I’ve been a big fan of apps ever since I first pressed the weather button on the iPhone in 2007. After 12 years of http://www.blahblah.com/blah.htm, it was refreshing to just press a button and get the necessary information quickly, perfectly rendered and distraction free.
So I like Mint’s latest move, putting a similar user experience onto the desktop (see note 1) with an app for the Mac (link) that provides a quick overview of balances, transactions and alerts (see email announcement below).
Once installed, Mac users simply click on the Mint icon on the top and/or bottom of their desktop, and it immediately opens to a display of the latest balance-and-transaction info. Like iPhone apps, the icon also shows the number of unread alerts on the badge (see first screenshot).
Other novel features:
- A search bar along the top of the transaction search
- Optional password protection: You can choose to look at your data without logging in (after the first time)
- Timed password protection: Users can select how long they can look at the data before the password prompt is shown
I’ve used it for only a few minutes, but it looks like it will become my primary method of accessing Mint. Unless you need to run a report, it has most of what you need available immediately, shaving 30 to 40 seconds or more off the time to retrieve info from the full website version.
Bottom line: Mint is the first PFM or banking app to hit the Mac store, beating all the major financial brands to the punch. And it’s been rewarded with “featured app” status which has propelled it to the very top of the Free Apps ranking in the Mac App Store (see inset above).
Because it raises the bar in the delivery of banking info, we are bestowing it with our fourth OBR Best of the Web award for 2012 (see note 2).
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Mint QuickView app pops up after clicking on icon along the top
Transaction search from top line
Net income view
Email from Mint announcing Mac QuickView (16 July 2012)
Notes:
1. We wrote about moving online banking info to the PC desktop in our Online Banking Report in 2002 (subscription).
2. Since 1997, our Online Banking Report has periodically given OBR Best of the Web awards to companies that pioneer new online- or mobile-banking features. It is not an endorsement of the company or product, just recognition for what we believe is an important industry development. If anyone knows of other financial institutions offering a similar feature, let us know and we’ll update the post. In total, 86 companies have won the award including Mint in 2007. Recent winners are profiled in the Netbanker archives.
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