Intuit introduced Quicken Beam, a free service that lets users check their bank balance from a cell phone, iPhone or other mobile device.
The service allows users to request instant account balance updates with a simple text message to see their balance and what transactions have cleared. They can also receive automatic low-balance alerts via text messages when their balance gets close to triggering a fee.
The service lets users set additional alerts to be informed of major activity so they can catch identity theft early and keep credit card spending in check. They can also view all their bank and credit card accounts in one place, anytime, from anywhere.
The application is currently available for beta testing from the