Dr Ge discovered during his ten years as a programmer and consultant that many small business owners often had one thing in common, regardless of their industry: They were afraid to touch new accounting applications and payroll software programs because they were usually too big or too complex for their needs.

With that in mind, Dr Ge went to work on what he calls a simple but effective program that’s easy-to-use and geared to small business payroll or payroll tax issues. He also adds that many accounting software programs are bloated with features that the small business users don’t need and never use.

Not only does this make the software bulky to operate, explains Dr Ge, but it also drives up the price of the software. For example, some programs can retail for around $700 compared to his latest version ezPaycheck Payroll software 2010 for just under $100. For many small business users, they simply don’t need many of the functions associated with such larger programs.

Although Dr Ge explains that complex payroll software does have its importance and advantages, but as with most payroll software today it’s almost as if the user needs an I.T. or accounting degree to operate it. Small business owners lack the funds to hire an AP department and they lack the time to learn the ins and outs of advanced accounting software. So we went to work making a payroll software unlike any other – one where small businesses can figure out the functions as soon as they start the application.

Dr Ge is so certain that small businesses will find the benefits of ezPaycheck 2010 that Halfpricesoft.com offers a free trial. For 30 days users can try all the features free of charge before they decide buy it. In addition, they also offer three other creations for the small business owner – ezCheckPrinting, ezTimeSheet and ezW2, which Dr Ge says are also easy to use for owners who aren’t accounting or I.T. experts. Visitors can also find checks, payroll supplies and free items like invoice templates or packing slip templates at the site.

“For the majority of small businesses in the world there really hasn’t been a simple, dependable payroll program until ezPaycheck. So it’s a great feeling knowing that we save small businesses money on their payroll software needs. What’s even better, though, is knowing we make their life less frustrating and save them much needed time.”

Technorati Tags: Accounting Software, payroll accounting software, payroll software

The SplashShopper iPad app is a list maker and organizer app that helps users keep track of their purchases. SplashShopper has sections where users can manage their lists of groceries,movies, music, gifts, to-dos, and anything else that you might buy. It even tracks the location of where you purchased the item. All prices are recorded so users can view how much they spent and where they spent it. This feature is particularly useful because users can compare places to shop. For example, if they regularly shop at two grocery stores, the SplashShopper for iPad will show them which store they spend more money in. Users can even track per-store prices by assigning items to multiple stores and seeing how much it costs at different places with SplashShopper.

The SplashShopper lets you create an unlimited number of shopping lists on your iPad. Lists are separated into categories and locations. The app also uses location-based mapping to help users find the nearest store for their items. It even picks up localized currency settings. Shop smarter with a few taps on your iPad with this application.

SplashShopper for iPad Screenshot

SplashData’s other accounting iPad application is SplashMoney. SplashMoney is a personal finance manager for the iPad. SplashMoney allows users to manage their money on-the-go with their iPad. All bank accounts are synced with the iPad, so every transaction is instantly recorded in the application. Users can create budgets and track spending. SplashMoney makes it easy with charts and customizable reporting.

SplashMoney also lets users schedule transactions with reminders and enables secure password protection. SplashMoney can track many different account types, including savings, checking, credit card, cash, assets, liability and money market. Keep track of your money and make sure you stay within your budget on your iPad with SplashMoney.

SplashMoney for iPad Screenshot

So, get your money organized with SplashShopper and budget with SplashMoney. Both iPad applications are only $4.99 on the Apple App store.

Technorati Tags: accounting applications, iPad, iPad Accounting, ipad accounting app, ipad application, splashdata, splashmoney, splashshopper

Among the new features are integration with Sofa’s web store Enstore, more detailed tracking of item information, profitability of a sale analysis, and bank deposit slip printing.

EnStore is the new web store developed by Acclivity’s Checkout partners, Sofa. This feature should appeal to anyone that wants to offer their customers a simple, elegant online shopping experience.

EnStore is a pay-as-you-go web store that integrates with AccountEdge. Products, images, pricing and other details are managed in AccountEdge and synced up to EnStore. AccountEdge pulls down new orders, customers, payments and taxes.

EnStore comes with the flexibility to customize your store, automatic shipping and tax rate lookup, hassle-free payment processing through major payment providers and a set of designed templates. EnStore comes with free setup, free hosting and unlimited bandwidth and storage. Several store templates come with EnStore; you can add your own pictures and descriptions.

Also, AccountEdge 2010 comes with more robust tracking of item information, including item weight, tagging functionality, brand association, Internet price, and the ability to attach up to three images to an item for multiple viewpoints. You can learn the profitability of a sale with the Show Profit Analysis button. It shows gross profit, margin, and cost of each item you’re selling and for the entire invoice. You can change the price per unit to see how it affects margin and profitability. You can show profit analysis from an order, quote, or an invoice.

