|
mBookKeeper is a simple but powerful
mobile accounting software to help you track your income and expenses by
using your your mobile phone. This application can run on any
mobile device that supports Java. You can choose to use the
complete built-in functionality to track your company accounts
or if you are an individual, just use it to track your daily
expenses.
Try out the application
by downloading the trial
version (get the jar file), or download the trial via GPRS/3G
WAP by accesing the following URL via your phone:
http://www.visionetech.com/trial/getbk.wml
To purchase, click on Buy Now button below and
get the jar file immediately (After payment, PayPal with
direct you to the download page). Only USD$9.90 now.
0. Releases/ Bug Fix note:
-
18 December 2005: Release version 2.3
for MIDP 2.0 phone. Complete functionality just like 1.3.
-
24 November 2005: Release version 1.3.
New Export to Email function in "Other" menu. It will send the
data in email. The data sent is in the same format as 'Export
to file'. This function is useful for the mobile phone that
doesn't support filesystem protocol (i.e. Nokia 40)
-
25 September 2005: Release version 1.2
with the following new feature:
-
- You can edit the existing record
from 'View Detail' menu
-
- You can filter record in 'View
Detail' using dates
-
- The summary is divided into pages
instead of one long page
-
- The progress bar in 'Export' and
'Accumulate detail' is fixed
0.1 Customer Review & Comments:
I really liked this application and it
is working perfectly on my SonyEricsson K750i -
Salman Karim
I have some experience using account
applications, I could have some recommendations or suggestions
that could be they useful:
STRENGTHS:
-
The handling of the bills and
categories are really good, with this information the database
allows to obtain information and useful reports with the
entrance of the information a single time.
-
The handling of the incomes, expenses
and transfers allow to have a total control of the bank bills
and effective handling. Other applications only manage incomes
and expenses.
-
The easiness of download of the mobile
a file for spreadsheet (xls) without necessity of being
connected to the Internet is very important.
-
The advantage to maintain an immediate
support through Internet and share with possible users of the
system helps to prove, to evaluate and to improve the
application.
-
If some moment can help to prove a
version I would like to be considered and to give my opinions.
TO IMPROVE:
-
It is very important that the program
manages decimals, personally I manage American dollars and I
need to use two decimals.
-
The size of the file jar should not be
superior to the 64 Kb, several nokia mobiles only accept
applications of until this size.
-
The beginning screen is not clear,
neither the text is read.
-
The names of the menu should be short,
for example in my cellular one the sentence Main Menu is not
read, me alone I see Main Me
-
I donīt know if with great quantity of
information the system becomes slow and it hinders its
handling, this usually happens to other applications.
Juan Carlos Rivadeneira
1. INTRODUCTION to mBookKeeper
mBookKeeper is an aplication for
mobile devices that support JAVA MICRO EDITION/J2ME. It at
least requires JAVA MIDP 1.0. If you have MIDP2.0 phone,
please purchase the 2.3 version.
mBookKeeper is an application to store
financial records of deposit/expense from a defined accounts
based on categories. It also provide a summary of financial
records based on accounts and/or categories.
2. INSTALLATION
To use the application you have to
install it first to your mobile device. The application will
come in 2 files, mbookkeeper.jad and mbookkeeper.jar.
a. You can download it directly to
your devices from the content provider of your choice that
provides this application.
b. You can also download it to your
computer first, then upload the application to the mobile
device using the tools from your device's vendor. (Please
consult your vendor technical support)
Please place the application to
folder that is designated for java application in your mobile
device. For example, in Siemens Mobile (M55)you have to put
the application (.jad and .jar files) to folder 'Java/jam/mBookKeeper'.
If 'mBookKeeper' folder is not exist, you have to create it
first. Usually if you download the application from a content
provider, they do it automatically for you. Please contact
them for more information.
3. KEYWORDS
Following is the list of keywords that
can help you easily understand the instruction.
- Account: is an abstract
representation of where you store/put your money. Example:
savings account, credit card, wallet, etc.
- Deposit: is an action where you add
an amount of money to your account.
- Expense: is an action where you
take/substract an amount of money from your account.
