Money Matters: Spb Quick v1.0.7 Reviewed [Archive]

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Jordan Rosenwald

02-03-2003, 12:00 AM

Tracking your finances from your computer isn't a new idea. Neither is tracking them from your PDA. But finding software that seamlessly syncs your handheld with your computer is a rare and worthy find. Spb Quick is one of those rare finds. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-1.gif" /> <!> Spb Quick v1.07 is a relatively new entry to the PDA finance software arena (not that that arena is all that venerable to begin with). What it does, it does well. So, let's begin... Installation Installation is quick, painless and nicely laid out. What makes it "nicely laid out"? Simple. Its a typical Pocket PC software install with a small wizard "tacked" on the end that searches for your Quicken executable (then gives you a chance to change it, in case it was wrong), lets you browse to select the appropriate data file, and put in any password that might be needed to access the data file. Synchronization Once installed, I was a little surprised to find that the software did not integrate with ActiveSync. That is to say, there wasn't a new entry in the list of things that sync when I dock my iPAQ. Instead, to synchronize, you have to go under your Start Menu, to Spb Quick and select "Synchronize with handheld." Even so, it only takes a few seconds to synchronize a pretty sizeable test file I generated (1.8MB). I'd still rather see integration with ActiveSync. I can see myself forgetting to run a separate sync command rather frequently. Interestingly, and not in any bad way, when you synchronize any transactions back to your desktop, Quicken reads the new transactions exactly like a *.qif file, which it might very well be. The point being that you get to accept (reconcile) as you import. Very convenient. Interface and Functions The interface for Spb Quick is the picture of efficiency. Possibly too much so, for some, but I liked it quite a bit. The initial screen gives you a list of all your accounts and their balances, as well as a net worth at the bottom. You can filter the accounts on the screen through a drop list that allows you to view all account, cash accounts, bank accounts, credit cards, assets and liabilities. In turn, each one of those views can be sorted by name, type, or balance (ascending or descending). I found this to be particularly useful because I prefer to keep only my bank accounts viewable for quick access. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-1.gif" /> Figure 1: Interface is lean and mean... monetary figures are purely figments of my imagination Through menus on the main screen, you can view memorized transactions and categories (which synchronize perfectly from Quicken), You can also view an account balance graph and an income/expense report, but I'll get to them later. The Options menu selection is relatively limited. A checkbox for autocomplete in field (who would turn this feature off??), a checkbox for using regional setting to format date and currencies, and the ability to display certain account information on your Today screen (disabled by default) are the only options given. Also found on the menus is the Calculator, which simply launches Pocket PC's built in calculator (a nice touch) and Password. I have issue with the password feature. First, there is no time out feature in Spb Quick. So if I don't quit the application, the password does me not good. Second, and I think this is a larger issue. There is no "exit" from the application. Like so many other Pocket PC apps, the "X" in the upper right does not truly exit you from the program. A quick click of the iTask button and I see the program is still running. Click on it and I'm back into the program with no prompting for a password. I really hope in future versions they include a File - Exit, or something similar. Navigating Registers I really like the register interface. Don't ask me why, but I really like the simplistic yet complete view that they give when viewing the registers. When in the register view, With a click of a button on the toolbar you can see a simple "Date, Payee, Reconciled (or not) and amount" view. Or you can view the same information with the category and transaction type included. Also available, are views with the transaction type, category or memo in place of the payee. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-2.gif" /> Figure 2: No clutter, no mess. Just the facts and figures you need. Clicking on any entry brings up the details in a tabbed interface, with all the major information on the first tab. The other two tabs are for the memo and split payment information. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-3.gif" /> Figure 3: Tabbed interface keeps the important data upfront. You switch registers simply by clicking on the Accounts tab at the bottom, or for even faster access there is a drop list at the top that has all your accounts. By the way, all of the register entries can be sorted by date, transaction type, payee, reconciled, amount or category (ascending or descending). Entering Transaction Clicking "New" gives you a screen where you can pick payment, deposit or transfer for the account you are currently in. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-4.gif" /> Figure 4: Payment, Deposit or Transfer... Makes sense. If you mess up, and you meant the transaction to be in another account, fear not. Once you select if your depositing or making payments, the transaction screen has a dropdown where you can change the account. All your standard fields are here... With the exception of "reconciled." Apparently this can only be done once you synchronize, from Quicken itself. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-5.gif" /> Figure 5: Standard fields. What more could you want? The only thing I found a bit awkward about transaction entries is the fact that payments to my car loan are considered transfers. Now, I know they really are transfers, but since my first car (that had payments) I've always just considered it another bill that needed to be paid. Basically, the difference comes in that in Quicken all liability accounts are automatically entered into the bottom of your category field. So when you make a payment and enter the liability as your category it automatically makes the entry in your liability account register. Spb Quick does not offer that feature. You need to select that its a transfer. Not a major issue, I just prefer that products that synchronize work in as similar a fashion as possible. Graphs and Charts, Oh my! This was one area I was pretty excited about. Call it my "type A" personality or whatever you like, but I really love knowing my net worth. I know its not much, but with a healthy addiction to technology toys, I like to know when I'm spending too much. So in addition to the Net worth value that is on the main screen of the program, they also have included a few graphic options. The first is an account balance graph. For each account (only one at a time), for any duration you wish, you can see graphically see what your balance looks like. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-6.gif" /> Figure 6: See how your accounts are doing over time The second graph is an income/expense report. Again, any duration, but this is a combined view of all accounts, much like Quicken's Net Worth graph. This is precisely what I like... Well almost. I like seeing my net worth in graph format, displayed over time, so I can see progress (or lack thereof). However, unlike Quicken, there is no way to click on any point of the graphs to see how much money you have, liabilities you are incurring, or the value of your net worth on a given month. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-7.gif" /> Figure 7: Assets and liabilities, over time. Gotchas <li> Separate synchronization you have to manage <li> Weak password implementation. Should include a timeout feature and a simple way to exit the application. <li> Ability to see monitary values by clicking on areas of graphsWhere To Buy Spb Quick can be purchased <a href="http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=6208&associateid=204">from PocketGear</a> for $29.95 (affiliate). Conclusions I'm really quite excited about the direction this product is going. Yes, there are a few issues that need to be worked out. But the simplicity of this application is likely to appeal to a lot of users out there. Spb does need to do something about the security feature of the application, and the other Gotchas I mentioned would just be icing if fixed in the next version. But I have to say, I'm anxiously awaiting the next version.

