Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I am on the fence about getting an N800. I will be leaving for a 6 month trip in late Summer to travel around Southeast Asia. I absolutely do not want to carry a laptop (the choice is more N800 or nothing).

I am quite worried about security at internet cafes if I do not carry my own internet client. Technically, you are supposed to check status on each of your financial sites every 60 days to report any fraud or you are liable. I have considered calling each financial institution every 45 days while on the road but that is a pain, especially with lack of privacy and time differences. For a couple of bank sites, I will need to log in a little more frequently.

I am guessing that because financial sites do some stranger things that they might not work on the N800 due to Opera's limited capabilities and distribution: like pop up browsers, one of my sites has an on-screen keyboard as part of the login, and some sites might just reject a browser like Opera for security purposes (I know at least one of my financial web sites used to reject all "mobile" browsers). I seem to recall a thread here where someone was having trouble with the Wells Fargo site.

Does anyone have any experience with using the N800 to log into any of the following financial sites: Vanguard, Schwab, Scottrade, HSBC, Everbank?

I would even be happy if they just worked in read-only mode. If I knew that these sites worked, or even most of them, I would definitely purchase one.

Thanks,
Travis

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I regularly use my N800 (and also 770) to access my bank's website. Works beautifully. My bank is Lloyds TSB, so not one of the ones you list - but I hope this report is somewhat positive.

- Neil

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I use my 770 with etrade with no problem.

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

No experience with any of those, I'm afraid. FWIW, I can confirm that the N800 works with barclays.co.uk. If any of the sites uses Java (I believe this may have been the problem with Wells Fargo), you're out of luck. I'd try visiting each of them with your regular (desktop/notebook) browser, but with Java disabled. If you can't access your account that way, then you won't be able to do it on the N800 either.

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I use mine successfully with http://www.foliofn.com, but have never tried the others. I left Sharebuilder for foliofn and have never looked back.

I was one of the ones with problems accessing Wells Fargo. I have sent them feedback; hopefully they'll listen...

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

Thanks for the replies, this definitely gives me encouragement. I am pretty sure that the brokerages don't use Java but I am not sure about the banks. I will check. Even if it worked on four out of the five sites, that is much, much better than nothing.

Keyloggers in internet cafes have become a real problem.

Travis

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I had problems with 2 banks here in Germany, their websites refuse opera and recommend IE. :eek:

I then installed Minimo. This is basically a firefox for the N800. It has some problems (beta SW), but it works. I used both bank sites sucessfully.

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I didn't know this was an option -- thank you! Yes, having this as a back up plan greatly increases the probability that the N800 will work for a range of financial web sites. None of these financial sites require IE, thank goodness.

Travis

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

Missing java applet support is the showstopper for me for interacting with my bank. This is something that'll be available at some stage, hopefully. If so I think the N800 would be a perfectly fine on-the-road banking device, particularly if it could be combined with that trick of using a USB dongle at internet cafes to get wireless support where there are no hotspots.. (I haven't tried this but it was discussed in another thread a couple of months back)

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

I just wanted to report back here about my experience now that I just got an N800 :) The N800 appears to fully work on the following financial web sites: Vanguard, Schwab, Scottrade, HSBC, Everbank. You can log in your account, and it appears that you can do everything without a problem, including trading, seeing balances, getting through their security while logging in, etc. These sites use tricks like on-screen keyboard (to avoid keyloggers), popping up an extra browser for any money transfers, etc., and it handled all of those issues. Also, these sites did not detect an "uncertified" browser and say that I couldn't do something. Needless to say, I am very pleased.

Interestingly, the only problem with a web site that I have had so far is with my local bank web site. I cannot properly use their pull down menus which are embedded into the web page -- probably a javascript issue. Since I just started, I have not tried Minimo browser yet on that site but, once I learn more, I will try that.

Thanks again for all your help. So far, I am pretty happy with my N800. And I will feel much more secure while traveling overseas by using this device to manage my accounts for the few times that I actually need to log in.

Travis

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

Hey, I posted about E-trade. I know the site works, but there is a java application that gives live quotes, level II quotes, and up to the minute charts - very important for my trading. Is there anyway you could find out if this application works for me? I would appreciate it so much if you could point me in the right direction

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

yeah, i wanted to use it for streaming quotes also but it looks like a no go on this one :( it was something i was looking forward too also :(

Re: Using N800 for financial web sites
 

Tssk tssk, no one mentioned the excellent VNC support on the N800 ( http://maemo.org/downloads/product/vnc-viewer-bora/ )

Simply install that on your N800, then download the free version of VNC from www.realvnc.com and install that on your home PC. The free version uses an unencrypted data stream though so you may want to spring for one of the pay versions. Can anyone confirm the maemo VNC connects ok to the non-free versions of VNC?

(By the way this is my first post on IT; I've had the N800 3 days now and loving it!)