Cash Organizer 05

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.inesoft.com/eng/index.php?in=companion">http://www.inesoft.com/eng/index.php?in=companion</a><br /><br /><i>"Cash Organizer '05 Q&amp;M Companion provides continuous data exchange with Microsoft Money® or Quicken™ - all you need to have your data synchronized is just to connect you mobile device to PC, and all possibilities of your desktop financial manager when you are on the go. Make business reports and plan your financial future, control a budget and find additional means that you can save for realizing your dreams. It's a professional power available to everyone. Cash Organizer was developed to be your partner from a first use; there are no complicated features you must study before you can use them. Everything is as easy and clear as it can be. "</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2005/20050629-cashorganizer.gif" /><br /><br />It works on all Pocket PC 2000, 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003/SE devices. VGA support is included. It is $39.99.

[zilla31]

this is a STELLAR program. VGA compatible - works great on my x50v - i use it ever day (sync w/ MS Money 2005).

[TheWolfen]

I was wondering if you guys were ever going to mention this.. I reported the new version as news weeks ago!! :P Yes... I'm teasing... Anyway.. I agree - definitely an awesome program. I don't know how I lived without it!!

[ethancaine]

Everyone knows you gotta have money to make money, but now I need a grip of money to see my money? Dag, Money Mobile from microsoft is free. Is this program really worth $40 when compared to the free MS version, and if so, why? Keep in mind, I use Money 2004, so I would need a review directed in that light to be useful. Of course, one of you could be really helpful and tell us the benefits from the Money and the Quicken side...

I apologize for the abruptness. I just really hate when people say "XXX is great, but don't give specifics. I know, I could just read the website reviews, but experience has shown that columnist-reviewers typically aren't daily product users, just one time explorists. I want real world usage, benefits, and downfalls explained.

Okay, I'm off my :soapbox: box.

[OldMan50]

I downloaded it and installed it. It was suppose to be a free upgrade to me as a previous owner of Cash Orginizer. I put in all the codes etc. ----- did not work.

Was told on e-mail support to buy it instaed of a FREE upgrade. I just bought it in January. So much for supporting the small software community.

---- I am giving them till friday, then I am going to install the older version instead.

This is a warning to the upgraders.

[zilla31]

i upgraded for free no problem - they just sent me a new registration key. i've always had positive experience w/ their tech support... good luck tho.

ps i'll try and get into it in much more detail but this program is way more functional than pocket money. in short - you will have way more of the features you are used to in the desktop version of money (pocket money is basically just balances and simple transactions, CO will sync budget, projects, you can insert recurring bills/deposits, setup projects, etc. not to mention it is really visually appealing and user friendly.) do yourself a favor and just try the trial for a few days....

[TheWolfen]

I also had no problems upgrading a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I found the support to be outstanding.

As for the features, I have to agree with Zilla. I don't have time to reply in detail right now, but it does far more than the free MS Money. Try it - you may find it to be well worth the money, as I did.

[signothefish]

If Cash Organizer 05 Companion had a desktop companion from Inesoft, I would purchase it for $39.95. But alas, it only interfaces with Quicken and Money, neither of which I have. :( Still, it looks like an awesome program, and I might consider the Cash Organizer 05 Deluxe for $29.95. My Mastersoft Money is getting clunky and outdated.

[TheWolfen]

That's one nice thing about it - it will do everything a desktop app will do, except interface directly with the bank (although you can do importing for that, I guess). I wouldn't even use Money if I didn't need to have something interface directly - I'd just use Cash Organizer Dlx.

[signothefish]

I don't want to take this too off topic, but if I record transactions ahead of time using my receipts, and later download transactions from the bank, is Quicken or Money smart enough to know what I've recorded (so it doesn't count it twice) and what hasn't been recorded?

[MWWeston]

Yes Money is smart enough not to duplicate. I record my purchases in CO while I am at the store. I then sync with Money. Once a day, Money downloads from my financial institutions and it has not duplicated an entry on me yet. CO and Money work together great. I still can not believe everything CO can do. It is practically like having the full version of Money on my PPC.

I have screwed things up a few times and had my PPC replaced. CO tech support has always responded quickly and provided me we a new code when needed.

[zilla31]

That's one nice thing about it - it will do everything a desktop app will do, except interface directly with the bank (although you can do importing for that, I guess). I wouldn't even use Money if I didn't need to have something interface directly - I'd just use Cash Organizer Dlx.

I've been wondering when they will ADD this feature. I might use this 100% stand-alone (sans even desktop money it's THAT good) if it could download everything from my banks/cc's.

[mmidgley]

ethancaine wrote:
> Is this program really worth $40 when compared to the free MS version

You can't compare this product to the free MS Money product. Well, I guess you can, but its like comparing a BMW car with a toy scooter.

