1Password 3 beta nears, TUAW readers get a chance to participate

Update: The Agile Web Solutions guys have been nice enough to extend beta invites to another 100 TUAW readers. Those that don't make it into the first round, don't worry, the guys said they will be putting you on a waiting list and accessing that over the next couple of months, so with any luck, everyone can get in on the fun! Check out http://switchersblog.com for details in the coming weeks. Once again, send an e-mail with the subject "I want my 1P3 beta!" to 1P3Promo [at] agile [dot] ws!

I am a huge fan of Agile Web Solutions's 1Password. It's always one of the first applications I install on a freshly formatted Mac, and I use it countless times a day to manage my logins to various web sites, forums, shopping sites and more. I used to be really, really bad about using the same few passwords for every login, but the strong password generator coupled with support across browsers (and on the iPhone and iPod touch) makes it easy for me to have distinct and secure logins all over the web.

Last night, the Agile Web Solutions team released the 2.9.19 beta (with support for Safari 4), and if you subscribe to the 1Password newsletter, you know that 1Password 3.0 is gearing up for testing before being released later this year.

We've got some juicy details about what to expect in 1Password 3.0 and a chance for current 1Password fans to get in on the private 1Password 3.0 beta! Read on...

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1Password 3.0 is being completely rewritten from the ground-up. Building off of the Agile Keychain that 1Password introduced last year, 1Password 3.0 features a great looking new UI (check out the gallery!) and a slew of new and improved features.

Here are a few more details:

• Logins will now be accompanied by an automatically generated thumbnail (so you can tell what your login actually represents) that you can customize.

• Customizable Wallet items will be available in 1Password 3.0. According to Agile, this is the #1 user requested feature.

• 1Password 3.0 will be compatible with Leopard and Snow Leopard only.

• 1Password 3.0 will also be the first paid upgrade for 1Password ever. This is a big update and a complete rewrite, so this makes a lot of sense. No word on pricing, but it will be the same for 1.x and 2.x owners. If you purchased 1Password in February 2009 or later, no worries, you'll get to upgrade to 1Password 3.0 for free.

So, do you want to get in on the 1Password 3.0 beta? Agile Web Solutions has been kind enough to let the first 100 TUAW readers that e-mail 1P3promo [at] agile [dot] ws with the subject "I want my 1P3 beta!" into the 1P3 beta pool. Once the quota is reached, we'll update this post.

This is a beta, so you won't get a free license for the final version, but you will get the chance to test the new hotness, give feedback to the developers and help make 1Password 3 as awesome as possible.

About half of the AWS team is at WWDC, so if you get into the beta, expect your official invitation in a week or two. I know I'm overflowing with excitement about the 1P3 beta, so I'll be sure to keep you posted.