Mobile software Monday: SplashMoney for Windows Mobile
I load up quite a few 3rd party applications on my mobile devices and a few stick around and appear on all of my devices because I find them essential for my daily life. One application that I tried several years ago on my Palm Treo was SplashMoney from SplashData. It has been a few years since I used a Palm OS device as a primary device, so I was quite pleased to hear of the recent launch of SplashMoney version 4.0 for Windows Mobile devices. My T-Mobile Shadow is found in my pocket most of the time so I quickly loaded it up with SplashMoney's non-touch screen version. I also loaded the desktop client on my Fujitsu U810 and the touch screen client on the HTC Advantage. They also now have a Mac desktop version, but that does not sync to Windows Mobile devices. You can see just over 20 screenshots of SplashMoney on my two Windows Mobile devices and a PC in my image gallery.
| Image Gallery: These screenshots show SplashMoney on a T-Mobile Shadow and HTC Advantage. |  | |||||
I conduct 99% of my banking online so having access to that data is important to me to make sure the transactions that appear are valid, I have funds available to make purchases, and I know where my money is being spent. In the past I looked for web browsers on my devices that would allow me to access my bank via the internet and there are actually very few browsers that allow this and when they do most actually are hardly usable because the website is not optimized for the small screen. SplashMoney is an application that allows you to go online whenever you desire and retrieve your banking data wirelessly. The great thing is that SplashMoney is optimized for your Windows Mobile device display and all data appears in an easy-to-use format with many more functions than you can get via online access of your bank via a web browser.
I first loaded up SplashMoney on my preferred T-Mobile Shadow and at first I did experience an error, but after visiting the SplashData forums I was quickly informed of what the error meant and discovered I was missing a couple of leading numbers in my bank account number. You may actually need to call up your financial institution to activate online banking, if it is not already activated or available. After I had the right account information, it only took me a few simple steps to get my checking, savings, and credit card account setup with my bank. I downloaded all the transaction data and then started to see what I could do with that data.
I received a super fast response to my query in the forums and noticed that SplashData personnel are very quick to respond and thorough at helping people resolve any issues. The SplashMoney financial institution database is quite extensive, but if your bank doesn't appear in the list or doesn't seem to work I am confident they will get you up and running.
In addition to viewing your transaction history, you can enter new transactions, reconcile account statements, print registers and reports (desktop module), schedule transactions with reminders, and more. Depending on the type of Windows Mobile device you have, you may find it much easier to enter data and setup the application on your desktop PC and then simply sync all of the settings and data to your Windows Mobile device. I found the sync to function flawlessly and work just as I expected.
There are several settings in SplashMoney so you can select the best font for your needs, highlight every other row to make the data more readable, and add custom icons (they include a library with the product) to your data. You can categorize your transactions and then filter in a few different ways.
A currency converter is part of the program so you can actually enter data in different currencies when you are traveling. There doesn't appear to be a way to wirelessly download the latest currency values though, which would be a very handy function to have in the program.
I used to keep receipts for every transaction and then reconcile that with my online account, but I have been very poor at doing this over the last year and have just gone on faith that the bank and stores are getting it right. I can now quickly enter a transaction right after it is completed at the point of sale and then make sure that transaction is properly recorded by the bank. I also transfer funds between my savings and checking occasionally and now I will actually be able to conduct these transactions right from my Windows Mobile device, which is both a bit scary and valuable.
Security is a major concern when it comes to managing your financial information and SplashMoney uses the latest 256-bit Blowfish encryption technology to keep your data secure. Make sure you enter a password and use it with SplashMoney. Now that I have this application and data on my devices, I also plan to finally start using the Windows Mobile security settings to double protect access to my financial data.
I am a busy person with my normal day job, writing on this blog, and spending time with my family so I have neglected to really do much in the way of closely managing my spending. I have a simple budget spreadsheet I use, but to get spending under control you really need to track your transactions closer than I have been. I am starting to use SplashMoney to track and analyze my spending so I can see where my money is going and try to come up with a better strategy for spending and saving.
SplashMoney gives you an easy-to-use tool with a consistent user interface and functionality across Windows Mobile devices and Windows PCs. The new Mac version also has that same consistent functionality and is a nice addition to their offerings.
If you need to import existing financial data into SplashMoney to start using this application, you can do so with .QIF, .OFX, and .CSV formatted data. You can also export SplashMoney data to .QIF and .CSV if you want to use the data in other applications.
As people start to take a more serious look at their finances and spending, it is important to have a tool that is easy to use, functional, secure, and that meets your needs to help you manage your money. You can try out SplashMoney for 30 days and this trial is fully functional. If you decide to purchase it you can do so for US$29.95, that includes the desktop and Windows Mobile modules.