Cogitu

NOTE: This post is just forward thinking for Budgee and the list may change based on user feedback and new development options from Apple. While I do expect these will all be integrated into the final product by the end of 2009, I don't know the exact timeline...so they'll be in there when they are ready, but not before.

Additional export/backup/sync option(s)

I realize that the CSV export Budgee provides is useful for archival purposes, but the current CSV export was never meant to be the only way to get data out. I'm writing another post about the whole data export situation on the iPhone, but the short version is that the CSV export was the easiest and most "universal" format to add and I didn't want to ship Budgee without some form of export. Going forward, there are several different paths to choose from, but at this point, Budgee will likely get a small desktop app for Windows & OS X. What that desktop app will allow (other than exporting Budgee data) is TBD at this point, but this approach seems to be the most appropriate way to go.

Import option(s)

Along with the backup/sync feature, the other big feature that Budgee needs is a way to import data. If you backup your budget via CSV, you can do whatever you want with it on the PC/Mac, but you can't get it back into Budgee. In a future version, you'll have at least one way to restore the data...so if you end up needing to reset your device for some reason, you don't have to worry about re-entering your budget and transactions.

Multiple budgets

Right now, Budgee only supports tracking one budget and then you reset that budget when you're ready for the next budget cycle. One situation I've wanted to use Budgee in, but couldn't, is where I had my main "household" budget, but then I had a couple of small projects (e.g. kitchen remodel) that I wanted to keep a budget for as well...which I couldn't do. So, in the future (probably in the 1.5 release), Budgee will allow for multiple budgets to be used at one time. Along with this will will come the ability to name a budget. With this new functionality, you'll also be able to keep a budget for each month, week, year, etc. if you so choose (although I still feel that there are going to be better apps out there if you're really wanting to keep detailed budget statistics on the phone).

Shared budgets

This feature will be one of the last to be implemented, because it's the most complex to create and the most expensive to maintain. Budgee currently works pretty well for a single individual, but if you're really wanting to do budgeting the right way, everyone with access to the same finances (husband & wife, entire family, significant other, etc.) should be sharing a common budget even if everyone uses a different device. If you don't do this, then even though Bob & Jane budgeted $200 this month for food, Bob can spend $200 and Jane can do the same, but neither will know the other had spent that amount until it's too late. At this point, I'm expecting this particular feature will be one of the big features in Budgee 2.0.

Income tracking

An ideal personal budget is one that is zero-based - meaning you spend every dollar you make on paper such that:

budgeted income - (budgeted expenses + transfers to savings/investments) = 0

If you really want to do this today, you can enter categories and transactions with negative amounts, which will negate your budget expenses and allow you to do this, but Budgee 1.5 will make this a little more elegant for those that want to keep a zero-based budget. This will also give you the ability to see how much money you should have left AFTER all of your budgeted expenses (if you don't use a zero-based budget).

User Requested Features

There are several features that have been requested by current Budgee users, the top ones being:

• Numeric keypad to enter transactions more quickly
• Ability to "turn off" certain categories for a particular budget (without deleting them)
• User specified currency for budgets (effectively overriding the device's built-in regional setting)
• Set overall budget amount explicitly instead of summing up all of the categories
• Protect access to your budget(s) with a PIN/Password

Plus several other smaller enhancements to make things flow a little better, be easier to read, etc. Most of these will be options that are turned off by default, but you as the user can opt to enable them if you so choose. Budgee is still going to focus on being the most simple, elegant, and useful budgeting app out there - so the default configuration will still be as straightforward as ever, but hopefully Budgee will be adaptable to meet just about anyone's needs with these enhancements.

Various internal changes

Starting with version 1.5, Budgee will be using an entirely new architecture and most likely, a new design (although it'll be in the same spirit as the current design). Other than some visual tweaks, what this means to you is that Budgee will be more stable, better performing, and more streamlined.

