Strands Blog

With the addition of our manual upload feature, we’ve received requests to make our iPhone app available on the UK and Canada app stores. We’re happy to announce today that the moneyStrands app is now available on these app stores.

To download the app, click here or search “moneyStrands” in your iTunes application.

To learn more about our iPhone app, check out our recent blog post on v2.5 of the app.

Next week the app will also be added to the Australian and New Zealand App stores. If you are an international user and would like to see the moneyStrands iPhone app on your App store, please contact us.

Curious how fast you can run a mile?  How about a half-marathon or 100k?  With the Race Prediction Widget on Strands.com it is now possible!

Based on your current training and previous performances, we are now able to accurately predict your next race performance.  The more detailed workouts you add to your training log, the more accurate the predictions will be.  In addition to current training and previous performance, determining factors include weight, age, gender, location, and shoes.

To show off your your race predictions to your followers, simply visit your profile on Strands and personalize your sidebar to display the widget.

Find your next race in the Events section of Strands and click ‘registered’ to show what you are training for.  As the event approaches, your trainings will be logged toward that event, and you can challenge yourself to beat the prediction.

For optimal viewing, view in full screen mode.

For all our global fans out there, moneyStrands is pleased to announce the addition of 33 new currencies to our personal finance management tool. With these additions, moneyStrands now supports 44 currencies! (see our full list below) This enables people from all over the world to take control of their finances and save money with moneyStrands’ innovative, easy-to-use platform.

Along with additional currencies, we’ve added the ability to view your financial analysis and overview in your specified currency.

Setting your account to your native currency is simple. Just click on the settings icon in the top right hand corner of your profile. This will open up the setting panel, where you’ll see an option to set your currency. Choose your currency of choice and click on the save changes button to complete the process.

Please note that currency exchange rates vary by day as they are calculated by the most current exchange rate. Here is a complete list of all 44 currencies we now support:

Team Strands athletes Mike Aish and Justin Young will race the IAAF World Championships Marathon tomorrow in Berlin.

Aish, New Zealand’s lone representative in the marathon, has a personal best of 2:13:21 from his victory at the 2008 PF Chang’s Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix.  In January he returned to Phoenix and ran a 2:15:43, placing 6th overall.  His crowning achievement for the year came with an easy victory in tough conditions at New Zealand’s Christchurch Marathon.  Aish ran 2:18:18 in spite of strong winds, snow, and hail.

Aish has competed for New Zealand at numerous championships including the World Cross Country Championships (2000, 2001), World Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships (2003, 2007), and the Olympic Games (2000, 2004).  He will be joined in Berlin by Team Strands teammate Justin Young, who will be representing Team USA.

Young was selected to the USA roster based on his breakthrough run in Rotterdam in April 2008, where he ran 2:13:52.  His time in Rotterdam was the third fastest by an American for the year.  This will the second time Young has represented Team USA — the first coming in 2004 at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, where he led Team USA with an 18th place overall finish.

He will be racing in Berlin with Team USA teammates Dan Browne (Portland, Oreg.), Nate Jenkins (Lowell, Mass.), Ed Torres (Boulder, Colo.), and Matt Gabrielson (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Check out the comprehensive men’s marathon preview, and be sure to send encouragement to Mike and Justin on their Strands.com profiles.

The race will be broadcast live on Universal Sports at 5:45 a.m. EST.

If you’re a fan of the moneyStrands iPhone app, be sure to update your current version to the newly released version 2.5. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you’re missing out! We’ve launched a slew of new features that make our app even more user-friendly and convenient for managing your finances on the go. Here’s what’s new:

• The ability to update your bank account data from within the application. This new feature can be found in the upper left hand corner of the My Accounts page. Just look for the curved arrow icon. You can now bring your account data up to date without you having to access the web site.
• A newly designed analysis page allows you to see the total amount of your income or expenses in the pie chart. Click on each color-coded category to see the total amount for those individual categories.
• The new Analysis page also features various time range options you can select. These are located along the top of the page. Scroll through them by sliding your finger across e.g. this month, last month etc.
• A newly designed budget tab allows you to see the total amount spent for all your budget allocations. You can also choose to view monthly or annual budget allocations by selecting the appropriate tab at the top of the page.
• We’ve added new support for our Spanish version

Check it out by downloading the moneyStrands v2.5 app on iTunes.

Last week we announced our partnership with the Spanish National Track & Field Federation for the 2009 Track & Field Championships, and this week we are pleased to announce the winners of awards presented by Strands.

Awards were given to the Best Overall Male and Female Athletes of the Championships, and were received by Reyes Estévez and Mayte Martínez respectively.

Estévez is a 1,500M runner who won the 1998 European Championships in Budapest, bronze medals at the 1997 and 1999 World Championships, and silver medals at the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships and 2002 European Championships.  Martínez is an achieved 800M runner, winning silver medals in the 2002 and 2005 European Indoor and Outdoor Championships; and bronze medals in the 2003 and 2007 World Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

Also, awards for the Top Male and Female Athletes Participating in the Championships with the most followers on Strands were received by Carles Castillejo and Marta Esteban.   Castillejo and Esteban both competed in the 5,000M this weekend, finishing 3rd and 13th respectively.

Awards were presented by World and European Marathon Champions Abel Antón and Martin Fiz, along with European and Olympic 1,500M Champion Fermín Cacho.