Firethorn has launched a new application for Android phones, realizing that mobile banking is taking off.

All Android G1 users can safely manage finances such as checking balances and transaction history, receiving offers, viewing and paying bills, transferring funds and tracking rewards points.

"Our application is available to the consumer to perform financial transactions and paying bills via their mobile phones, all through an experience that is consumer-centric and that runs across many carriers," said Kyle Cochran, director of product management, Firethorn, Atlanta, GA.

"Android is just the latest device we've added to our list," he said.

Firethorn is a Qualcomm-owned mobile banking and payments enabler based in Atlanta Georgia.

Firethorn claims to have taken advantage of the open operating system used by the Android in order to produce an application that gives consumers flexibility and control in financial management.

The application is designed with ease of use and security as high priorities so that it can reach mass-market adoption.

The goals we have for this application is to allow the consumer every option they could want for mobile banking," Mr. Cochran said. "We've had it in market for over two and a half years.

"Our expectation is that our Android users can not only discover the application, but that they will download and use on a regular basis as a convenient device to perform financial transactions straight from their mobile devices," he said.

Customized for the G1, the application uses a single-PIN to access accounts with multiple providers from one application, which encourages user loyalty.

The mobile banking application for Android is available to download via Firethorn's financial institution partners and through the financial institution partners' Internet banking sites.

"The mobile channel is extremely important to Qualcomm," Mr. Cochran said. "Firethorn was initially created to perform strictly mobile financial services.

"We believe that a lot of the information out there is true in telling us that the mobile device is adequately suited and timely for this day and age," he said. "It's really about the convenience for the customer because their mobile device is always with them."

G1 customers have the option to access any new financial institutions that may be added in the future.

Firethorn admits that the application is intended to offer financial institutions more efficient communication with customers via SMS alerts and affordable cross-promotional opportunities to offer certificate of deposit rates, mortgage loans and credit cards.

"We're really just beginning to explore the opportunities of mobile for applications," Mr. Cochran said. "The future of mobile comes around how you leverage different technologies on any handset that is outside the application to make an ideal mobile experience.

"Consumers not only want access but they want the mobile device with all its capabilities to steer them through their day to day needs," he said. "People are busy and they use mobile to take away the to do's on their list for when they get back to a PC."