Hugh Nano

02-03-2003, 12:47 AM

Actually, you can turn on autosychronization through ActiveSync—you just need to open ActiveSync, select Tools > Options, and then check the box beside the Spb Quick icon. However, it is recommended that you leave this option unchecked and synchronize manually, probably because Spb Quick has to start up Quicken every time it synchronizes.

Good review, other than this oversight.

Santa Fe

02-03-2003, 12:48 AM

When this first came out it was panned by a lot of people who tried it for not being accurate, not syncing well with Quicken and other things. Have those issues been addressed?

jet8810

02-03-2003, 12:50 AM

I have put up a "Daily Snippet" about this at www.pdajunkie.net . My opinion as expressed there is that I cannot pay $30 for this software, so there is no point in even trying it... :wink:

Jason Dunn

02-03-2003, 01:02 AM

When this first came out it was panned by a lot of people who tried it for not being accurate, not syncing well with Quicken and other things. Have those issues been addressed?

Well, Spb has had eight "dot" releases since 1.0, so it's fair to say they've been fixing bugs and improving the program...:wink: Might be time to try it again!

02-03-2003, 01:32 AM

I have put up a "Daily Snippet" about this at www.pdajunkie.net . My opinion as expressed there is that I cannot pay $30 for this software, so there is no point in even trying it... :wink:

Hmmm...

It seems as if you spend way too much time at this site trying to drum up traffic for your site. Maybe most people wouldn't have a problem paying $30 for this software?

And that's just my opinion...

JA

Steven Cedrone

02-03-2003, 01:38 AM

Great review Jordan! JA and Jet8810, take it offline...

Steven Cedrone
Community Moderator

Jordan Rosenwald

02-03-2003, 03:16 AM

Doug Raeburn

02-03-2003, 03:56 AM

ctmagnus

02-03-2003, 03:58 AM

Does it do invoice (A/R) accounts yet? The lack of that ability was what led me to keep PoQuick (and all the .Net stuff needed to run it) on my iPaq rather then SpbQuick. I really prefer the Spb interface and the ability to synchronize directly wih Quicken.

