Blackberry vs. iPhone: One Technoman’s Experience

By Reggie · August 7, 2008 · 18 Comments 

It may go with saying that I’m one of those individuals who waited outside AT&T for my new iPhone. But this was not just a simple switch from one technology to another.  My Blackberry has been a godsend over the years. I truly loved the mobile device. Email and calendar couldn’t have been easier. The device had always been stable.  But what was it that made me want to switch? Before I answer that, let me back peddle a bit!

Luckily NikNik got the iPhone at the same time!

Luckily for me, NikNik and I got our phones at the same time.  Although mine had terrible reception from the start.  But the issue was strange; I would go from 5 bars to no service very quickly.  When I compared it with NikNik’s, the difference was night and day. Her iPhone had great reception.  I immediately went to AT&T to let them know that I had a defective phone. However the salesman at the counter told me it was a bad SIM card. So he added a new SIM card and sent me off on my way. Within 5 minutes I knew my iPhone was not fixed. I still had “NO SERVICE!”  So now I’m back at AT&T for the 3^rd time in as many days so we could take a closer look at my iPhone reception problems. This time the sales associate tells me that Read more

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Jott for Blackberry - The Secret To Speaking Your Emails

By Reggie · June 8, 2008 · 8 Comments 

In March I started using Jott for Blackberry ^beta, in hopes that I could save time by replying to email with my voice via my Blackberry. To my surprise this voice to email application was remarkable and accurate. Although as I’ve been talking with real estate agents I’m learning that many have not heard of this useful technology. That’s unfortunate because as a busy real estate agent you are probably sending many emails while out of the office and maybe even while you are on the road. Needless to say, emailing while driving can be dangerous.  If that email needs to be sent immediately, using Jott for Blackberry you can simply attach your Bluetooth headset and speak your email while keeping both hands on the steering wheel. (We are not endorsing emailing while driving…simply sharing the technology. )

How do I get started?
To start, Jott for Blackberry supports series 8800, 8300 (Curve), and 8100 (Pearl) models. If you are using one of these devices, simply visit www.jott.com/bb on your mobile phone and download the application. Note that once Jott for Blackberry is installed you will need an active Jott account to use the service. Easily get an account by visiting Jott online or from your mobile device after downloading the application.

Once Jott for Blackberry has been installed, you are ready to start sending emails by voice. Locate an email you would like to reply to and choose “Reply with Jott” or “Reply to All with Jott” from the top of the reply menu. Next Jott will speak a welcome message and ask you to press any key (except hang up) to begin recording. Then speak your email and keep it to less than 30 seconds in length.  Once finished speaking your email, simply hold down any button to send. You will also have an option to preview the recorded audio before sending the message. You’ll notice that within a few minutes of sending the voice message it will be Read more

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Mobile Agent Tip: Sync Microsoft Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar

By Reggie · March 7, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Many real estate agents love the simplicity of Microsoft Outlook. Yet real estate is very much an active, fast moving business. It’s likely that when you need your calendar most is when you are in the field. Does this sound familiar? If so you’re in luck, introducing Google’s new Calendar Sync Tool. Now sync your primary calendar’s events between Microsoft Outlook’s Calendar and Google’s Calendar. Then use your Blackberry, iPhone, Treo to access.

Download the Google Calendar Sync

1. Click the download link above and then click “Save File.”
2. Click “OK”.
3. Read through the Google Calendar Sync Terms of Service, and click “I Agree.”
4. Continue to follow through the Installation Options and click “Install” to finish. 

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Calling All Mobile Agents: Synchronize Your Google Calendar With Your Blackberry

By NikNik · December 13, 2007 · 6 Comments 

• Share your calendar with teammates and assistants.
• Import activities from Outlook.
• Receive email or mobile text-message reminders for events on your calendar.
• Create a special marketing calendar for each listing, and share it with the homeowner using the “send to a friend” feature.
• Use the invite feature to email special invites for a preview of newly listed homes (Google Calendar keeps track of RSVPs).
• Schedule your “blog posting plan” to keep content ideas flowing and prepared for upcoming posts.

To become even more organized and rid yourself of tardy excuses, simply visit http://m.google.com/sync in your mobile browser to download and install the Google Sync for mobile application. Once installation is complete, click on the Google sync icon and sign in to your Google Account. Now that’s efficient!

