You can share MyTechOpinion with your contacts in:

By Reggie · March 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

• Hotmail
• Hotmail Live Beta
• MSN
• Yahoo
• Gmail
• AOL
• Lycos
• RediffMail
• Indiatimes
• .Mac
• mail.com (and related domains)
• FastMail.FM (and related domains)
• Outlook
• Outlook Express
• Thunderbird
• GMX
• LinkedIn
• IcqMail
• MyNet.com (new!)
• Mail.ru (new!)
• Freenet.de (new!)
• Libero.it (new!)
• Rambler.ru (new!)
• Yandex.ru (new!)
• Onet.pl (new!)
• Interia.pl (new!)
• T-Online(new!)

If you have enjoyed MyTechOpinion - Technology for Real Estate, please subscribe to our RSS feed!

Inman News Beta: Same great news. Brand new site.

By NikNik · March 1, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

When it comes to Real Estate News, “Either you’re in or you’re out!”

It sounds much better coming from Heidi Klum. On Project Runway, Heidi and her A-list designer judges critique and praise the battling designers on their looks and designs each week. Advising along the way, “make it work!”

Well, this week Inman News revealed their new look at www.Inman.com. I was delighted to see their core theme “the first word in real estate” maintained and supported by impeccable construction and detail, with a fabulous color palette and logo to boot! Besides the new look, the Beta Inman site will boast new benefits for members.

News will continue to flow from Inman TV, the InmanBlog, the InmanWiki, and NOW via the NEW Blog Network! The Blog Network is a consortium of Real Estate industry bloggers which include (just to name a few): Transparent RE, FORUM, 4realz, Urban Digs, The Mortgage Reports, and MyTechOpinion. Yep, our real estate technology posts from here at MyTechOpinion are now available at Inman. This doesn’t sway our opinion of Inman’s new look…but rather raise our level of expectations. And with that, I’m proud to say, “Inman News Beta, you’re in…you may leave the runway!”

If you have enjoyed MyTechOpinion - Technology for Real Estate, please subscribe to our RSS feed!

Windows Vista for Real Estate Agents

By Chad A. Johnson · January 19, 2008 · 5 Comments 

Part II: The Windows Experience Index

What is the Windows Experience Index?

“My computer is a 5.5. Yours is a 4.8. My computer is way better than yours!”
This just might be the future of technology bragging on the elementary school playground.

The Windows Experience Index is a technology, native to Windows Vista machines, that assigns a numeric value to the performance of a computer. The higher the number, the faster that computer can perform common tasks.

Windows Vista runs 5 different tests to determine the performance of the processor, memory, graphics, gaming graphics and primary hard disk. At the conclusion of each test, a number (from 1 to 5.9) is assigned to that component.

The most important of those numbers is whichever is the lowest. That number becomes the Windows Experience Index Base Score. For example, my monster of a desktop ranks 5.9 for 4 components and 5.5 for the fifth. That makes the system’s base score a 5.5.

When you discuss a Windows Experience Index score, it is the base score that you concentrate on since it is the limiting factor for performance.

The Windows Vista Team Blog offers a comprehensive look at the Windows Experience Index.

How can a real estate agent use the Windows Experience Index for making technology purchases?

Besides bragging rights (notice how I shamelessly included my base score), what good is the Windows Experience Index to a real estate agent? The Windows Experience Index will simplify every real estate technology purchase you make.

New Computer Purchases:

Purchasing a new computer is a confusing task. How do you know what processor to buy? Is the upgraded video card necessary or a waste of money? The list of questions that will flood your mind when you are buying a new computer is virtually endless.

The Windows Experience Index allows you to ignore clock speeds, dedicated memory and all of that technical mumbo-jumbo. Just look at the Windows Experience Index scores to tell you how that system performs.

Microsoft claims that a computer with a base score of 3 or higher will be able to handle any standard business applications. I see this as a bare minimum.

The real estate industry has become so multimedia driven that a base score of 4.5 or better is advised. The future of real estate technology lies in video presentations and audio files (podcasting). These technologies need a higher base score.

The good news: the price difference between a 4.5 and a 3.0 computer can be only a couple of hundred dollars.

Upgrading a Computer:

As I mentioned in my last article, I don’t recommend upgrading a computer to Windows Vista, it should be purchased with it already on the system. You may be in a situation, though, where you purchased a Windows Vista that just isn’t meeting your performance needs.

The Windows Experience Index identifies what components are holding your system back. I worked on a system with a base score of 2.1. Every other index score was at least a 4.1. By replacing the video card with a more powerful model, that awful 2.1 base score was increased to a 4.1.

Purchasing Software:

Ever look at the minimum hardware requirements for a piece of software? Those requirements will usually list minimum processor speeds, video card processors, amounts of RAM, etc.

Software manufacturers are changing this practice by using the Windows Experience Index number instead. In the future, the software you buy will clearly state that any Vista machine with a base score of 4 will meet the minimum requirements.