BTW, IIRC, the ActiveSync conduit for Quicken/SpbQuick can be set to synchronize only once per given time period.

ctmagnus

02-03-2003, 04:14 AM

Also, whoever's responsible should add one or two of these: http://www.magnusson.ca/Images/loonie.gif to the front page banner :)

Jason Dunn

02-03-2003, 04:55 AM

Also, whoever's responsible should add one or two of these: http://www.magnusson.ca/Images/loonie.gif to the front page banner :)

Heh...that would be me. I just used the default "coin" stamp in PhotoImpact - nothing personal. :lol:

Jason Dunn

02-03-2003, 04:56 AM

troyrogers

02-03-2003, 06:24 AM

Does OFX work just for importing transactions? If it is a file format that can be created, modified, and saved by PPC applications, why not use that? Using OFX, besides moving away from lame, proprietary formats, would allow MS Money users to enjoy this program equally.

And yes, I know that Money can import QIF but why go there in the first place?

uclabruin

02-03-2003, 08:41 AM

I have been using this product for over two months. I downloaded the trial version since it came out, given that I've been waiting for a quicken compatible program on the ppc for a very long time. I am very happy with the product. The balance problem was fixed immediately. Vasilli at SPB reponded promptly to my e-mails. As soon as I saw their response, and given how much I liked the program, I purchased it right away. I am very glad I did. :D If you use quicken, this is the program for you if you want to input transactions wherever you go, view your transactions and balances and sync excellently with Quicken.

MLO

02-03-2003, 05:16 PM

Can this work with Microsoft Money?

Meaning, if I used Money to export a .QIF file, could it work that way? I don't relish the idea of buying a completely new desktop package.

MLO

PetiteFlower

02-03-2003, 06:41 PM

Microsoft Money for PPC is free, so if you use Money on your desktop, why wouldn't you just use that?

Personally I use quicken and I HATE Money--it doesn't work with my online banking and it takes over my computer, it starts itself without being asked to, drives me nuts. Plus the interface is a lot more complicated and has too many features that I don't want and can't turn off. Not only that, but because it doesn't work with my online banking, I still have to use Quicken for my main program, then export it to Money, THEN sync money with my ppc. What a PITA!!!!! So this program is great for me because it syncs directly with Quicken and I don't have to do any importing or exporting, I'm testing it now and if it works as well as it seems to at first, I'm probably going to buy it.

The only worry that I have is I'm going to spend the money on it and then 3 months down the line the "official" Quicken for PPC is going to come out....I don't want to spend the money twice but I'd still rather have the real deal from Intuit if I can get it. Anyone heard anything on the development of that?

Pony99CA

02-03-2003, 07:31 PM

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/jordan-jan03-spbquick-1.gif

I'm curious about that image. I notice that the balance for Primary Checking is -$47K. Is that a real screen shot from a running copy, and, if so, does it indicate a problem displaying balances properly? The screen shot doesn't match any from the Spb Quick Screenshots page (http://www.softspb.com/products/quick/screenshots.html) that I saw....

Also, I didn't notice any mention of the memory required by the program (something no review should leave out, IMHO). It would have also been nice to give an indication of data file sizes, although those will differ for each person.

Another issue I didn't see mentioned is where the program and data can be stored. Can you install the program on a memory card? The Pocket PC version of Money can't be, I don't think. Also, can the data files be installed on a memory card? In Money, the data files are system databases and must reside in main memory.

Another thing I'm curious about is whether all account types allowed? One thing I don't like about Money is that it won't put loan accounts on my Pocket PC. There are times that I'd like to check my car or mortgage balances, but can't.

Finally, regarding Exit, I agree with you that this should be an option. However, Microsoft's UI guidelines specifically prohibit an exit action, so if Spb wants to get Quick certified, they can't add that. (I wonder if allowing an option to have an Exit action, turned off by default, would meet both the Microsoft guidelines and user expectations.) The Spb Quick FAQ (http://www.softspb.com/products/quick/faq.html#password) indicates that Ctrl+Q will exit the program, by the way (it also mentions that you can use ActiveSync with Spb Quick).

Steve

midili

02-03-2003, 08:20 PM

I've been using the product since the first of the year and think it does a great job of tracking my expenses when I'm out of the house. I have had no balance or sync problems and I have noticed a few of the minor 'gotchas' that I have found have been fixed in the point releases.

I do have one suggestion for an enhancement:

I use this device to capture expenses when I'm out of the house during my daily routine or travel and therefore there are lots of Quicken categories that I will never use while recording transactions (for example, all utilities, mortgages, recurring investment transactions, etc). It turns out there are quite a lot of categories that anyone using the product to capture transactions while out of the house would not use. A great enhancement would be the ability to configure which categories are available on the PPC.