If you have additional ideas you would like considered, feel free to leave a comment on this post or let me know at support@cogitu.com

There's good news and bad news on the Budgee front - the bad news first...  I just got word from Apple that the 1.0.4 update I recently posted about has been rejected from the app store.  The issue is that in order to make the category and transaction lists scroll more smoothly, I changed the way they were building themselves.  As a side product of this, the table row highlighting was changed slightly...so if you were to select a category, view your list of transactions for that category, and then return to the category list, the category you originally selected would not be highlighted.  In versions prior to 1.0.4, the selected category would still be selected for a moment and then the selection would fade away.  I made this change because of another issue with highlighting and didn't think it would be an issue.  The catch is that the iPhone Human Interface Guidelines say that I MUST make the highlight work the way prior versions of Budgee worked - and thus, the app was rejected until I correct the highlight.  It's really quite impressive that Apple pays so much attention to every last detail in the HIG - it's a lot to keep in one's head, but they certainly do a good job of keeping us all straight about how things are supposed to work.

So what's the good news?  Well, in order to fix this issue (and really finish polishing things up), I've decided to hold off on minor updates for now and focus on doing a major upgrade to the internals of Budgee which will result in version 1.5.  In doing so, Budgee will become faster, more streamlined, more stable (particularly if you keep a large number of transactions in it), and most importantly to you guys, it'll have some new features that have been requested for a while now.  The reality is that Budgee was the first iPhone app I created (yep, there are more, but they aren't public just yet...) and it has some things under the hood that need to be improved based on things I've learned since it's release.  I originally planned to hold off on a re-write for a bit, but to really do things right, I need to just bite the bullet and revamp things.  In the end, it'll work out better for everyone - it's easier for me to maintain (and hopefully do more frequent release cycles) and Budgee's users will get the new features they want more quickly and the app itself will be more fun to use.

So how long until this update is out?  Well, it's going to be a little while...it'll be Q1 2009 for sure, but whether it's a couple of weeks or 2 months, I just don't know.  What I can say is that it'll take as long as it needs to get it done right so things are as polished and rock solid as they can be.  Tomorrow, I'll be posting what to expect from Budgee in 2009 - I'm excited about it and hope you guys are too.

In the meantime, if you have any major issues that need to be corrected before 1.5 is released, please e-mail support@cogitu.com and be as specific as possible about the issue.  If no major issues come up, 1.5 will be the next official release, but if there are any large issues that need to be addressed before that time, an interim version will be created.  Stay tuned to this blog for details on Budgee 1.5, Budgee's future in 2009, and the next major product from Cogitu...

If you've been thinking about trying Budgee, but haven't yet purchased it, you're in luck.  Budgee is 50% off in the App Store starting December 25th through December 31st.  This is the first time Budgee has been on sale since it was released and it won't happen again for quite a while, so take advantage of the reduced price while you can.  Remember, all future updates are free as well, so even if you're not planning on getting serious about your budget until 2009 [shame on you ], now is still a great time to pick Budgee up.

In addition to the sale, version 1.0.4 of Budgee has been submitted to Apple.  This update may or may not make it for the holidays (I don't know what Apple's current approval turn around time is...lately it's been taking closer to a week), but it will be live relatively soon.  This update was going to contain a couple of new features, but after re-evaluating the issue list, it became clear that the new features need to wait just a bit longer (I'll explain more in a future post later in the week).  So what made it in?  Well, mainly a couple of internal changes...you'll likely notice very little, if any, difference in your daily use of the app, but it should be slightly more stable and anyone with a lot of transactions and/or categories may notice a slightly smoother scrolling list (there are more improvements to scrolling in the works as well).

Just a quick note that version 1.0.3 of Budgee is submitted to Apple.  This isn't a critical update for most people, but it fixes a bug where the app crashes if you try to save a transaction or category without putting in an amount.  If you like to make these placeholder entries, you'll want to get this update.  Full release notes here.

The new Budgee update (1.0.2) is live in the App Store as of now - direct link below:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=291309196&mt=8

As with most app updates, be sure to so a sync with iTunes before you install just to make sure there is a backup of your iPhone Budgee data - just in case.

NOTE: It may take a little bit for iTunes to tell you the update is ready if you're already using 1.0.0 or 1.0.1...so give it a bit if you're not seeing it yet.