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12 Days of iPhone Apps – Day 11: Yelp

On the 11th day of iPhone apps,
MyTechOpinion blogged to you…
If it’s local info you request,
Augmented or not, Yelp is the best!

About Yelp:

Search for and receive reviews for local business and service providers while on the go. View nearby restaurants, stores, banks, etc. based on your location. Obtain a quick rating, reviews, contact info and directions. Filter your results via distance from, affordability, and what’s actually open. You can also bookmark your favorites and/or email them to friends. View the feed of real-time results for local reviews, quick tips, and added photos. [Read more...]

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12 Days of iPhone Apps – Day 9: Animoto

On the 9th Day of iPhone Apps
MyTechOpinion blogged to you…
Animoto on the go,
Create & share a cool slideshow!

About the Animoto app:

It should be no surprise to you that we think Animoto rocks! So endorsing the Animoto iPhone app is something we’ve been meaning to do. With it,  you create free 30 second animated slideshows, or a 90 second slideshow for $3. The app also syncs with your Animoto.com account. So all the slideshows you create from your desktop will be accessible. The Animoto app also sports share controls, making it easy to share your slideshow from your iPhone to social networks or via email with a special message to your recipient. [Read more...]

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12 Days of iPhone Apps – Day 7: WebEx

On the 7th Day of iPhone Apps,
MyTechOpinion blogged to you…
The WebEx app makes meetings mobile,
Get dialed in like Robert Scoble!

About the Webex iPhone app:

Remote meetings just got even easier with the WebEx app. Now, if you have to attend an online meeting but can’t be near a computer you can attend from your iPhone. Log in using the app and it automatically dials into the audio portion of the meeting. You can even see the presenter’s screen on your iPhone. This app really makes WebEx standout from its online meeting competitors. [Read more...]

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12 Days of iPhone Apps – Day 6: WorldCard Mobile

On the 6th Day of iPhone Apps,
MyTechOpinion blogged to you…
Give the WorldCard Mobile app a try
& download business contacts on the fly!

About WorldCard Mobile:

This little app makes business card readers obsolete. Simply take a photo of a business card and WorldCard Mobile will add that person to your contacts. All you need is an iPhone and a steady hand! Just snap a photo of the business card, then WorldCard Mobile will automatically capture and store the important details (i.e. name, company, phone, email, business address, etc.). [Read more...]

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12 Days of iPhone Apps – Day 5: Tweetie 2

On the 5th Day of iPhone Apps,
MyTechOpinion blogged to you…
It’s time to twitter like a pro,
Get Tweetie 2 now…go…go, go!

Okay, if you know me well…you know I already favor HootSuite as the ultimate real-time drip tweet tool. So  you may be surprised that I’ve chosen to write about Tweetie 2, and not the new HootSuite iPhone app that debuted last week. I’ve had some time to play around with the new HootSuite app and I do like it, and will probably use it occasionally. I also recognize that scheduling tweets and viewing trackable link stats is very helpful.

However, practicality comes into play when dealing with mobile apps vs. desktop apps.  I’m really not sure that I scheduling tweets via [Read more...]

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12 Days of iPhone Apps – Day 1: Regator Premium

The holidays bring a time of reflection, appreciation, and giving. So keeping with the spirit of the season, we thought we’d give our opinions on some of our favorite iPhone apps. So for the next 12 days we’ll be sharing one app a day you might enjoy and possibly gift to yourself or suggest to others. So without further ado…

One the first day of iPhone Apps,
MyTechOpinion blogged to you…
Try Regator Premium
You’ll find great blogs to review!

About Regator Premium:

Regator, one of our favorite relevant info finders, recently released a premium version of their already very resourceful iPhone app. With Regator Premium you can easily search, scan and read articles from the Web’s best blogs on more the 500 different topics. Once you locate articles you like you can share them to Facebook, Twitter or even via email. [Read more...]

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Mobile Agent Tip: Sync Microsoft Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar

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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Is eSignature Technology Right for Your Real Estate Business?

As a real estate agent you probably have some basic understanding of how digital signature technology can help your real estate business. Maybe you could reduce the risk involved in holding and storing documents, gain time efficiencies by signing documents on the spot or even overcome geographical restrictions. Yet from my experiences many agents are sitting on the sidelines, not ready to jump in. Maybe it’s the result of not understanding how accessible the technology has become. Or is it the issue of legality?

First let’s address the legality of an eSignature. In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed a federal law titled Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) to “facilitate the use of electronic records and signatures in interstate and foreign commerce by ensuring the validity and legal effect of contracts entered into electronically”.

With the ESIGN Act stating clearly that “a transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation.” It paved the way for companies to start creating today’s eSignature platforms. Today in real estate eSignatures can be accomplished with various technologies, such as VREO Real Estate Dashboard or DocuSign. However they both deal with the digital signature in different ways and both have distinct advantages.

VREO real estate dashboard is a software application installed to a tablet PC. VREO dashboard allows agents to sign contracts and documents with a stylus pen on the screen—without ever printing a piece of paper. Once you’ve collected the required signatures, simply send to the other party using your dashboards integrated email or fax options. This technology proves to be very convenient for the mobile real estate agent who wants to conduct business anywhere, anytime! Note: An Internet connection is not required to collect signatures.

DocuSign on the other hand is an online solution enabling real estate agents to capture digital signatures via the web. As a result geographical distance between you and the recipient(s) is not an issue. In 2004, DocuSign integrated with Zipforms (Winforms) to provide online signature processing. As a result of the integration, real estate agents can print contracts into a “digital envelope” and then place “Stick-eTabs” wherever a recipient’s signature or initial is needed. This digital envelope is then encrypted and saved to a secure location. Your recipients will receive their invitation by email, and they will need to authenticate and sign the contracts. In the authentication phase the recipient must provide basic identification and pick a signature. Then it’s time for the recipient to review and sign. When complete, each of the parties is notified of the updated contracts.

Where are you with eSignatures in real estate business?