And the best way for an application to remind you of anything is with push notifications. If a reminder app lacks that one feature, the rest is essentially window dressing.

At least three bill-reminder applications for the iPhone and iPod touch contend for attention and accolades. Two of the three meet that minimum standard.

is by far the best looking of these apps. But it doesn't have push notification. OK, OK... it may not be fair to say "the rest is window dressing." Bill Pal is a fine app, with a terrific interface and some useful features. A reminder of upcoming or past due bills will pop up when you launch the app--assuming you remember to check it.

Creating bills is slightly laborious in Bill Pal. But once you have spent some time creating your accounts and delineating categories, maintaining your bills is a simple matter. Bill Pal lets you set reminders, and the app will roll your bills over to the next month.

The app's nicest feature is its calendar, which incorporates an easy-to-read list view at the bottom of the screen. You can see at a glance when your bills are scheduled for payment, what bills are coming up, and which bills you've paid. You can't really sort the list, unfortunately.