:: QUICKSharing expenses is often a touchy subject, even among friends. No one wants to pay too much, but they also want to make sure everything is split evenly. And this is exactly the kind of situation iOmoney was created to handle.
Originally a Palm OS and Pocket PC application, iOmoney has finally made its way on to the App Store. With it, users can track the expenses of their entire group and see exactly who owes what to whom with a couple of taps. If five friends (three singles and one couple) go on a trip together, each group transaction can be entered into the app for easy tracking. Along with basic costs, each bill can be marked as payed (or partially paid) by any individual in the group with debts calculated automatically. So if "Helen" picks up the check for dinner, iOmoney will be able to tell exactly how much each of the others owes her.
An example provided by the developer can be found here, but it's not a necessity. iOmoney is pretty easy to figure out through a bit of experimentation. Tap to add, type in a few values, occasionally check the Debts & Balances tab to see how it's all being split. Easy stuff.
iOmoney is available on the App Store right now in both a full ($4.99) and lite (Free) version. Anyone who finds themselves out with friends a lot would do well to try it out.
:: HANDY
:: BUDGET BUSTER
:: SIMPLY USEFUL
:: RELIABLE
:: ALMOST THEREProOnGo's latest app, ProOnGo Expense, aims to bring time-saving smartphone goodness to expense reports. The app's main feature is a "receipt reader"—take pictures of your receipts, send them to ProOnGo's servers, and they'll convert the images into text and send that data back to your app. Instead of manually punching in numbers, you can just take pictures of the receipts. ProOnGo Expense can also calculate mileage on a trip, using the iPhone's GPS functionality.
Once you have all your expenses documented, you can finish off your expense report. ProOnGo Expense can export in a variety of data types, including .XLXS (Excel 2007), XML, and QuickBooks Online.
Though the app is listed as free, you'll need a subscription after using your first 10 Receipt Reads. Subscriptions range from $0.99 to $4.99 per month. For three bucks a month you get 30 Receipt Reads and unlimited Expense Reports. ProOnGo also has another app, ProOnGo Business Card Reader, which utilizes the same general process...take a photo, have the company's servers analyze it, and then receive the text. If you have unused Receipt Reads from your subscription, you can use them with the Business Card Reader, too.
Oh, and if you're not completely dedicated to the iPhone? ProOnGO Expense is available on Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile phones, too. Be sure to watch the video to see ProOnGo in action!
:: IMMACULATE
:: SUCCINCT
:: SOUND & SOLID
:: FINANCE TRACKER
You're watching an old episode of Columbo on a lazy Sunday afternoon. An episode from 1976. He gets a haircut and it costs him $25. He is shocked with the cost. You open up DimeTravel and ask it how much $25 from 1976 would be today. (answer = almost $100 - NOW i can feel poor old Columbo's pain).
Pretty staggering, no? Of course, the app can calculate things the other way around, too. Here are a few samples for your amusement, with the numbers taken from this site:
Conversely, if you take modern numbers and change them:
Playing with numbers is always fun. Sadly, DimeTravel only goes back to 1948 for us Americans. I don't know why—Wolfram Alpha can handle prior centuries just fine—but even with the current data, it's still nifty to look at these numbers! And you can look at them, too, because DimeTravel displays the path of inflation as a nice graph. If you're a sucker for realizing how transient your money is, go ahead and give DimeTravel a look. And more importantly, invest your remaining money wisely, because if you leave it under your mattress, it's likely to vanish into grasp of good ol' inflation.