- Transfer: is an action where you
take an amount of money from a defined account, then put the
amount of money to another defined account.
- Category: is a type of
deposit/expense/transfer that best described/categorize your
action.
4. INSTRUCTION
After you open the application you
will see the following list of menu
Note: The soft key options ('Quit' &
'Select') will have different name and location for different
devices.
Before you can input your records of
deposit/expense, you have to create accounts and categories
first.
4.1. ACCOUNT
4.1.1. CREATE ACCOUNT
To create a new account, choose
'Account' on main menu.
If you never create an account before
the display will show an empty list. But, if you have created
an account before, the display will show the list of the
defined accounts.
 |
 |
| |
(Empty list of account) |
To create a new account press
'Options' to extend the menu choice. The extended menu choices
are:
Choose 'Create', then display will
show the form for you to fill the account name and the
description.
Fill the name field with the name of
the new account, and the description field with the
description of the new account.
The name field must be filled, while
the description field is optional.
After that press 'Options', which will
show you an extended menu choice of
Choose 'Submit' to insert the account
that you have typed before.
The display then will show the
inserted account, with the description (if any).
To make the instruction simpler, the
following account has been created:
4.1.2. DELETE ACCOUNT
To delete an account, in the account
list choose/highlight the account that you want to delete
Press 'Options', which will show menu
of
Choose 'Delete', then the display will
show the account list minus the deleted account (in this
example, 'Citi Visa' is deleted).
To go back to main menu press
'Options', then choose 'Main Menu'
4.2. CATEGORY
4.2.1. Create Category
To create a new category, choose
'Category' on main menu.
If you never create a category before,
the display will show an empty list. But, if you have created
a category before, the display will show the list of the
defined categories. If you have defined a lot of categories,
please wait for the display to show the category list since it
may take a while.
(Empty list category)
To create a new category press
'Options' to extend the menu choice. The extended menu choices
are:
Choose 'Create', then display will
show the list of the category type that you want to create.
Categories with 'Deposit' type will be
shown when you want to insert a deposit record.
Categories with 'Expense' type will be
shown when you want to insert an expense record.
Categories with 'Transfer' type will
be shown when you want to insert a transfer record.
Choose the type that best describe the
category. Example: Deposit.
After you choose the type, then the
display will show the category form that contains the name
field.
Fill the name field with the name of
category that you want. Example: Salary
After that press 'Options', which will
show you an extended menu choice of
Choose 'Submit' to insert the category
that you have typed before.
The display then will show the
inserted category. It will show the type and the name in the
format <TYPE>-<NAME>. (Deposit - Salary)
For simplicity, the following category
is created:
Deposit - Salary
Deposit - Bonus
Expense - Grocery
Expense - Entertainment
Transfer - ATM
Transfer - Payment
4.2.2. DELETE CATEGORIES
To delete a category, in the category
list choose/highlight the category that you want to delete
Press 'Options', which will show menu
of
Choose 'Delete', then the display will
show the category list minus the deleted category (in this
example, 'Deposit-Bonus' is deleted).
To go back to main menu press
'Options', then choose 'Main Menu'
4.3. INSERT DEPOSIT
After you have finished creating the
needed account and categories, you can start to insert your
financial records.
To insert a deposit, first choose
'Insert Deposit' from the main menu, then the display will
show the list of account that you want to deposit to.
Choose/Highlight the account, then
press select. Example: HSBC.
After that the display will show you
the list categories that have 'Deposit' type.
After you press 'Select' on the chosen
category, then the display will show you the deposit form.
With the summary of the chosen choice in the previous steps.
The form have the following component:
Date: the date of the transaction
DD-MM-YYYY (In the initial display, it will show you the
current date.
Amount: the amount of money to be
deposit.
Currently the application only support
an absolute amount. It doesn't support a decimal. To solve
this problem, you can insert the number with the comma
included, for example if you want to insert a 26.74, just type
2674. But everytime you want to insert an amount, you have to
remember to insert the decimal even though the decimal is
zero.
Description: the description of the
transaction (if any/optional).