Regards,
Jeff

ctmagnus

02-03-2003, 08:27 PM

Another thing I'm curious about is whether all account types allowed?

Using a trial I d/l'd ~10 days ago, I discovered that Invoice (A/R) accounts do not sync over to the PPC end. :(

troyrogers

02-04-2003, 01:30 AM

Microsoft Money for PPC is free, so if you use Money on your desktop, why wouldn't you just use that?

WordPad comes with Windows, so why would anyone want to buy Word?

Paintbrush comes with Windows, so why would anyone want to buy Photoshop?

Seriously, MSMoney for PPC does not offer a few things I`m looking for in a pocket finance app -

1. Multiple Currencies. I have US and Japanese (where I am currently) bank accts. Most progs choke on a yen symbol.

2. Reliability. The PPC version f***s up so often that you might as well carry your bank books around with you.

And as for desktop MS Money, yes it is invasive, but I can`t stand the Quicken interface. But if take a bit of time you can turn off most of the annoying features (including that damn reminder to get a Passport account (yeah, over my dead body)).

And for all you aspiring programmers, please make software for the PPC that syncs with major desktop apps. Needing a special desktop version of any software to accomodate my PPC is just annoying.

ctmagnus

02-04-2003, 05:22 AM

you might as well carry your bank books around with you.

You still use bankbooks? :D

And for all you aspiring programmers, please make software for the PPC that syncs with major desktop apps. Needing a special desktop version of any software to accomodate my PPC is just annoying.

I concur.

PetiteFlower

02-04-2003, 06:13 AM

The sarcasm wasn't really necessary; I said that because when you're using the PPC version of the same software, chances are you won't have to deal with flaky syncing issues therefore making it easier.

Actually if the desktop version of Money was more like the PPC version, I might like it more. But it still doesn't work with my online banking so it's really useless to me.

Generally though I'm probably easier to please then some of you who want to sync more advanced kinds of accounts...I just want something to keep track of my checking account that I can carry with me so I don't have any excuse for forgetting my balance or forgetting to record transactions anymore! I don't need/want graphs or 18 accounts or anything like that!

Oh and BTW the amounts in the review screenshots were just made-up amounts....I don't think Jordan is about to post his real bank statements for the whole site to see! It does state that in the captions of the photos though.

Pony99CA

02-04-2003, 02:52 PM

Doug Raeburn

02-04-2003, 03:22 PM

Over the last three of rounds of beta testing, I discovered a problem when I imported a QIF file. I split my paycheck into salary, withholding, etc., but when the split was imported into Pocket Quick, ALL of the categories were wrong.

I reported the problem at least twice and never heard anything... the subsequent beta releases still had the problem. So I decided NOT to buy it after the beta testing. Did you have the opportunity to test this?

Thanks...

Well, I decided that the best way to test this was to download the trial version. And I'm happy to say that it has been fixed. A couple of things, still related to the split... the numbers really should be formatted in a $ format. And while I can understand that editing of the splits is inactive for a downloaded transaction, the scroll arrows are also inactive, so if you have more splits than can fit on a single screen, you can't view the ones that are "off screen".

I'll send this directly to Vassili as well... we're old buds from when I reviewed Palbum. :wink:

Jordan Rosenwald

02-04-2003, 05:01 PM

Oh and BTW the amounts in the review screenshots were just made-up amounts....I don't think Jordan is about to post his real bank statements for the whole site to see! It does state that in the captions of the photos though.
You're right, it did state that the amounts were "purely figments of my imagination" on the second photo. Unfortunately, it didn't say it on the first photo or in the text, and I guess I missed that caption. :oops: Thanks for pointing it out. :-)

Jordan's imagination must be very good if he (she?) thinks a bank would let him have a -$47K balance. :lol:

Steve

Thank you, thank you. I pride myself on my imagination :D
Yes, I (a male for those that are curious) did make up those numbers. Thought that would be MUCH more useful than using real data then smudging EVERYTHING out. What a useful screenshot that would have made.

Pony99CA

02-05-2003, 10:17 AM

Yes, I (a male for those that are curious) did make up those numbers. Thought that would be MUCH more useful than using real data then smudging EVERYTHING out. What a useful screenshot that would have made.
Actually, the simplest thing to do would be to use your real numbers and just say they were made up. Who would know? :-D

But I agree that it's better to have fake numbers without smudged screens, especially in this case.

