While not a burden for some, there are many iPhone users out there that are stuck using the minimum 200MB data plan. Keeping track of your data usage is a bit of a hassle, but like everything else in life, there’s an app for that.

DataMan uses the built in data usage meter to easily tell you how much data you are using, whether it be with 3G or WiFi. Because it runs in the background, it can also inform you of when you get to certain data use thresholds (i.e. 50% data used, etc.). All you have to do to get the app working is to set up what day of the month your data usage starts and let it run.

The last feature, which is probably the neatest feature of all, is also the one that will irk many users. As you are using data, the app geotags your location so that you can see the places that you are online the most. Seeing your data use on a map is quite neat (although not all that useful), but it requires your location services to always be on. If you don’t like the feature, you’re out of luck because the geotagging isn’t an option that you can just turn off. Talk about a serious battery drain. On a device that already isn’t known for wonderful battery life, having something like a data tracker killing X% just by existing is a major bummer.

For a user who is perilously close to running out of data every month, an app like DataMan is an invaluable resource. With the inability to turn off location services though, you’ll have to be willing to sacrifice a bunch of battery life for the service to work.

[ DataMan Review is a post from 148Apps ]

Just the other day I saw a commercial on TV about Chase offering a new service that would let you deposit a check just by taking pictures of it. I’m not sure why, but I felt like the whole structure of banking was crumbling beneath me. Why do banks even exist when I can deposit checks with my iPhone? It was a fantastic moment.

Not to be left out, the online transaction giant Paypal has announced their own check depositing service that works the same way. Just by taking a picture of the check, the recently updated Paypal Mobile app can process the check and add it to your Paypal balance. The service is completely free (no 3% service charge!) and is powered by BankServ, one of the largest electronic money managing companies out there.

“We all agree that the future of money is digital, so it’s hard to believe that there are people and businesses in the U.S. still using an analog technology that’s 400 years old – yes, I’m talking about checks.” wrote Laura Chambers, senior director of PayPal Mobile, “If you’re anything like me, you’ll love this new feature and the fact that you can skip your next trip to the bank when you receive a check.”

Next time you get a check, be sure to download and try out the newly updated Paypal app: it’s free! Be sure sure to hang on to your check for 15 days though, just to be safe.

[Source: Paypal Blog]

FREE!

PayPal

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Finance

[ Forget The Bank, Paypal Now Does Mobile Check Deposits is a post from 148Apps ]

Mobile phones give consumers a whole slew of functionality that they wouldn’t otherwise have while on the go. Not only are they able to make calls but they’re able to check email, keep tabs on social networks and do pretty much anything else a readily available broadband connection provides. In fact, due to these mobile broadband connections coupled with third party software the possibilites of what a smartphone can be used for are virtually endless.

One demographic that may benefit from having a smartphone is investors who are able to keep tabs on the various share prices and other stock market happenings. Today, that job has been made even easier as it was recently announced that the Yahoo Finance application which is already available for both iOS and BlackBerry OS is now available for Android.

Yahoo lets us know that the below features have been added initially with more functionality coming in the future:

• Real-time quotes
• Customizable stock watch list
• Access to Yahoo Finance portfolios
• Stats and news
• Tech Ticker video

Considering it’s free, you might as well go check it out, right?

Read (Yahoo)

Incoming search terms for this article:

• http://www mobilewhack com/yahoo-finance-gets-android-app-investors-rejoice/

Squirrel for iPhone is a finance management app that lets you manage and check your accounts, transactions, and budgets right from your iPhone. It’s designed to sync with the Mac client of the same name. While you can use it without the Mac application, it’s when you combine the two that Squirrel really shines.

Setting Up: Squirrel’s Structure
Squirrel operates using three basic elements—accounts, budgets, and transactions. Accounts are rather self-explanatory. You can create accounts representing checking or savings accounts, credit cards, or even cash. Transactions are labelled with a date and a short description, and show what you’ve spent your money on; budgets let you see whether or not your spending is in line with your goals.

To start using Squirrel, you’ll need to make a few accounts and assign them starting balances. Easy as pie.

Sort that Data
Supplementing those structures are tags and categories. You can have as many categories or tags as you like. The difference? Each transaction can only be in one category, but can have multiple tags.

The point of all this classification is twofold. First, it lets you create budgets within the app. For example, you can set a monthly food budget, or a one-time budget for textbooks (gulp, that’s my problem). Budgets can be created on a yearly, semi-yearly, quarterly, monthly, or one-time basis. From within the iPhone app, you can only create budgets for categories; however, the Squirrel application for Mac supports advanced budgets that adhere to rules (i.e., all transactions that are tagged “x” and are not in category “y”).

Secondly, if you’re using the Mac app, Squirrel will display a pie graph depicting the distribution of your spending. If you’re spending way more on fun than on necessities, you’ll be able to tell at a moment’s glance.

You cannot, however, view categories and tags from within the app—they’re displayed under each transaction, but you can’t say, “show me all transactions in the food category,” for example.

Daily Use
All well and good, but how easy is it to use Squirrel every day? I’ll admit that meticulously keeping track of my spending is annoying, but…well, it’s kind of unavoidable. Unfortunately, it takes a lot (six, to be exact) taps to enter a transaction in Squirrel. You must select the proper account, hit the plus sign, enter the amount, enter a description, and then move on to another screen where you can change other properties. It would be easier if there wasn’t a weird lag at the amount screen as well.

Still, it’s not too bad. Squirrel doesn’t have too many features, but keeps clutter down, and if you’re willing to spend a minute entering data after each purchase it’s a great way to organize your data. The Mac application sync works splendidly (same-named objects result in duplicates rather than risk overwriting data, which I love) and you can even set it to do so automatically. Bravo!

Other assorted features: the ability to set a four-digit passcode (not terribly secure, but still better than nothing), multi-currency support, iOS 4 features like Retina display optimization and multitasking, and autocomplete for categories and tags.

Final Thoughts
Squirrel is a fairly robust finance management app with some great features like live updating budgets, multiple account support, flawless Mac sync, and categories and tags. There are still a few things I don’t like, such as the time it takes to add transactions (my dream: photographing receipts! or just a simpler interface) and the fact that without the Mac application, you can’t take advantage of Squirrel’s full capabilities. However, the app looks great, runs smoothly, and does a good job of keeping your spending organized.

My final verdict: if you’re a Mac user, Squirrel is probably worth having. $24.90 for the desktop version isn’t bad, and the mobile-desktop synchronization is a great system. If you’re using Windows, however, the stripped-down app probably isn’t worth it. Smart budgets, pie graphs, web integration with your online accounts: for these, you’ll need Squirrel for Mac.

[ Squirrel 2 In-Depth Review is a post from 148Apps ]