This IPad thing is not going away. If you’re like me – semi-retired and geeky – you sit around all day, reading and blogging, blogging and reading.

And, with the evolution of the IPad, this makes life much easier and certainly more fun. I love my iMac but I am totally in love and married to my IPad. It’s the first thing I grab in the morning and the last thing I put away in the evening.

So, when IGG introduced it’s spanking new iBank for iPad App a few days ago, I was beyond ecstatic.

Now, I could fully manage my accounts from my IPad and, if desired, sync them to IBank on my Mac. No more running to the computer with receipts and monthly bills. It can now be managed pretty much in real time no matter where I am. Oh how I love technology!

It took me very little time to set up the iBank for iPad App. After it was installed on my IPad, I elected to sync it to IBank on my IMac, since I wanted the security of my finances in a non-mobile environment as well as mobile.

However, for $4.99 a month, the Direct Access option allows you to download transactions from your bank account in real time. However, if you choose this option, the IBank – IMac sync is not an option. So, it’s either – or! Perhaps, the double synching – online and from the IMac – would be confusing.

Nevertheless, the Direct Access is there if you need it and, if you haven’t installed the IBank App on your Mac, you might be inclined to take advantage of the Direct Access option.

Also, IGG wishes consumers to know that the iBank for iPad App works best with an IPad 2 model or higher. It will run on the IPad 1, but not as efficiently.

Also, although this App recognizes the majority of banks throughout the world, there may be some banks that are, as of this writing, not tied to iBank.

If this is the case, you can still synch it with IBank on your Mac. However, the Direct Access option only works with banks who have partnered with iBank for iPad.

I am sure that all the banks will eventually jump on board. This is an excellent app product and one I would highly recommend.

. Price: $14.99

Here is IGG’s Press Release:

ALL YOUR FINANCES, AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
iBank for iPad, Exclusively for iOS, Now Available on the App Store

(PUTNEY, VT) — IGG Software today announced the release of a full iPad version of iBank, the developer’s market-leading personal finance application. iBank for iPad takes complete advantage of the iPad’s capabilities, including wireless updating, Multi-Touch navigation and the power of iOS 5. The app is available now on the App Store.

“This is the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken at IGG, and to us it represents a new model for personal finance management,” says chief technology officer James Gillespie. “We designed it from scratch with the idea of doing three things amazingly well: updating your accounts automatically, getting the most out of your financial data, and using the iPad’s magic to its fullest extent.”

iBank for iPad distinguishes itself from other finance apps in several significant ways:

— A new subscription service, Direct Access, delivers instant account updates from thousands of financial institutions worldwide. New transactions are downloaded via Wi-Fi or data connection in the background, with no prompting by the user — ensuring that one’s complete financial picture is current and available on the iPad any time and anywhere.

— iBank’s beautiful iPad interface presents a clear personal finance summary. Accounts are kept in one or more custom “books,” organized as needed. With just a tap or a swipe, users can access accounts; get details on accounts, budgets, transactions or investments; change pages, switch books, edit transactions, delete info and more — naturally and intuitively.

— Investment management has never been more elegant. Because the books in iBank for iPad resemble a set of financial reports, it’s easier than ever to review trades, positions, history, performance, realized and unrealized gains, market value and more. Portfolios update as changes are available, and users can drill down for security details with a tap.

— Simple yet sophisticated budgeting is a key component of iBank. Schedule regular income and bills, set targets for other earnings or expenses, track spending by assigning categories to transactions. Users can check budgets with a tap, compare current performance to previous months, review old budgets and more.

— IGG’s commitment to privacy and security is paramount: iBank for iPad is ad-free. There are no third-party services offered to users. Customer data and financial records are never stored, accessed, aggregated or analyzed in any way that benefits IGG or any other marketers. And IGG never sells, trades, rents or shares customer information.

Among other features, users have:

• full manual editing and entry capabilities, including the ability to split, schedule, categorize and reconcile transactions

• the ability to move books between devices

• multi-currency support

• password protection for individual financial books

• back-up to iCloud

• and many more powerful finance management tools.

The app is written to take advantage of the iPad’s latest dual-core and graphics processors, its high-resolution Retina Display, and landscape and portrait modes.

For automatic updating of transactions, new users of iBank for iPad will have the opportunity to try Direct Access for free during a 30-day trial. Maintaining the service will cost as little as 11 cents a day: just $4.99 per month, or $39.99 for an annual subscription; all options are available via In-App Purchase.

Users of iBank 4.5 (now available via the Mac App Store or IGG) can use iBank for iPad without a subscription by syncing data directly from the desktop app over Wi-Fi or a WebDAV server.

The iBank for iPad App is available for $14.99 from the App Store or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore. iBank for iPad requires iOS 5 or higher and iPad 2 or later. For more information visit http://www.iggsoftware.com/ibankforipad

IGG Software, Inc., was founded in 2003 by developer Ian Gillespie to offer intuitive, elegant and powerful applications for individuals and small businesses. Based in Putney, Vermont, its flagship products are iBank, for personal finance management, and iBiz, for time-tracking and billing. For further information, review licenses, or to schedule interviews with Ian Gillespie or CTO James Gillespie, please contact IGG Marketing Director Scott Marc Becker: scott@iggsoftware.com.