Tired of iPhone apps that are a mindless waste of time? Ready to try doing something with that expensive little pocket communicator of yours that's actually productive and useful? Better yet, an app that might even improve your financial life in these times, when so many of the faithful must be staring at their AT&T wireless bills and thinking "WTF? What was I thinking?"
Well, bunky, do I have an app for you: the Mint.com personal finance app. The news of its launch hits the wire today, but the company posted about it on Friday, and at the same time alerted us bloggers… many of whom I suspect were looking for something — anything! — positive to write about. That was sure the case with me, so the announcement struck a chord. 
The Mint.com app does seem to stand out as something that could change people's lives for the better. I mean, I like identifying a tune on the radio with Shazam just as much as the next guy. But does it really move me forward in my life in any real way?
With the Mint app, we're talking real, live JINGLE, baby! Money, scratch, dinero, green, benjamins, clams, smackers, wonger, moolah, cabbage, lettuce, loot, dough, bread.
That's right, Mint.com is promising us this app will actually…pay us, not cost us. For more on that, you need to get into their blog post linked above, which is entitled: "Putting Money in Your Pocket in Time for the Holidays."
Talk about a blog post for the season! Yes, they're talking to all you masses of iPhone-toting, last-minute Christmas shoppers out there…
What Can You Do With It?
Here's how Mint describes their new tool:
"Our iPhone app delivers the same simple yet powerful experience you get from our web service — right to your phone, and updated automatically. Discover the comfort and joy of having access to your financial information anywhere, anytime… "
Specifically, the company gives these examples of what the app lets you do:
• Check your credit card balances from that seemingly endless checkout line.
• Monitor your gifts budget in real time, in case your loved ones are burning up the plastic at another mall.
• Stay on top of your finances while traveling. You’ll know if your paycheck cleared without navigating your relative’s dial-up service.
• Watch your investment performance, distributions, and dividends. Helpful in deciding when it’s okay to sell and realize those capital losses, sadly.
And, yes, I know what you're all thinking…but they say they have that covered, too:
• Security Feature: Rest assured that you can disconnect iPhone access from your Mint.com Profile should your iPhone ever be lost or stolen.
How They Did It and Why
I asked Mint's crackerjack PR firm, AtomicPR, some questions about how the firm developed the app — because, at first, I was actually more interested in that aspect of the story, having been so close to iPhone app development throughout 2008 with our local startup DoApp Inc. I hear all the time about companies, big and small, wanting to do iPhone apps, and I know full well the time and expense that can be involved in developing a really good app. So, I fired off some questions to them. Lo and behold, the founder and CEO, Aaron Patzer, was right back at me with some answers.
Q (me): Who Developed it? A: "The Mint.com iPhone application was developed internally by Mint developers."
Q (me): How long did it take? A: "The entire project took a little less than two months from concept to App Store, with really 4-5 weeks of core development by two engineers — one front end, one back end."
Q (me): What's been Mint's story with mobile up to now? A: "We delivered our first mobile feature – outbound SMS bill reminders, low balance alerts, budget alerts — 15 months ago. Our second was inbound SMS. Any Mint user — even those without an iPhone — can text 'bal' to shortcode MYMINT (696468) for their real-time balances. That came out in October. The iPhone app was scheduled right behind that."
Q (me): Why iPhone? A: "About 40% of Mint users have iPhones (from a survey we did), with half of the remaining 60% planning to buy an iPhone within the next 6-12 months. The overlap between Mint.com and Apple usage is ridiculous."
Q (me): What about an Android version — any plans? A: "As a general rule, we will support any mobile platform that more than 20% of our users are using. First, SMS (almost 100% of people have that), second iPhone (40%) of users, and then we'll take it from there."
Thanks, Aaron. So now, I'm curious: how many of you iPhone users out there would seriously not use a free app like this? Of course, you must sign up for Mint's service first, which is a bit of a commitment. But they say that only takes five minutes, to link the service to all your accounts.
What do you think, are you gonna do it? Or have you already? In my case, I downloaded the app, and that will now incent me to sign up for Mint… :-) Amazing, the power, the pull of the iPhone.
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