A little known tip for increasing your Windows Experience Index number.

According to Microsoft, once your computer is assigned a Windows Experience Index number, that number won’t change unless you upgrade your hardware components. I have seen to be not true.

When Windows Vista was first released, most hardware manufacturers had a difficult time writing Vista-compatible drivers for their products. The delivery of my own system was delayed by a month due to a delay in the release of a sound card driver. Even after I got the machine, my video card drivers were considered a “beta” version.

Over the course of the past year, hardware manufacturers have greatly improved the performance of their components on Vista through the release of updated drivers. This means that by updating the BIOS and drivers for your chipset, video card, sound card and other components on your system, you might see your computer’s base score increase (along with the performance of the machine). This is especially true of Vista machines bought in the first half of 2007.

To see if you can increase your Windows Experience Index base score, visit your computer manufacturer’s downloads page and install any updates that apply to your system. To assist you, here is a list of download page links for the most common computer manufacturers:

Dell Drivers and Downloads

Gateway Drivers and Downloads

HP / Compaq Drivers and Downloads

Toshiba Drivers and Downloads

Sony Drivers and Downloads

Acer Drivers and Downloads

Lenovo / IBM Drivers and Downloads

Fujitsu Drivers and Downloads

If you have enjoyed MyTechOpinion - Technology for Real Estate, please subscribe to our RSS feed!

What Should A Real Estate Agent Look For In A Desktop Computer?

By Chad A. Johnson · September 8, 2007 · 14 Comments 

Purchasing a new desktop computer can be a confusing experience for a real estate agent with technology changing so often. You may be wondering what technologies are best. Or will the computer meet your current and future real estate needs?

So instead of recommending an actual desktop computer, I have outlined some minimum requirements and recommendations for a solid, sensible real estate agent desktop computer. This way, no matter which brand you prefer, you will be able to shop with confidence.

While I do not recommend any specific computer brands, I do recommend purchasing from a company that allows you to fully configure your system. Dell and HP are 2 prime examples. This will give you the most flexibility. When you walk into a store and buy a pre-configured system, you may be paying for more than you need or be forced to upgrade components at a later date.

Operating System
Microsoft Windows Vista has been out for over 7 months now. At this point, it is ill-advised to recommend purchasing a new computer with the aging Windows XP operating system installed. You may need to download updates for your current programs or purchase the latest version, but that may be a blessing in disguise.

There are 4 editions of Vista that you will likely come across (Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate), but real estate agents should only consider Home Premium or Ultimate. Both of these editions include the multimedia functionality that has become essential real estate technology.

The Ultimate edition includes all Windows Vista functionality, including full system backup and remote access capability. The additional functionality can be well worth the extra $80-120.

Processor
When it comes to the latest processor technology, Intel Core 2 Duo is the only way to go. These processors are far superior to anything that competitor AMD has to offer. Any Core 2 Duo chip will be more than adequate for the average real estate agent’s needs.

RAM
Windows Vista is a memory hog! Because of this, don’t skimp on RAM or you will regret it very quickly. Spring for 2GB of RAM to give Vista the elbow room it needs.

Hard Drive
Storage space is inexpensive, so go big. As multimedia technology (i.e. Videos, Photos and Podcasts) become more abundant in real estate, you will need this extra space.

Video Card
Just as Windows Vista eats up memory, it also uses a tremendous amount of video processing power. This means you should pay attention to the video card in a new computer more than ever before. Cheap, integrated graphics cards are not going to satisfy. For a computer to handle any real estate technology tasks that you can throw at it, make sure you purchase a discrete (dedicated) video card with 256MB of memory or more. Video cards from either NVIDIA or ATI are the best bet.

Sound Card and Speakers
Sound cards and speakers are areas where you can skimp and save a few bucks. Unless you are really into music, go with a basic, integrated sound card and simple speakers.

Optical Drive
Every desktop computer should have a DVD-RW drive. These versatile drives play and record CD’s and DVD’s. While you might not think you will ever need to burn a DVD, think again. With over 4 GB of storage space per DVD, they are a wonderful media for file backups. Also, if you have yet to use video in a listing presentation or open house it is only a matter of time before you do. A DVD-RW drive will surely come in handy.

You may be tempted to upgrade to a Blu-Ray or HD DVD drive. I would advice against that as they are expensive and who knows which format will prevail (do you remember Beta?).

If you have enjoyed MyTechOpinion - Technology for Real Estate, please subscribe to our RSS feed!

vFlyer Adds New Image Editing Features to Enhance Your Real Estate Photos

By NikNik · June 12, 2007 · Leave a Comment 

If you have enjoyed MyTechOpinion - Technology for Real Estate, please subscribe to our RSS feed!

Zip Code Facts for Your Real Estate Business

By NikNik · March 4, 2007 · 3 Comments 

If you have enjoyed MyTechOpinion - Technology for Real Estate, please subscribe to our RSS feed!