personal finance blog

Mac owners still have deal with a lack of proper Mac compatible versions of many popular programs, although the situation is improving. For the past few years this shortfall has included personal finance software such as Intuit's Quicken, an issue that has finally been addressed with the release of Quicken Essentials for Mac.



This new version of Quicken for Apple owners is the first version of Quicken software which has been written from the ground up for OSX, partially thanks to Intuit's purchase of Mint.com last year.



Notable improvements over the last version of Quicken for Mac (from 2007) include:

• New Mac-like user interface


• Connects to 12,000 banks and financial institutions


• Better categorization using an algorithm similar to Mint.com


• Conversion software to help you bring your data from earlier Mac versions and Windows versions of Quicken or MS Moneyeds.

While some users will be excited to have a new version of Quicken for Mac, tech pundit Walter Mossberg wasn't too hot on the new version for its lack of features that come standard in Windows versions such as Bill Pay, TurboTax integration and the ability to view or edit transactions in investment accounts.



The Unofficial Apple Weblog has the best description of Quicken Essentials for Mac's lack of power features, calling it the "iPhoto for your finances" and suggesting alternatives for users who need more advanced tools.



These are notable omissions for individuals looking for a rounded and robust personal finance tool, but as Intuit points out, this version of Quicken Essentials for Mac is just that; the essential personal finance tools.

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Remains of the Day: Ogg vs. H.264 Videos Side-by-Side Edition

Gmail stutters, a phony version of Microsoft Security Essentials makes the rounds, Opera 10.5 beta comes to Macs, and video codecs Ogg Theora and H.264 go head to head.

(Click the image above for a closer look.)

• Why Can't PCs Work More Like iPhones?
  
  NYT's Nick Bilton wishes that PCs could adopt a few of the better things about iPhones and other user-friendly mobile operating systems—just not the awful walled garden part.


• Quicken for the Mac: Finally!
  
  The popular personal finance desktop application makes its way to the Mac desktop.


• Gmail Acting Up? It's Not Just You
  
  Earlier today, several people experienced Gmail errors, acknowledged by their Apps Status Dashboard, so if you had Gmail bugginess this morning, you weren't alone.


• Security Essentials 2010 Is Not Microsoft Security Essentials
  
  There's a fake antivirus application making the rounds on the internet called Security Essentials 2010—not to be confused with Microsoft Security Essentials, the antivirus app we like so much.


• Ogg Theora vs. H.264: head to head comparisons
  
  A side-by-side comparison of two competitors for the throne of de facto web video standard reveals, unfortunately, that the free solution (Ogg) doesn't appear to stack up. [Ars Technica]


• Opera 10.50 Beta for Mac!
  
  Opera 10.5 Beta is now available for Macs, and it's gooood. [Opera Blog]

Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com.

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