Mint.com, the leading online personal finance service, today added an inbound SMS feature to its award-winning product, allowing users instant access to an overview of their entire net worth – wherever they are. Users can simply text “Bal” or “Balance” to shortcode “MyMint” (696468) to receive real-time balances for the checking, savings, credit union and investment accounts they track using Mint.com. Because the free online service now supports over 7,500 financial institutions, Mint.com is now offering free mobile access to the majority of US banks. Mint.com users can now find out in the checkout line whether they should use debit or credit, and which of their cards to use. This new inbound SMS feature helps avoid overdrafts and other fees, and lets users maximize reward points.
With nearly 600,000 users, Mint.com is the fastest-growing personal financial service, tracking more than $50 billion in transactions and $15 billion in assets. And it’s free. Mint’s “Ways to Save” feature has already identified more than $100 million in potential savings for its users. This new inbound SMS capability is the latest in a series of MInt.com innovations which help its users stick to budgets, avoid unwanted fees, and ultimately save and do more with their money.
“90 percent of our users tell us they understand their spending better after using Mint, and about half have already changed their spending behavior,” said Aaron Patzer, founder and CEO of Mint. “In the past few months, we’ve seen an even sharper change, with users cutting hundreds of dollars in monthly spending across categories. As the holiday season approaches, we’re proud that the more than half a million Mint.com users are well-prepared to shop within their budget and avoid crushing debt, especially in this uncertain economy.”
A January, 2008 Mint.com survey found that over 4 in 10 people spent more than they’d planned during the 2007 holiday season. At that time, 6 in 10 respondents said they planned to make some changes to their holiday spending this year. And in fact, the majority of Mint.com users have adjusted their budgets downward since the beginning of the American economic crisis in September, reversing a more typical seasonal trend to increase budgets for the holiday season. Overall, Mint.com users are planning to spend 3% less in the coming months, with the largest reductions planned in Travel (down 20%) and Personal Care (down 24%). Users are planning to maintain, not increase, their average monthly spending this holiday season by shifting spending from general Shopping purchases (budgets down 7%) toward Gifts (up 8%). Thousands of Mint.com users have already added customized Gifts and Shopping budgets since Mint.com introduced personalized spending categories last month.
In addition, Mint.com’s blog features tips and tricks for surviving the holidays. Among Patzer’s key recommendations: Don’t spend more than one paycheck on the holidays. For someone making $60,000/year, that means spending no more than their average $1,500 bi-monthly paycheck on gifts, decorations, food and drinks for parties— everything.
“For many, budgeting is a dirty word. But in this economy, with the generosity of the season pulling at our wallets, budgeting is essential and doesn’t require as much work as some think. Pick a few problem areas – you may go out to restaurants too much, or spend too much on clothes. If you track and budget in just those categories, you’ll likely find enough money for gifts,” continued Patzer. “We recently had a user write in that after Mint showed her the ‘error of her ways,’ she’s cut out $5 visits to Starbucks, $7 visits to the work cafeteria, and is eating and drinking at home more. After two months, she’s not only cut $680/month in spending, but she’s also lost 3 pounds!”
Mint.com has recently released major updates to the product, adding: support for 1,000’s of new banks; mortgages, loans and investment tracking; customizable spending categories; and automatic budgeting features.
Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, today launched Jump Music, a free and easy-to-use software that enables customers to transfer compatible music files from personal computers to their wireless phones.
The PC-based Jump Music application gives Alltel Wireless customers greater control over their mobile music experience, empowering them to find, manage and easily transfer music files with the simple click of a button.
“For those who have been waiting for an easy way for customers to put music on their phones – Jump Music is it,” said Wade McGill, senior vice president of wireless products for Alltel. “Jump Music makes it incredibly simple for our customers to take their music with them anywhere they go, and it demonstrates our commitment to providing customers choice and control over their wireless experience.”
Jump Music, developed by strategic-creative consultancy frog design, is available for download at www.alltel.com/jumpmusic. The site features a user-friendly interface and enables customers to easily navigate to eMusic – one of the world’s largest online music stores – where they can purchase additional music from eMusic’s vast catalog of more than 2.5 million tracks in the DRM-free MP3 format. New Jump Music users will also enjoy a special introductory offer of 35 free eMusic tracks.
Jump Music is initially compatible with five Alltel phones: the LG AX8600, MOTOKRZR K1m and MOTORAZR V3m, and the Samsung u520 as well as The Wafer by Samsung.
Jump Music Accessory Kits, featuring a 256 MB memory card, USB cable and a stereo headset, are available at Alltel Wireless retail stores or online at www.shopalltel.com for just $49.99.
Alltel Wireless offers exclusive features including “My Circle,” allowing customers to choose who they call for free – any 10 numbers, any network; Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their rate plan any time, without extending their contract; and Celltop, a patent-pending technology that offers customers an easier way to access, manage and organize a wide range of information already available on their phones.
Alltel (NYSE: AT) is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.
Well, well. Tell me you’re not surprised. Seems Microsoft quietly pushed out the fact that it will not release the next major update to Windows XP, Service Pack 3, until 2008. Why? According to Jed Rose, Windows product manager, it’s so that Vista could ship. “It was reported almost one year ago that Steve said SP3 ‘might’ ship before Windows Vista; however, since that time the focus has been and continues to be shipping Windows Vista,” Rose stated.
Mmm, really? Well what will SP3 be primarily made up of? Good new features like SP2 had? Nope. Again, according to the Windows road map, it will mainly consist of security updates. That’s it. So why another year for just security updates that already exist? Why put users and IT administrators through another year of 60 plus individual security updates (which of course will balloon to well over a hundred by the release of SP3)? Why? Because it’s understood that Microsoft just really wants users to purchase Vista. Plain and simple.
It’s too bad that Microsoft has decided to take this avenue. When it support Windows NT 4, Microsoft took the service pack count all the way to 5a. Windows 2000 got up to 3 in no time and now three years of SP2 for XP, nothing. This seems to be yet another reason to dislike Microsoft and proof to all the naysayers that it MS really doesn’t care about its customer. Come on Redmond, look at things from a new panorama. Oh ya, it is.
[Via BetaNews]