People have a tendency to think I'm weird for carrying a tiny computer with a 3.7-inch screen in my pocket with me wherever I go. But having a PDA for me means not having to carry around an mp3 player, a calendar, address book and video game system. I'm not quiet ready to throw out my wallet yet, but you could make the case that it's actually safer to encrypt and store your credit card info on a PDA than to carry a wallet filled with cash and credit cards.

Illium Software's eWallet is one of the leaders in credit card and password management. Illium just launched a public beta of eWallet 5.0 with a variety of new features. While eWallet really shines on a PDA, you can sync with a PC, or run a PC-only client. In fact, eWallet 5.0 beta runs on Windows Mobile 2003/2003SE/5.0/Smartphone, Palm OS 4.0 or higher devices, Windows XP and Vista, and UMPCs.

Some new features in 5.0:

• Synchronize unlimited wallets with unlimited PCs
• Synchronize to a server or another PC on a network
• Synchronize to removable storage devices like USB drives or removable hard drives
• Support for Vista
• New icon set
• Create a wallet with no password for less secure data.

There's a 30 day free trial of the beta. eWallet 4.1 costs $29.95, so I'd imagine that's what the full version of 5.0 will run as well. There are several free programs that let you store and protect sensitive data on a PDA, but few are as full featured or provide as many syncing options as eWallet.

Now if only I could get New Jersey to issue my driver's license in a digital format.