You can now print out your bank deposit slips, while taking into consideration cash back on deposits, total cash, total checks, and number of items deposited. You can purchase accompanying deposit slips that come pre-printed with your account information, and take your deposit slips right to the bank.

AccountEdge 2010 offers list searching improvements. You can search by first name, last name, company name, phone number, and more. The new Search By feature works for vendors and items, too.

An “Open last company file” window comes with a new design that purportedly makes it easier to open your company file with the new Open Last file function. Open Last displays the last company file you opened, allowing you to start working with a single click.

The User Guide and Getting Started Guide are installed and accessible from the Help menu. Of course, you can always seek help from the support section of the AccountEdge web site. The Help menu gives you the choice of going to the website for help or searching the help files included in AccountEdge. Most windows in AccountEdge also include the Help icon, which displays information related to whatever section of the software you currently inhabit.
AccountEdge’s Auto Update feature automatically checks for any new software and payroll updates. Plus, you can back-up your file in .zip format to share your file with Windows users.

For more information on available accounting software, click here.

Technorati Tags: Acclivity AccountEdge 2010, AccountEdge 2010, Accounting Software, accounting software for MAC, accounting software vendor report, Kool Tools, Small Business Accounting Software

Last month, Intuit Inc., a business accounting solutions provider, had more than 300,000 customers stranded when a power failure shut down the company’s servers. This was perhaps a wakeup call for Intuit to consider Software as a Service.

As planned by Brad Smith, CEO at the company, Intuit will transfer more than 75% of its sales to Web-based services by 2015. Intuit will make a series of internet company acquisitions. Additionally, the company will reform operations and product features so that Intuit applications, such as for TurboTax and Quicken, will run dependably as online services.

“We don’t have the luxury of going down,” Smith says. “We are required to be available, 24/7, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

In the meantime, Intuit is making investigations into the June power outage and how it can be avoided in the future. Data centers will also be made more efficient and centralized. Smaller offices will be shut down and operations will be concentrated in an advanced, 240,000-square-foot facility built in Quincy, Washington.

According to Smith, the Intuit strategy since January 2008 has been to adapt from a desktop company to an internet company.

So far, the company provides online services to handle small business payroll and payments, manage health care costs, pay physicians, build websites, give financial advice, and process credit card charges over mobile phone. Intuit’s most conspicuous  acquisition last year was $170 million for Mint.com, a service that records, analyzes, and creates graphics on data from consumer accounts on all spending habits. The company plans on integrating some Mint.com services with its other software offerings.

Technorati Tags: Intuit, Mint.com

The benefits of Sage Timberline Enterprise are the newly designed process maps that allow customizable, visual representations of everyday tasks.  Sage Timberline Enterprise also features a dispatch board that helps users visually schedule service workers by assigning the appropriate technician with the right skills to perform a job.  Sage Timberline Enterprise is an all in one solution for those in the construction industry.  Other products from Sage for the construction industry are Sage Timberline Office and Sage Master Builder.

Technorati Tags: Sage, Sage Accounting, Sage Software

Accounting Today named Intacct as one of its Top New Products of 2010. The list was made up of the top products in 16 different categories, and Intacct was chosen as the winner of the Top Accounting/ERP Solution category.

Intacct is an established solution and its latest edition was praised as being extremely user-friendly and effective.

Intacct is so highly regarded that ten of the top 100 largest CPA firms use the software with their clientèle. More that 3,300 companies use Intacct accounting software, in a wide rage of ways; from automating financial processes to improving transparency.

The company stated that they are continually improving and developing on their software, and hope to continue to provide superior accounting solutions in the future.

Technorati Tags: Accounting Software Products, Accounting Solution, ERP Software, Intacct

LegalZoom offers incorporation packages for businesses, that generally include bylaws and forms. Their Express Gold Incorporation package, which sells for $369 plus a state fee, includes the basic materials in addition to over 40 essential business forms on CD-ROM, Federal Tax application preparation, medical expense plan forms, and more. LegalZoom will now offer a free First Accounting download, from Sage, if businesses buy their Express Gold package. The First Accounting download is a free 30 day trial for accounting software, with complimentary accounting training included.

Sage and LegalZoom hope to help new small businesses get on the right track because accounting and financing can be difficult and complicated in the beginning. Sage and LegalZoom have created an easy and affordable software option for businesses.

Sage and LegalZoom are both successful companies that wanted to combine both of their services and products to make one unified product for customers. John Suh, the CEO of LegalZoom, said “LegalZoom is focused on providing our small business clients with the best start possible, connecting them with proven tools that can help them be successful.”  LegalZoom has over one million satisfied customers and Sage has flourished for over 35 years. They both hope that new small businesses will take advantage of their alliance to get on the right path to a prosperous future.

Technorati Tags: Accounting Software, LegalZoom, Sage, Small Business Accounting, small business software

Intacct outscored other popular accounting software products, including products from Intuit. The review contains scoring sections across many areas including: basic system functions, core accounting capabilities and management features.

