These days, you wonder where your paycheck has gone. I'm not only talking about monthly bills, but also special purchases, such as shopping for the holidays. Has everyone finished their holiday shopping? If you answered no, I have two things to say to you; Stop talking to yourself and stop reading so you can go out and buy something. No! Wait! Maybe you should have a read, as this application may help out. In December, you can always feel the energy in the air as the masses hit the malls and shops to stock up on supplies, food and presents. Receipts pile up or stuffed in pockets. You either use online or telephone banking to check your balances. You keep buying things for yourself, rather than for others. These are just added stresses for this time of year. 

Mobile Checkbook, which was updated just recently, allows you to easily record transactions on the go, as well as perform reconciliation of your balances. I've wanted to review this application for months, but was asked to hold off until the new version was released. I had the chance to try out this version for the past couple of weeks and I can say it was well worth the wait.

About Mobile Checkbook 4.0

Mobile Checkbook 4.0 has been made possible by Mobatech, LLC. The company has also developed the previously reviewed Mobile Bartender and Datepedia. As I said before, I've actually been sitting patiently for this update before I was able to review the application. As their website states, "the wait is over…".  According to the CrackBerry App Store, the application supports BlackBerrys running OS 4.0 and up (look near the bottom of the page). The application, which is the #1 ranked personal accounting app in the BlackBerry App World, will require 556.4 KB of space.

What was incredibly impressive was the rapid response time the application possessed. The menus seemed to snap into place quite well. The UI was very well laid out and required little effort to operate. It was as though Mobile Checkbook wanted me to focus less on inputting information and more on spending all of my money. Upon opening the application, you are given four options to choose from;

Managing your savings account

Managing your checking account

Transfer funds

Manage your account tools

Main Menu

The application allows you to create new accounts, edit accounts or remove them. When editing, you are able to change its name, as well as the currency in use. The following currencies are supported; Dollar, Pound Sterling, Indian Rupee, Euro and Krona. As with accounts, currencies can also be added or removed.

add or delete currencies

Following through onto account management - By clicking on an account, you are directed to an account management page, where you can perform the following actions;

Withdrawal and Deposit

The two actions above share the same commands. The only difference is that one will give a negative result and the other, a positive one. With either action, your first step will be to enter in the transaction amount in question.  The next screen allows you to choose the transaction time, check # (if applicable), Payee and any memos. The date and time field will automatically show the current time, but can be modified if necessary. If you make an error, not to worry, you can easily move back to the previous screen. Let's move on to the other commands.

Account Management

Available Balance

This option kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? Besides that, you can see what has cleared and what is pending.

Hmm, I can still pick up a few things...

Transaction List

This option gives you a look at transactions that you have entered, or have occurred. It will not show future dated transactions. At the top, you can find the available balance. By clicking the available balance, you will see additional information - including the amount that has cleared and the amount that is pending. On top of this, you will see the total value of your withdrawals and deposits. Below this, will be a list of transactions detailing the time/date of the transaction, value (+/-) and payee. There is an option to reconcile transactions, marking them with a green checkmark. You can also choose to hide these cleared transactions, if need be. Additionally, you can purge your history of all transactions occurring prior to a date of your choice. It will give you the good ol' feeling you get when you clean out your 2-inch thick wallet that has been stuffed with receipts.

Transaction List

Recurring

This action gives you two options; create new recurring transactions or view/edit/delete them. The first screen allows you to swiftly modify start dates, transaction type and interval (choose from weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, quarterly and annually). The next 2 screens allow you to input a value, check, payee and a memo. 

Schedule recurring transactions

Send List

If your boss, or wife, asks to see how your checkbook is adding up, you can send off either a QIF or CSV file. Unfortunately, you cannot access your native address book; therefore you will have to enter email addresses manually.

Mobile Checkbook has the ability to transfer funds between your accounts as well. These fund transfers are also recorded/viewed in the previously mentioned Transaction list. The Account tools section is where you can manage accounts and currencies. For security, the application includes an option to create a 4 digit PIN, in order to ensure your financial information is for your eyes only. While scrolling through the menus, I did find a bug. Open up the Transaction list, then highlight and select a transaction. In the next screen, press the menu button and select options. The next screen allows you to modify/delete the entry or purge history. Press the menu button on this screen and the menu pop up will display Select, Back and Select again. Despite this minor flaw, the application appears otherwise spotless.

Transfer funds between accounts

Conclusion and Giveaway

The only thing you'll have to worry about with this application is your spending habits. Keeping track of transactions, while on the move, is amazingly easy. Mobile Checkbook will help you handle multiple transactions, accounts and currencies, all without sitting down at your computer or stepping one foot in your bank. This latest version is leaps and bounds above previous ones. Until December 31st , you can pick up Mobile Checkbook from the CrackBerry App Store for only $7.99.

Mobatech must be in the Christmas spirit, as they are offering 10 licences for giveaway to you, the users and abusers of the CrackBerry nation. To become eligible, leave a comment explaining how Mobile Checkbook would benefit you. Contest closes Sunday at Midnight.

Pros

• Ultra smooth interface
• Ability to manage multiple accounts
• Effortless financial management

Cons

• One teeny tiny bug found
• Unable to access native address book

More Info

• Learn More & Learn more about Mobile Checkbook 4.0 >>