Steve

lmtuxinc

02-08-2003, 04:33 PM

Microsoft Money for PPC is free, so if you use Money on your desktop, why wouldn't you just use that?

the version of pocket money does not include graphs and extras like pocket quicken does. other people have made replacements for pocket word, why cant they adapt this to work with money also.

Alan

Dom

02-12-2003, 03:38 PM

What advantages does SPB Quick have over the official Pocket Quicken out next month from Landware ? I see there was no mention atall in the review of why it is better.
Dom

Hugh Nano

02-12-2003, 07:25 PM

What advantages does SPB Quick have over the official Pocket Quicken out next month from Landware ? I see there was no mention atall in the review of why it is better.
Dom

Hard to compare with something that doesn't exist yet. I, for one, hope the challenge mounted by Pocket Quicken inspires the Spb Quick programmers to add a few more features to Spb Quick. I really miss not being able to, in Spb Quick, add categories and edit/delete items that have already been synchronized with desktop Quicken. It is handy to be able to synchronize so easily between Quicken and Spb Quick, but Spb Quick would be much more useful if I could use it to do all the main data entry/management that I can do with desktop Quicken. I hope that both Pocket Quicken and Spb Quick will eventually offer this sort of functionality.

POKID

02-12-2003, 09:15 PM

I really miss not being able to, in Spb Quick, add categories and edit/delete items that have already been synchronized with desktop Quicken. It is handy to be able to synchronize so easily between Quicken and Spb Quick, but Spb Quick would be much more useful if I could use it to do all the main data entry/management that I can do with desktop Quicken. I hope that both Pocket Quicken and Spb Quick will eventually offer this sort of functionality.[/quote]

Pocket Quicken will have this functionality. You will be able to create/edit/delete categories and accounts and also edit/delete transactions that have been already synchronized with dekstop Quicken.

No other Personal Finance program under the PPC platform can do that right now! :wink: :lol:

Pony99CA

02-13-2003, 01:57 AM

What advantages does SPB Quick have over the official Pocket Quicken out next month from Landware ? I see there was no mention atall in the review of why it is better.

As Hugh said, comparing a shipping product with something still in development wouldn't really be fair to either product.

That said, one advantage Spb Quick has over Pocket Quicken are charts and graphs. There was no charting or graphing capability shown in the Pocket Quicken Tour (http://www.landware.com/pocketquicken/ppc/tour/index.html).

Steve

Pony99CA

02-13-2003, 02:05 AM

Pocket Quicken will have this functionality. You will be able to create/edit/delete categories and accounts and also edit/delete transactions that have been already synchronized with dekstop Quicken.

No other Personal Finance program under the PPC platform can do that right now!
If you're only talking about programs that work with Quicken, that may be true. However, Microsoft Money on the Pocket PC allows all of that, I believe.

One problem with editing synchronized transactions in Money, though, is you can lose part of your memos. The memo fields in the Pocket PC version of Money are much shorter than the desktop version.

I wonder if Spb Quick and Pocket Quicken have memo fields the same length as Quicken does.

Steve

Dom

02-13-2003, 02:06 AM

Pony99CA

02-13-2003, 03:26 AM

I guess if I'd have written the review then I would have at least mentioned any alternatives on the wings especially as it is only next month but that is just my preference. Unbelievable that Pocket Quicken doesn't have any graphics ! Still I guess it is for accountants.
I'll agree that mentioning Pocket Quicken would be a good idea -- assuming the author knew that it's release was imminent when he wrote the review. LandWare had taken so long with Pocket Quicken that many people seemed to give up. :-)

Steve

Dom

02-13-2003, 03:36 AM

Wonder what took them so long. Al those features ;0) LOL

Hugh Nano

02-13-2003, 09:59 AM

LandWare had taken so long with Pocket Quicken that many people seemed to give up. :-)

True. I know I did. LandWare's promise was outstanding for so long I assumed it was either vaporware or not coming out until even further in the future. Now I'm more than a little annoyed, since I bought Spb Quick and it doesn't have the full functionality I need. I hate to shell out more cash for a program that does many of the same things as Spb Quick--but I may have to if Spb Quick doesn't add more functionality to their program soon.

PetiteFlower

02-15-2003, 08:43 AM

Well, I know I read this review before I saw the post that they announced PPC Quicken would be out in March. It's been in development so long that I wasn't going to hold my breath for it. But now I think I'll probably wait. The inability to edit synchronized items annoyed me too when I discovered it yesterday. Quicken will probably be more expensive, but oh well. That's why I like software with free trials! Yay informed decisions :)