Gizmodo: bank

Trick Yourself Into Saving Money With the Spend/Save Coin Bank

Adam Frucci — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EDT

This is clever: a coin bank that will randomly place your change into one of two compartments, spend or save. That way, you'll have only the bank to blame when you don't have enough money for rent. [TaylorGifts via BoJ]

Bank Lets Customers Deposit Checks With iPhone Photos

Danny Allen — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:55:11 EDT

Great ideas tend to make so much sense that you wonder why they took so long. Here's another: USAA, a privately held bank/insurance company, is updating its iPhone app to let customers snap both sides of a check for deposits.

The bank's VP tells The NY Times that once you hit the send button, the deposit is made just like any other check—you won't have to mail it in later, either. As everything will be handled electronically, the bank will suggest customers simply void the check before either filing or discarding it.

The Times does point out that the capability will only be available to customers who are either eligible for credit, or have some type of insurance through the bank, but I gotta tell you—if my bank had this, I'd definitely use it. Being able to deposit at the ATM is one thing, but this screams convenience.

Would you use such a feature, or would concerns over the iPhone's security make you too wary? [NY Times]

Humping Piggy Banks: Another Day, Another Dollar on the Sex Farm

Sean Fallon — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:59:00 EST

Working on a sex farm
Hosing down your barn door
Bothering you livestock
Payin' your pigs to watch em' hump

Apparently, there is also a "sex zoo" somewhere with humping elephants. All it takes is a few coins and they go at it like crazy. [Rakuten via Rinkya via Tokyomango]

Credit Card Piggy Bank Robs You of Smashing Satisfaction

Sean Fallon — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:55:19 EST

A credit card piggy bank would be no fun at all. Where is the joy in sticking a credit card into pig's back when you can't smash it later on to blow your earnings on some frivolous item? Besides, using a credit card or debit card to wirelessly add money into a savings account does not make sense. However, some greedy child could definitely use this bank to hit their relatives up for a bigger allowance. Excuses like "I don't have any cash on me" won't get you off the hook anymore. Good thing this is only a concept device. [Behance via DVICE]

Money Monsters: Eating Away at Your Funds is a Good Thing

Sean Fallon — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:10:12 EDT

Instead of spending all of your money on expensive gadgets and cheap hookers, try saving some cash with the Money Monster Bank. The bank will gobble up both coins and bills, then follow up with over 20 stupid comments as their eyes flash and ears wiggle. After all is said and done, the monsters will let out a mighty belch, letting you know your funds are secure. Available soon for about $41. [Firebox via Pocket-lint]

Bankabank Piggy Bank Looks Fashionably Round

Jason Chen — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 16:00:49 EDT

Way less insane than the Robotic Piggy Bank we showed you before, this Bankabank piggy bank is made out of soft PVC and holds your coins in a nice, round, eye-pleasing container. No longer do you have to fill up sandwich bags, socks, and duct-taped bra halves in order to make the trek down to your local Coinstar—just throw a Bankabank into your bag and you're done. Remove coins by removing the plug in the front. Forty-eight quarters will get you one. [ILoveUma via Yanko]

Art.Lebedev Drops Another Bomb, This One Holds Money

Charlie White — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:15:00 EST

Art.Lebidev Studio, in between cranking out questionable keyboard/button thingamajigs, also creates whimsical and weird stuff such as this takeoff on the piggy bank shaped like a nuclear weapon. Called Superbitus, the only way to get your money out of this ceramic munition is to drop the bomb.

Ironic that the Russian designers at Lebedev would create a A-bomb full of money, since nuclear weapons are what bankrupted the USSR back in the 80s. – Charlie White

Money Saving Nuke [Chip Chick]

Tomy Life Box is a Tamagotchi Piggy Bank

Brian Lam — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:27:12 EDT

Saving my hard-earned dollars isn't nearly as much fun as spending my money on video games, gizmos, and booze. Here's a little Japan-only bank that'll encourage me to save the thousands upon thousands of...Yen. Every 500 coin deposited gives the little man on the LCD more funding to turn shoe-box apartment from ikea-slum into a pixelated palace. As Aragoto on dottocomu says:

Then you open up the box and find he actually has spent all your money on 8-bit hos and lo-rez champagne.

Proper.–Brian Lam

Tomy Life Bank [Tokyo Mango via dottocomu ]