OldMan50 wrote:
> It was suppose to be a free upgrade to me as a previous owner of Cash Orginizer

It is free depending on when you purchased Cash Organizer. I paid $50 (!!) a couple years ago (and that was without any sync tool) and it has been worth it, at least compared to all PocketPC money applications. I used a discount code to get the upgrade through Handango (there is one that expires today that is 10% off) to keep the price down, but it was still worth it to me. Since I'm not currently sync'ing to any desktop application, the upgrade is mostly bug fixes for me, but I paid for the upgrade to ensure my future software needs (someday I plan to actually own a newer device).

TheWolfen wrote:
> but it does far more than the free MS Money. Try it

That is the only way you can determine if the price is worth it for your use. When I was considering the purchase (at $50) I demo'd all of the available applications, and Cash Organizer won by far.

> it will do everything a desktop app will do, except interface directly with the bank

I intentionally don't interface in any automated way with the bank--that's how I independently audit what the bank shows. I enter my receipts and verify they match. Cash Organizer doesn't do everything the desktop Microsoft Money product does, but as far as what features of desktop Microsoft Money I actually used (back when I used to sync w/desktop)--Cash Organizer does it all for me.

m.

[DaleReeck]

Concerning the free MS Money vs. the paid Cash Organizer, the reason I paid for Cash Organizer was speed. I like to sync every bank transaction from MS Money desktop since 1990 (6000 records) and I don't know how Money is now, but the previous version would take several minutes just to open the application. It just couldn't handle that many records. Cash Org opened it almost instantly. There was no delay in viewing records, even back to 1990. Plus, I think Cash Org is developed more than Money PPC is. Except for compatibility fixes, MS hasn't really added anything new to Money PPC over the last few versions.

[signothefish]

From what I can tell, you can't click on a column header in CO to sort the transactions based on that column. Is this true?

[danlmosher]

I started using Quicken at the beginning of this year but would love to at least have my check register on my x50v. Does anyone have any experiece using this program with Quicken. :?:

[signothefish]

Forgive me if this is competition with the affiliate link, but I just had to post a 20% off coupon code from Microsoft store: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/pocketpc/specials.mspx
They have CO Deluxe (not Companion!) for $6.00 off right now (good until July 15th, 2005), bringing the price from $30 to $24. I'm picking up two copies (one for my wife as well). Thanks for letting me know about this software!

[mlh1962]

I know I'm a little late in this forum, but I just upgraded to a WM5 device. I just purchased Cash Organizer in January for my wm2003 device it would sync with minor problems. Now that I have WM5 it's not that easy I keep getting an error message which stops all sync processes. The organizer works fine, the problem is in the sync file that's installed.

I have emailed the company hope to hear something soon. Has anyone else had this problem. I have installed everything into the main memory and using Money 2006, ActiveSync 4.1, XP Home, and the latest Cash Organizer 2005.

[signothefish]

Funny you replied to this today. I recently found out that anyone who purchased Cash Organizer Deluxe gets a free upgrade to Cash Organizer Premium (since Deluxe is EOL'd), which was $10 more at the time I purchased it. Premium has now come down to $30.

Here are the steps I had to take to get the two to work:
* Download a trial edition of Money 2006 (good for 90 days) at http://www.microsoft.com/money/freetrial_info.mspx
* Install it and create or login to your passport account
* Add an account (your bank, for example) and save it as a new Money (.mny) file
* Wait until it is updated (will state "Update in Progress" in Money); could take up to 24 hours
* Then install Cash Organizer Premium, as well as the CO Synchronization tool. The next time you sync, you will see the following screen. Browse to the new Money file, select the accounts to synchronize, and everything will get picked up by CO automatically.

http://home.nc.rr.com/signothefish/images/CO_Sync.jpg

The good part is, changes made in one reflect in the other. It's really an awesome combination.

[mlh1962]

I get that far without any problem,(I may have not done the update with money though I'll check that) it's after the first or second snyc that I start getting an error message that says cash organizer cannot communicate with the device, I think the code is 9-103. After that I am unable to sync anything and have to uninstall C.O. I'm running Cash Organizer Premium and was told I will get a free upgrade to 2006 when it's released. I got lucky and bought it for only 14.95 in Jan. during a promo.

The program itself runs fine, there seems to be something wrong with the snyc file itself.

[mlh1962]

I just checked I haven't signed into my passport account, got that done I'll wait for the update and see what happens.

[signothefish]

Let me know how that goes. The only time I saw the problem you're talking about was during initial setup, when I was trying to export my CO records to read in Money. I gave up on that effort and decided to start afresh from Money instead. It has been smooth ever since.

[mlh1962]

We'll see how it goes, the first time I tried to sync I got the same error message. Initialize Error 9-103: Can not communicate with device. Reconnect device. The header bar does say Cash Organizer Synchronization. :(

[chrismcg74]

I am having trouble getting cash organizer going. I have the most recent version (6.98) and want to sync with money 2005. After I install it into my WM5 device, I get the "cannot connect...) error message. I then disconnect the device and reattach to sync, I then get a message saying activesync has encountered an error and needs to shut down. For what I paid for this, it is very frustrating. Any ideas?