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Blackberry Adds Wi-Fi; Saving Real Estate Agents Money

By Chad A. Johnson · October 6, 2007 · 1 Comment 

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Google Mobile Maps Technology Utilizes GPS

By Chad A. Johnson · July 29, 2007 · 2 Comments 

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New Email Stationery Technology for Real Estate Agents

By Reggie · July 6, 2007 · 8 Comments 

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Real Estate Agents with Verizon: It’s Time to Upgrade

By Chad A. Johnson · July 3, 2007 · 5 Comments 

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Real Estate Agents Catch the Curve

By Reggie · June 19, 2007 · 1 Comment 

Real Estate agents, I have a phone for you! Introducing the compact Blackberry Curve (8300). The Curve supports a full QWERTY keyboard, making it an exceptional phone for business and personal use. As with past Blackberry devices, it is strong in email, calendaring, tasks and notes. But now they’ve also added some fun multi-media tools. The new curve features a 2.0 megapixel digital camera with 5x Digital zoom and built-in flash. Not necessarily the technology to take high-quality real estate photos, but it will surely prove to be handy in life. The Curve will also allow you to carry your real estate podcasts, or personal MP3 playlists on a Micro SD card. I picked up the 2 gig version for $49. You’ll also appreciate that Blackberry finally went with a standard size headphone jack. Again perfect for work or play.

Real Estate agents working as part of a team may appreciate the Blackberry Messenger. It facilitates an instant chat-like session with your contacts. The major benefit Messenger provides is not waiting for emails to be sent and received. With Messenger you can also easily attach images and sound files without being technology savvy.

The Curve may also prove useful when you need unexpected access to the Internet…the MLS for example. Simply connect the Blackberry Curve to your computer and it will work as a tethered modem to power your laptop with broadband internet.

Best of all these features are packed into a case 4-inches tall by .6 inches deep.

Take a look at the Blackberry Curve 8300 here.

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8 Essentials for the Mobile Real Estate Agent

By Reggie · May 6, 2007 · 8 Comments 

To be effective, the mobile real estate agent should incorporate many different technology tools into his/her business. But what technology is best? What is really going to make you more efficient in the field? Below I have listed my favorite technologies for mobile Real Estate agents on the go:

Tablet PC  **Updated 6/2008**
Real Estate agents will find that Tablet PC’s have many advantages over the traditional laptop. Most notably the ability to reduce the amount of paper you burn through. With a tablet PC, Real Estate agents can sign important documents such as listing and purchase contracts, emails, and notes onscreen in their own handwriting. This often times eliminates the need for printing entirely. Simply email or fax the document directly to the party in question. In regards to brand and model, I like the convertible HP tc4400 (Core Duo) and Lenovo ThinkPad X61. Both models are ultra-lightweight, provide outdoor viewable displays and manage to provide long battery life. They also have strong wireless and Bluetooth capabilities. The X61 is slightly lighter and also comes with Active Rotate which uses an internal accelerometer to dynamically determine the tablet’s angle and adjust the screen position. This may prove useful when handing your PC over to those buyers in your next contract signing.

VREO Real Estate Dashboard
Real Estate Dashboard is a critical component to truly going paperless. Sure there are tools such as Microsoft Journal that can be used, but they fail when it comes to security. With VREO Real Estate Dashboard, the Real Estate agent must use a password, and all files are created in a proprietary file format. Signatures are then flattened onto their corresponding document, and then allowed to be sent via integrated email or fax technology. Read our previous post here.

TransactionPoint
TransactionPoint is the ultimate piece of Real Estate technology for automating the entire real estate transaction from listing a property to closing the deal. TransactionPoint is integrated with ZipForms for easy form creation. TransactionPoint will also store other transaction related documents for easy retrieval. You may also benefit from reduced liability for E&O (Errors and Omissions) insurance, as TransactionPoint saves a permanent record of emails and other communication in the communication log

Digital Camera with Wide Angle Lens **Updated 6/2008**
homes they sell. So why use a marginal camera for those photos that help sell the home? Real Estate agents should look for a quality digital camera. I recommend the incredibly light Canon Rebel XTi with wide-angle lens. The camera takes great high-quality photos. The Rebel boasts a huge amount of features, but presents them in a very easy to understand interface. Works with PictBridge compatible printers such as the i80 referenced below.

SmartPhone **Updated 6/2008**
With the Blackberry, Treo or Windows Mobile device Real Estate agents can streamline their business greatly by taking advantage of wireless MLS capabilities, free business and local search tools, mobile calendar & email, calculators, etc. Personally I’m a fan of the Blackberry Curve 8310. Mainly because of overall size, full QWERTY keyboard and outstanding email capabilities. The 8310 also includes GPS capabilities and 2 mega-pixel camera with flash. If you’re looking for a 3G network…you’ve still got a few more months for the Blackberry Bold.  Needless to say Treo and Windows Devices are also very popular. I really believe you should hold each of the phones before you purchase.

3G Wireless Access
Real Estate agents spend a great deal of time accessing online information via MLS, CMA utilities, buyers tours, email, door-to-door directions, fax to email solutions and more. So why wait until you get back to the office. Real Estate Agents who embrace this technology will uncover many time benefits. Read our article here for items to consider when selecting a service.

