Small Town Software announced on Wednesday the release of Time and Budgets 1.2, the newest version of the company’s Web-based time tracking and budget monitoring solution. This upgrade adds connectivity with Microsoft Entourage; the ability to export data to the screen, a text file, or a MYOB-compatible format; upgraded CORE reporting technology; support for multiple budgets; bug fixes and performance enhancements; and more.
In addition, Time and Budgets 1.2 features support for TaBulator Widgets, stand-alone applications that display project information in real time. Two free widgets, [projects] and [monitor], are now available for download from the Small Town Web site, with more to come in the future. The former displays numbers for open projects, complete with tool tips that show project phase names and numbers, and the latter offers detailed project financials, including budget overruns. Clicking a project in either widget opens a Web page with even more information about it.
Support for Microsoft Entourage is in addition to integration with iCal, which was provided in the original release. Now Entourage users can also enter their personal information and let Time and Budgets pull it into the appropriate projects. Managers can use that information to generate dynamic reports that convert time into dollars and cents comparable against a project’s budget. Available reports in Time and Budgets include time sheets with visual charts, details about time logged in specific phases and tasks, aggregate workgroup feedback and more. Another option can generate e-mail alerts when projects have reached certain financial goals.
This is a free upgrade for existing users. Small Town Software offers two versions of Time and Budgets: one hosted on the company’s Web site that costs US$15 per user, with volume discounts, and a private intranet one that is $4,900. It supports 128-bit encryption for safe data transfer. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.2.3, iCal 1.1 and Entourage 10.1.3. Compatible Web browsers include Safari 1.0, Internet Explorer 5.1 and Netscape Navigator 6.0.