The author of the 2010 Review of Web-Based Small Business Accounting Systems notes: “Intacct offers a comprehensive web-based accounting and business management suite that is available in several industry versions, including one specifically designed for professional accountants. Intacct is not a simple bookkeeping system that’s been thrown into an online platform. It is a powerful and fully comprehensive accounting system that can manage complex and diverse entities securely and while maintaining appropriate compliance.”

“As the rapid shift to the cloud takes place, reviews like this are further validation that Intacct continues to set the bar for the industry,” said VP of product marketing, Betsy Bland. “This is the third straight year Intacct has had the highest score in The CPA Technology Advisor’s review. Intacct combines ease of use with robust financial management functionality to deliver a solution that is ideally suited for companies that have outstretched entry-level accounting solutions or want to avoid the cost and IT hassles of on-premise software.”

Adnetik, a real-time media purchasing company, selected Intacct as their accounting software of choice. The company wanted a solution that would be able to handle a high volume of transactions and work for a globally distributed organization. Adnetik also required their accounting software to be easy-to-use with minimal IT infrastructure and support. The company realized that cloud-based was the best choice for their company, based on their accounting software needs. Adnetik found that Inacct offered the best combination of hassle-free usability and affordability.

To view The CPA Technology Advisor review, visit: http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/article/article.jsp?id=2818

Technorati Tags: 2010 review of web-based small business accounting software, Accounting Software, cloud-based accounting software, Intacct

B2Bee’s accounting software tool, the Bee, is comprised of three core financial tools that small business owners need to manage their finances. With a lot of options, other accounting software can be difficult to use.  However, small business owners cannot afford to get lost in a sea of options. The Bee gives users everything they need to get paid, manage their expenses and track their profitability.

The Bee accounting software is available from any web browser so users can easily access the on-demand solution to create and send out invoices, document, label and track expenses, and produce reports to help monitor the pulse of the business.

A few Bee features:

• Simple, one-time set-up
• Branded to seamlessly fit in with your business
• Pre-designed, professional invoicing templates that can emailed or mailed to clients
• Ability to document and categorize expenses by client or project for quick accounting and invoicing
• Online dashboard for quick view of financial state of the business
• Online profitability report provides quick comparison of revenues and expenses

(Marketwire)

“The reaction of most people when they open accounting software like QuickBooks for the first time is ‘Wow, what have I gotten myself into?” said the CEO of B2Bee, Scott Miller. “For small business owners, all they really need is a simple solution that will help them get paid while managing the money that is coming in and going out of their business.”

The Bee gives business owners the right tools to quickly and easily manage their finances, without paying for costly extras for their accounting software solution. The accounting software product is designed for the non-accountant small business owner. The Bee is available for free for 30 days and then for a monthly subscription cost of $14.00 per month after. For more information visit: www.getthebee.com.

Technorati Tags: Accounting Software, B2Bee, B2Bee Accounting Software, Small Business Accounting Software, small business web-based accounting software, Web Based Accounting Software, Web-Based Accounting

Sage North America, the Accounting Software Vendor, has announced the release of Peachtree 2011 and Peachtree Quantum 2011. The accounting software company is rolling out new features for service billing and job reporting at small businesses.

The accounting software updates in Peachtree 2011 include a new function that will help service businesses invoice customers for unbilled time and expenses. The unbilled items can also be filtered by date, customer name or job, and outstanding expenses can be directly transferred into an invoice. The accounting software also has a built-in dashboard that helps process large volumes of data about an item or service.

Peachtree 2011 accounting software also features customizable job status indicators in stoplight colors to help identify what is on or off track. Users can delete, rename, or change the stoplight buton colors as necessary.

The Peachtree Quantum 2011 accounting software has job management features for small business that give user s the information they need to take advantage of government stimulus opportunities. Peachtree Quantum is able to do so by enabling users to track the data required to comply with federal project parameters so that small businesses can take action.

The accounting software also includes a centralized dashboard that projects a list of jobs. Users can use job indicator stoplight buttons to sort the jobs by status. Peachtree Quantum also gives users the ability to build customized reports with real-time data on-the-fly. Another genius tool in the Quantum accounting software update is the job profitability module that compares estimated vs. committed jobs.  The updated software can also create several user-defined reports that can be exported to Excel, PDF or e-mail.

The accounting software allows users to proactively manage projects with access to job info in one place. The Job navigation tab will help provide a customizable dashboard view. Peachtree 2011 and Peachtree Quantum 2011 have been updated to simplify accounting and make your life a little easier.

Technorati Tags: Sage, Sage Accounting, Sage Accounting Product, Sage Accounting Software, Sage Accounting Solution, Sage Peachtree, Sage Peachtree 2011, Sage Peachtree Quantum, Sage Peachtree Quantum 2011