[UPDATED] Rumor: thinkorswim releasing the first native iPhone investing app at SDK launch
More SDK launch rumors… thinkorswim, the most Google and Apple-centric brokerage firm known to man, may be set to release a “thinkPod” app for the iPhone. Details are extremely scarce, other than a “coming soon” notice on the site, but suffice it to say, odds are it will deliver the features already available for Blackberry and Pocket PC, and then some. A source closely monitoring thinkorswim claims there is a very good chance thinkorswim has a preview version of the iPhone SDK, and will be modifying their thinkPod widget to be one of the first major apps at or close to launch.
Above: This is apparently what the thinkPod web app looks like. The native app is expected to look similar.
Having an investing site on board for the SDK launch makes good sense for Apple, as showcasing secure apps running on the iPhone is sure to grab headlines. The good news is, odds are the thinkPod app will be free to customers, just like thinkorswim’ Mac desktop client and all their other software. thinkorswim actually already supports the iPhone via the Safari browser, but this app should bring many more options to traders. Unfortunately, we doubt this actually useful application will garner 1/4 of the press of being able to order coffee at Starbucks via the iPhone.
Without doing too much of a commercial for them (and no, I don’t use them (yet), I use E-Trade) our source told us a little story about them that has us about ready to jump ship. Apparently CNBC offers a commercial free feed of their service called CNBC PLUS for $14.95 a month. The problem is, it is not yet Mac compatible, despite daily deluges from Mac investors requesting it. Apparently it uses some super new Windows Media codecs not yet available for the Mac, even by Flip4Mac. Well, thinkorswim, on their own dime, apparently captures the stream, and re-encodes it back as a regular old asf or wmf so now both their PC and Mac customers can now view the feed. How cool is that? Oh, and apparently their office uses exclusively 30-inch Apple cinema displays. In fact, every desk apparently has THREE OF THEM! (check out this video tour).
Above: HOLY $#&@ that’s a lot of 30-inch cinema displays!
Oh, and rumor has it they send those cool stuffed monkeys out like they are going out of style, so hopefully I can expect a couple of those to be sent our way. I totally spaced on Valentine’s Day this year for the Bride of Macenstein, and I know that would totally make up for it.
[UPDATE: Scott Sheridan, co-founder of thinkorswim has confirmed “thinkPod is in fact a web based application that will work on an iPhone but this is different than what we will be offering when the SDK is released.“]
I love thinkorswim! Have you ever taken a look at how ugly trading platforms are? These guys have a great GUI crew. I canceled CNBC plus a day after I subscribed over a year ago because they didn’t support Mac but I finally get it for free as a tos customer.
Now THAT’s a CFO I could get behind.
(if you know what I mean)
🙂
That’s a sexual harassment case just waiting to happen, and I’m guilty as charged. Va-va-va-vooooom!
Those are not 30″ monitors in that video.
Or if they are, those people are GIGANTIC. 🙂
Maybe they’ve upgraded since then?
20 inch, I think. The monitors, I mean 🙂
Hey guys I got an email from one of the founders: “thinkPod is in fact a web based application that will work on an iPhone but
this is different than what we will be offering when the SDK it released.
At that time we will program our software to run on it just like it does on
a Pockt PC or Blackberry.” Great!
If you think the “trade desk” is impressive, you should see the monitor array upstairs :).
The monitor array is 160 monitors lined up in 4 by 4 matrix side by side…..Stand in front of them and trade to your hearts content. Got to see it…..