’s great for breadth of information, it’s not always great for depth. Now that I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, I can ‘queue up’ deeper research quickly and easily. [FREE - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

Yeah, you’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick of the week? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Picks of the Week: G-Map, Lose It!, F-MyLife, GeoDefense, 1Password, Kindle

I know Dieter hearts 1Password and it’s probably the first thing I load up any time I install — or re-install — a Mac. They’ve got a great FREE iPhone app, but you really need the big desktop brother to get the full functionality, which includes Keychain password filling integrated right into any Mac browser, as well as wallet storage, and a personal favorite — super-strong pseudo-random password generation.

They had a great special on Halloween, but Thanksgiving? Frankly, they’re blowing us away. Anyone who currently has a 1Password license can GIVE away up to 3 FREE licenses to their friends! Those who haven’t got 1Password, or friends with 1Password to give them this awesome gift, can buy a license for 15% off, and still get in on the FREE give away!

Offer’s good until Sunday, November 30th, so if you want it, go grab it.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

1Password Gives Awesomest Thanks Yet!

One of our favorite apps on the Mac — and the iPhone — is on sale for today only:

First, we have partnered with macZOT! to bring you a special deal! This Thursday, Oct 30th, for one day only, 1Password will be available for an incredible 50% off its regular price: 1Password Halloween Special!

The 1Password iPhone App is, of course, free, but the Mac app is usually $39 bucks, so this is almost a full $20 off. Of course, some people will complain it’s not “free” as well, but then these same people typically don’t work for free either, as trying to feed a family doesn’t work for “free”. Support great software and great developers will be here to support us with even more great apps.

Typically among the very first apps I install when I’m setting up a system, flawless password management and syncing make this not only a “just works” but a “must have”. (Plus, their UI and general graphic design work is awesome, and that hooks me every time!)

Get it before the stroke of midnight!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone User on a Mac? Get 1Password for 50% Off Today Only!

Confession: I use 1Password on the Mac a lot. I just used it to login so I could write this preview. I use it (synced via keychain) to my desktop at home, and I’ve used the various incarnations of the 1Password javascript bookmarklet on the original iPhone 2G. But now they’ve gone native, baby!

Internet security is a a huge concern, and with mobile internet security we ain’t seen nothing yet. Browsers the caliber of MobileSafari make it possible to do our transactions on the go, be it logging into our favorite social network, or doing some emergency banking on the road. But what if we get out of the cab and leave our iPhone behind? If it gets snatched? What if someone else takes possession of the tiny little device with all our precious logins on it?

Read on to find out!

The good: 1Password has us covered, proving as innovative on the handset as they’ve always been on the desktop. Breaking things out into 2 categories, they provide a simple 4-digit PIN to access lower security logins (i.e., for a forum), and a full blown master password for high security items (i.e. your credit card account). And the interface? Gorgeous.

If you haven’t previously used 1Password, just start entering your credentials and you’re good to go. If you’ve already built up a 1Password store on your Mac, setup looks a tad more involved, favoring security over convenience in the age old battle, but given the focus of the app that’s certainly understandable. If you’re familiar with how Apple’s Remote app works, this isn’t dissimilar — search for networked 1Passwords on your Mac, establish trust, and then sync.

The bad: Due to Apple’s SDK restrictions, 1Password doesn’t work with MobileSafari the way it works with regular Safari on the laptop. Basically, Apple doesn’t allow plugins. To get around that, 1Password has built in it’s own web browser. That means you may end up using a different app to access your secure sites than you use for casual browsing. Not a deal breaker for some — and there doesn’t appear to be an alternative approach — but it’s something to consider.

Also, they apparently let their programmers sleep, so we won’t get features like wallet items, identities, password history, folders, search, etc. until version 1.1. What about my pseudo-random password generator? I use that all the time on the Mac! (Or did I just answer my own sync-enabled question?)

The unbelievable: According to the fine folks at Agile Web Solutions, for a limited time the 1Password App Store app will be given away FREE!

Not able to try it out first-hand yet, I’ll have to wait for Apple to clear 1Password for App Store launch to see if the reality lives up to the concept, but they’ve sure made it a no-brainer to download and try out.

Check out their Switcher’s Blog for detailed screenshots and setup instructions.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App Preview: 1Password for the iPhone — for FREE!