Assume that you want to insert a
salary that you have received for the month of July 2004 for
the amount of 5800 and deposited to your savings account. The
value that you might inserted would be:
Account: Saving
Category: Salary
Date: 04-07-2004
Amount: 2400
Description: for july 2004
After that, to insert the record,
choose 'Options' which will show you the extended menu choice
of
Choose 'Submit' to insert or choose
'Main Menu' to go back to the main menu and cancel the
insertion.
After you choose 'Submit', then the
display will show you the summary of the value that you have
chosen/inserted before.
At this stage, the record has been
saved.
Press on 'Main Menu' to go back to
main menu.
4.4. TRANSFER
Example case: You have taken out an
amount of money of 20 from ATM of your savings account. Then
you put the money in your wallet.
To do a transfer choose 'Transfer'
from the main menu.
After that, the display will show a
list of account. This is the source account where you are
going to deduct your money from.
After you select the source account
(example: HSBC), then the display will show you the list af
accounts again. This the account that will be the destination
of your transfer.
After you select the destination
account (example: Wallet), then the display will show the
transfer category, which is the category with the 'Transfer'
type.
After you select the category
(example: ATM) then the display will show you the form that is
same as input deposit, but in the summary, it will show the
source account, the destination account, and the category of
your choice. After you fill the field it will show you the
inserted record.
|
Case summary:
The value that you have to inserted
for the example case are:
Source account: Saving
Destination Account: Wallet
Category: ATM
Date: 04-07-2004
Amount: 20
Description: ATM Location
|
 |
 |
In transfer, the system will
automatically create 2 records each for source account and
destination account. The record in source account will be
inserted as expense since the money is deducted, and the
record in destination account will be inserted as deposit.
The category of the inserted records
is the transfer category plus the In/Out type.
The description will tell you the
destination/source of the transfer.
In the example, the record for HSBC
(source account) will be like
Account: HSBC
Type: Expense
Category: ATM(Out)
Date: 01-11-2004
Amount: 20
Description: --Transfer to Wallet--
ATM Location
The record for Wallet (destination
account) will be like
Account: Saving
Type: Deposit
Category: ATM(In)
Date: 04-07-2004
Amount: 20
Description: --Transfer from Saving--
ATM Location
4.5. INSERT EXPENSE
To insert an expense choose 'Insert
Expense' from main menu.
The steps and displays in inserting
expense is same as inserting deposit. The difference only in
the categories. The category is shown after you choose an
account, the categories that will be shown are the categories
with 'Expense' type.
Example case:
Assume that you want to insert a
record of your expense that you have spent of watching the
movie titled ABC on XYZ cinema and you pay from he money in
your wallet. The values that you might have inserted are:
Account: Wallet
Category: Entertainment
Date: 04-07-2004
Amount: 10
Description: watch ABC@XYZ
4.6. VIEW SUMMARY
'View Summary' is used if you want to
see a summary of your records. You can see the summary from
three point of view. First view summary from records per
account, second summary from records per categories, and third
summary from record per account and categories.
To view a summary, select 'View
Summary' from main menu. The display will ask you from what
point of view you want to see your records summary.
4.6.1. VIEW SUMMARY PER ACCOUNT
In view summary per account, the
summary will show you the total of deposit, expense, & balance
per account.
To view summary per account, select
'Account' from summary menu. If you have a lot of records, it
may take a while since the system is calculating your records.
After the system finish calculating,
the display will show you the summary.
Note:
- The credit card account is not shown
because there are no records for credit card when you view the
summary
- Minus amount will be shown with
minus sign and inside parentheses. Example: -(2,300).
If you want to go back to summary menu
press 'Menu' on the soft keys, or press 'Main Menu' to go back
to the main menu.
4.6.2. VIEW SUMMARY PER CATEGORY
View summary per category will show
you the amount of money that has been recorded for each
category.
To view summary per category, select
'Category' from summary menu. If you have a lot of records, it
may take a while since the system is calculating your records.
After the system finish calculating,
the display will show you the summary.
Note:
- The letter in the square bracket
shows you the type of the category. E = expense, D = Deposit.
4.6.3. VIEW SUMMARY FROM BOTH VIEWS
View summary from both views will
present the same information but with both summary per account
and summary per category shown.
