iBearMoney 4.0 has already been available on the App Store for several days, and it has provoked a lot of comments and reviews, especially the Budget feature and the Apple-compliant design. I know because I am the one who runs iBearSoft twitter. If you are a user of iBearMoney, or you are thinking about becoming one, follow me on twitter because I collect your tweeting comments, proposals and opinion, and try my best to give a quick answer to each message, day or night. We have 200.000 users of iBearMoney, which is 100 times less than there are twitter subscribers, and I’ll try to answer your tweets till I can. I am not from the support team, but I make sure that you get immediate attention. Here’s my twitter link again.
One of the things that wonders many iBearMoney users is the announced Desktop Client for the app. You can see that the Desktop Client can connect to your app when you go to More > Desktop Connect tab. Many people wonder what the Desktop Client is, and why it is temporarily removed from distribution, when it is going to be back, and how you will get it. I answer these questions in this post.
First of all, please note that the Desktop Client for iBearMoney was NOT meant to substitute your iPhone application. It was meant to help you add your data easily to the app. The iPhone screen is small, and some people prefer to add their everyday data not from the screen, but through a standard keyboard, and there you will be able to use the Desktop Client. You will also be able to see your current accounts from the Client, and your Transactions. The Client does not show any charts, and is targeted to this one specific task of helping you add data to the iPhone app iBearMoney.
Second, why it is currently removed from distribution, and when it is going to be back. It’s been decided to currently remove it from distribution because we’ve recognized that its performance is different under different platforms, i.e. it runs slightly differently from Mac and from Windows, and we want to make it run identically. The developers told me that the Client is going to become available next week, and I am looking forward to that. Once it becomes available, you will be able to download it from this page: www.ibearmoney.com/desktop
Third, let me briefly describe how the Client is going to look like, and how it will work. I have a screenshot of how it looks now, but please note that the design can slightly change (click on the image to see full size).
The Desktop Client synchronizes with iBearMoney solely via wi-fi, so you will be able to connect with the Client ONLY if you have a wireless network at the place where you are connecting. To enter the Client you will need to start iBearMoney on your iPhone, and tap “Connect” from there; at that very moment the Client will automatically find your device, and you will be able to enter your profile. (Well, you will also be able to set a connection key as a matter of security.) It will load your accounts and your transactions, and you will be able to delete and add Transactions from you keyboard. Then you will need to click the “Sync” button, and the changes will appear in iBearMoney on your iPhone. These are the features that the Client is going to deliver. I am a user of iBearMoney, just as you are; I’ve tried the Desktop Client and find it quite useful.
If you are a user of iBearMoney Free, you still do not have the new design and features because iBearMoney Free 4.0 has not yet been approved for the App Store, however, it soon will be, and it is a good idea to try it before buying iBearMoney. Please also note that we are still running the 2010 dedicated discount, which is going to be over soon. Starting with version 4.0 iBearMoney complies to the best Apple’s idea of combining elegant design and high productivity, and I recommend to make it your choice.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Morey Chang and Sascha, Akhat. Akhat said: Desktop Client for iBearMoney: welcome to read my post in the blog about it: http://ibearmoney.com/2010/01/25/desktop-client-when-and-how/ [...]