[mlh1962]

Sounds like your having the same problen I am. I've contacted the company if I figure out anything I'11 post. Are you getting the same error "9-103"

[chrismcg74]

I get that error the first time I start it. Everytime after that I get the "Activesync has encountered a problem..." message

[mlh1962]

Ok, I've checked a few things and right now it's working. Here's what I found, for some reason WM5 makes it's own network connecton when it's pluged in to the usb cable, if you open your network connection box you'll see it added when you connect your ppc (my wm2003 device doesn't do this). I noticed that it was firewalled also, so I disabled my firewall. So far it's sync's everytime, I suspect that the firewall settings need to allow for Cash Organizer to connect. I'll keep playing and see what I find out. Still haven't heard from Inesoft. :lol:

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Here's what I found, for some reason WM5 makes it's own network connecton when it's pluged in to the usb cable, if you open your network connection box you'll see it added when you connect your ppc (my wm2003 device doesn't do this). I noticed that it was firewalled also, so I disabled my firewall.

This is pretty well known - MS changed the way AS 4.x connected Windows Mobile with the desktop. It's now a full-blown network connection, rather than a pseudo-network connection as previously.

[mlh1962]

I'm new with 4.1 just started using it within the last week or so when I got my new device (I should have read up a little more). But looks like I'm wrong again just did a couple of more syncs and got the same error again. I have to uninstall the sync file from the device then reconnect and reinstall the sync file from the desktop and it will work for awhile again. I don't lose in info just a big pain to do. :evil:

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Yeah, AS 4.x has been giving a lot of people trouble with syncs - and not just with 3rd party programs either.

[signothefish]

That's why I'm using AS 3.8. :wink:

[mlh1962]

Will 3.8 work with WM5? It seems like I tried 3.7 and it wouldn't work, I wanted to keep using my WiFi sync and new 4.0 wouldn't allow it.

[Darius Wey]

Will 3.8 work with WM5? It seems like I tried 3.7 and it wouldn't work, I wanted to keep using my WiFi sync and new 4.0 wouldn't allow it.

No, you need ActiveSync 4.0 or higher to synchronise with Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices.

[mlh1962]

That's what I thought I guess I can only hope the next upgrade isn't a downgrade!

[signothefish]

I can get by with it, since I have WM2003SE. Anyway, it may explain why I don't see the errors. It indeed could be a issue with newer versions of AS that Inesoft hasn't been able to debug yet.

[mlh1962]

I'll have to be patient, I do like the CO program and I will receive a free upgrade to the 2006 version when released.

[Ummagumma]

Hi,

I have a few questions - perhaps somebody here could help ?

I did read the manual, and I did email technical support at Inesoft - however they ignored all my emails for the last 3 weeks (they answered all of my emails when I indicated that I was interested in their software, and stop answering them immediately after I bought it - makes you wonder.. :devilboy: )

Anyway, here they are:

1) I didn't find the way to sync transactions in Planner to MS Money Bills. I don't think it's possible. Or is it ?

2) When I have a bill that's due in 3 weeks, I go to my bank web site &amp; enter a payment dated say 2 weeks from now. Since this bill is already set to be paid, I enter it directly into register with a future date (instead of it being entered into Planner in CO, or Bills in Money). This way when I look at bills in Planner I don't have to wonder which ones were already taken care of.

However what I found is that CO calculates the forecasted account balances always for bills entered in register first, regardless of date.

I.e. say today is 7/20 &amp; I have $1000 balance. I planned $200 payment for 7/25, $2000 deposit on 7/30 (in Planner), and entered $2000 payment in register for 8/2.

Now if I look at my account with today's forecasted date, it shows me balance of $1000 on 7/20, and $(1000) negative balance on 8/2, in a light brown font indicating it's set for a future date. No planned transactions show up. So far so good.

But if I change the Forecast date to 8/3, I get this:

7/20 balance $1000
8/2 payment $(2000), balance $(1000)

Scheduled transactions:

7/25 payment $(200), balance $(1200)
7/30 deposit $2000, balance $800

So as you can see, the deposit on 7/30 is counted after the payment on 8/30. And the balances are thrown off.

What I expect to see is this:

7/20 balance $1000
7/25 payment $(200), balance $800
7/30 deposit $2000, balance $2800
8/2 payment $(2000), balance $800

I don't know why it's working that way, but it doesn't seem right &amp; I couldn't find a way to fix it.

The only workaround I see is to use a report to forecast cash flow, as the Forecast feature at the bottom of account register seems pretty useless unless you have absolutely no transactions entered in register on a future date. Of course running report takes longer.. :cry:

Other than that though, I think it's a fine software - but I wish developers were a bit more helpful.

Sorry for a lengthy post.

[angler]

So as you can see, the deposit on 7/30 is counted after the payment on 8/30. And the balances are thrown off.

I don't understand what is the payment on 8/30. There is no entry of 8/30.