To view summary both ways, select
'Both' from summary menu. If you have a lot of records, it may
take a while since the system is calculating your records.
After the system finish calculating,
the display will show you the summary.
4.7. VIEW DETAIL
'View detail' is used if you want to
see the detail of each record.
There are three grouping to view the
detail. You can group the detail by Account, Category, or All.
To view details, select 'View Detail'
from main menu. The display will ask you from what group you
want to see your records.
4.7.1. VIEW ALL DETAIL
View all detail means that you want to
view all of the records without any restriction.
To view all detail, select 'All' from
the detail menu. Then the system will show you the records
from the most recent one. If you have a lot of record, this
may take a while since the system is populating the records.
To go to the next record, just press
'Next'. To go to the previous record just choose 'Prev.' in
the 'Options' menu.
To delete a record, go to that
particular record, then choose 'Delete' in the 'Options' menu.
To go back to detail menu, choose
'Back' from 'Options' menu.
To go back to main menu, choose 'Main
Menu' from 'Options' menu.
4.7.2. VIEW DETAIL PER ACCOUNT
View detail per account will show you
the details of a particular account.
To view detail per account, select
'Account' in the detail menu. After that the display will show
you the list of account.
Choose the account that you want see
the details. (example: Wallet). The system then will show you
the records that only involved the chosen account.
4.7.3. VIEW DETAIL PER CATEGORY
View detail per category will show you
the details of a particular category.
To view detail per category, select
'Category' in the detail menu. After that the display will
show you the list of category.
Choose the category that you want see
the details. (example: Entertainment). The system then will
show you the records that only involved the chosen category.
Note: Category in transfer type is not
shown.
4.8. OTHER
To go to other menu, select 'Other'
from main menu. The other menu has choices of:
Export to CSV (tab delimiter)
Accumulate Detail
Reset
4.8.1. EXPORT TO CSV (tab delimiter)
This option will create a CSV (Comma
Separated Value) file with tab delimiter. The file will
contains all records from the most recent one to the oldest
one. The value is separated by a tab.
The format of the value is
DATE ACCOUNT CATEGORY
DESCRIPTION DEPOSIT EXPENSE
The file will be named reports.xls.
The location of the file depends on the devices. (In Siemens
M55, the file is stored in /Java/jam/mBookKeeper/RMS/reports.xls
)
This function only work for the
devices that support filesystem protocol. Please consult the
devices vendor for this information.
You can move the file to a PC and open
the file using a text editor or a spreadsheeet program.
4.8.2. ACCUMULATE DETAIL
This option will accumulate all
records and create an open balance/credit for each account.
This function is used when you want to close a period (ex:
monthly). What the function do is calculating a total balance
for each account, then delete all the records and create a new
record for each account as an open balance if the total
balance is positive, or as an open credit if the total balance
is negative.
This function may take a while if you
have a lot of records.
Example case:
Assume in a month you have a following
records
DATE, ACCOUNT, CATEGORY, DESCRIPTION,
DEPOSIT, EXPENSE
4/7/2004, Saving, Salary, for july
2004, 2400, 0
4/7/2004, Saving, ATM(Out), --Transfer
to Wallet-- , 0, 20
4/7/2004, Wallet, ATM(In), --Transfer
from Wallet-- ATM Location, 20, 0
4/7/2004, Wallet, Entertainment, watch
ABC@XYZ, 0, 10
14/7/2004, Credit Card, Dinner, ASD
Restaurant, 0, 30
31/7/2004, Saving, Payment(Out),
--Transfer to Credit Card-- July 2004, 0, 10
31/7/2004, Credit Card, Payment(In),
--Transfer from Credit Card-- July 2004, 10, 0
If you run 'Accumulate Detail' on
1/8/2004, the system will delete all record and the following
records will be created:
1/8/2004, Saving, Opening Balance, ,
2370, 0
1/8/2004, Credit Card, Opening Credit,
, 0, 20
1/8/2004, Wallet, Opening Balance, ,
10, 0
4.8.3. RESET
This option will delete all the data
including records, accounts, and categories.
|