Mobile GPS **Updated 6/2008**
As the mobile real estate professional you need to know where you are going 100% of the time. That’s why a mobile GPS utility may prove useful. I recommend the Garmin Nuvi 880. With this unit you’ll surely get from point A to point B, but you may also save time with its integrated traffic tuner capabilities. You can even keep both hands on the steering wheel with the Hands-free feature for Bluetooth phones, and text-to-speech control.

Mobile Printer **Updated 6/2008**
This piece of real estate technology will surely impress real estate agent’s on-the-go that require a printer for photos and more. I recommend the Canon PIXMA ip100, as it comes with the ability to print high-resolution at up to 9600 x 2400. Speeds are around 20 pages per minute b/w and 14 color. You may want to connect using the IrDA port from your tablet pc…at a range of up to 10 feet. Even print directly from your PictBridge compatible digital camera. The Canon ip100 can also accommodate a car adaptor for power or take advantage of the portable kit which includes rechargeable Li-On battery and holder.

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The New Blackberry 8800: Not Just For Work

By Chad A. Johnson · February 25, 2007 · 5 Comments 

The Blackberry 8800 is simply the best device that RIM has ever put out. While Blackberrys have always been the hands down leader in push email technology, they have been lacking the additional functionality that has become commonplace on other smartphones (such as the Treo or Q). The Blackberry 8800 changes all of this.

The Blackberry 8800 is sleek. With its glossy finish and shiny chrome trim, the device seems more like a Motorola Q in my hand than any of my past 3 Blackberrys. The 8800 includes a media player. This turns your Blackberry into a music and video player. The MicroSD card expansion slot can accommodate up to a 2GB memory card (1GB cards are available for less than $20). Voice-dialing has been a standard function on my cell phones for years, but has been absent from the Blackberry line until now. GPS is also added through the integration of the Telenav software package (this is a paid subscription service).

One of the most notable changes, especially to a longtimet Blackberry user, is the omission of the classic Blackberry scroll wheel. This navigation device has been replaced by a trackball located in the center of the phone. This trackball is flanked by the traditional escape button (normally found on the side, below the scroll wheel) and a new menu button. While this is taking me some getting used to, this new way of navigating through the Blackberry’s applications and menus seems to be more intuitive. The Blackberry newbie won’t experience this transition period.

For those familiar with Blackberrys, you may be saying to yourself that all of these features have been available on the Blackberry Pearl for several months. While the Pearl shares all of the great new features and adds a camera, which is sadly absent from the 8800, the lack of a full QWERTY keyboard keeps the Pearl from being a good business solution. Try writing a couple of emails on the “SureType” keyboard and you will agree.

If you are in the market for a smartphone, the Blackberry 8800 is the best business device with personal life functionality that I have come across. It is only available from Cingular at this point. Cingular was also the first to adopt the Blackberry 8700, but Verizon and Sprint finally came along with the 8703, so it probably is just a matter of time for them with the 8800.

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Becoming a Mobile Agent

By Reggie · August 13, 2006 · Leave a Comment 

If you are trying to become effective with your mobile technology, it’s important to understand where you will get the best results. In my opinion, you should be looking into the following categories:

• Handheld / Mobile Phone Combination: According to the CAR 2005 Member Use of Technology survey 31% of members surveyed said that a Blackberry or Treo was their MOST important technology upgrade in 2005. In my opinion, that’s because with a combination device agents can not only get right back to phone call, but send and receive emails and view appointments as well. With the 3rd Generation network speeds, MLS data is better than ever. You can use an application like Pocket MLS to easily access property listings via the internet to view key information such as Listing Agent, Showing Options, Photos and more. To view popular handhelds click on one of the following links: Blackberry, Treo 700P (Palm), Treo 700W (Windows), Cingular 8125
• Laptop or Tablet PC: This technology is vital for a technology savvy Real Estate agent. With mobile computing you will have access to your data wherever you are! Need to fill out a contract with your client, no problem with Winforms. With a Tablet PC you can take it even a step further and sign your contracts, take handwritten notes, and draw as needed in a presentation situation. For Laptops I recommend Dell and for the Tablet PC I recommend HP.
• Wireless PC Card (Aircard): I recently purchased a wireless PC card and was not to impressed with the speed, yet this tool sure comes in handy when you need access to the Internet outside of your office. Setup was very simple and now I can access the Internet virtually anywhere. I simply insert the PC Card into the PCMCIA slot on my HP Tablet. From the Cingular software, I click connect and away I go! An agent could access MLS, email, online disclosures and more. Click here to visit Cingular and learn about 3G and their BroadbandConnect next generation network.
• Mobile Printer: If you start really using the technology above you will ask yourself “What good will the Tablet and Wireless Card do if I can’t print out the documents I create?” That’s where mobile printing comes in. Two popular models are the HP Deskjet 460 and the Canon PIXMA iP90

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