iPad-Droid-iPhone-Win Phone- What's a Realtor® to do?

Its time to either buy or update your cell phone. You've heard that everything out there is the best and you MUST have it to make money as a real estate agent. So lets break it down....

As a Broker/Agent you want to be sure you have the right Tool for the right job. Your personal mobile device is truly your Toolbox. Since your MLS systems are all "Cloud" based, this means that your MLS data is hosted remotely over the Internet at a distant remote location. It also means that you will need is a web browser or app to access it. Thats where things get a bit confused. So lets clear it up now.

The MLS systems that are web based are either Windows Hosted or they are Linux Hosted. Some are a combination of both. You will need a device that will be able to access a windows and a linux based website with a browser that can run add ons and activeX plug ins that are required to do your job. This requirement narrows things down a bit. Lets start with iPads....

iPad and The Web Browser
iPads are pretty cool! They can take awesome photos and video, the interface is fast and simple another plus and they are almost always connected to the Internet. The WIFI is easy to set up at hotspots and apps like Skype are awesome. Its Internet browser titled Safari is also awesome, unless you need to run Shock Flash or a bunch of other addons that are required by your MLS system at your MLS website. Some MLS systems have deployed "sister sites" that run a system that is supposed to be Safari and iPad friendly, but they fall short of
doing what the Windows designed site systems can do. Whether this is the fault of Apple or the site designers is up for debate. There are no MLS Apps for iPad in this arena. No printing without buying other Apple software titles, if there is one that will work with your printer(s).

iPhones... The same thing, no shock flash and lots of add on limitations. Strange that Steve Jobs swore he would never allow shock flash to run on an Apple device...bummer. They can run youTube .flv video files, so they're halfway there already. There are no MLS Apps for iPhones in this arena either. No print features here without buying an Apple title, if there is one available for your printer(s). Double bummer.

Droid
The browser that is distributed by Droid is pretty cool. You can install Shock Flash in most Droid OS's. There's a good variety of web browsers that you can install if you don't like the pre-installed one. Most MLS systems have a Droid app that you can install so that you do not have to use a browser at all. There are many print drivers for Droid, most can be found at the printer manufacturers websites.

Windows Phone
Well what can I say, you can do anything with a Windows 8 Phone or tablet that you can do with your desktop computer and web browser. As the Windows Mobile Phone takes a better chunk of the market, apps will come out that you can install that will make your MLS website easier to use. The web browser, Internet Explorer, does fine without an app. You can also print to just about any printer that you have access to. Very Cool and easy to use. Its just like your office Desktop.

Electronic Keypads And Lock Boxes
You can use your Droid or Windows Base mobile device to holster or unlatch a Lockbox. I do not believe that there is an App for iPads or iPhones to unlock a Lockbox yet. A deal breaker for Real Estate Agents.

More is better
Being able to do everything on one mobile device with ease and confidence is what its all about. At the end of the day you want to do your job, make money and have very few headaches along the way. Choosing the best mobile device for your job will make your life much easier.

With Droid and Windows products there is choice, options and backward compatibility. With Apples products like the iPhone and iPad  its Apple's way or the Hi-Way. This is the problem. Apple does not and has never played well with others. Steve Jobs was verbose about fighting the status quo and never played well with corporate America. He made it clear many times that he thought his product was better and deserved more recognition, maybe he is right. That thinking does not make you money nor does it make Apple's products easier for you to use with your MLS and other real estate related applications and websites.
THE WIKI ABOUT STEVE JOBS AND HIS ANTI-CAPITALIST BUSINESS IDEOLOGY 

And worst of all Apple iPhones and iPads do not have standard printing features out of the box. You'll have to buy a printer driver app to print through or find a 3rd party program that is not Apple approved. Many of them screw up other apps on your device. Even if they work Apple reserves the right to delete them from your device or cancel your subscription for breaking the usage agreement. Then you will have a fully charge paper weight. With Windows and Droid devices there are drivers available up the wazoo to print through including network printers and office bizhub appliances. A huge difference in working use. For a Real Estate Agent this is a deal breaker. By the way, you are prohibited from using non-approved programs on your Apple devices via your agreement when you opened the box, turned it on and chose "I Agree To Continue" during the initial setup. So if you do not buy software from Apple then you can not use it on your Apple device. Bet you thought that device was yours after you paid for it...think again.When choosing a mobile device for your work activities be sure that you can do everything that you need to do right out of the box.

Why is there so much hype over iPhones and iPads then?
 iTunes is why. Although the iPad and other mobile Apple devices are popular with the younger and Geek generations, the truth is that if they did not want access to their music, videos and books from years gone by from the iTunes store, they would not care so much. When i was a kid i bought AC/DC "Back In Black" at least 100 times. I bought the 8 Track Tape many times, The Cassette Tape many times , the CD many times and now have the MP3. This all adds up to buying the exact same music 100's of times. So if i have an Apple device i can buy a song or movie once and have it for the rest of my life... as long as i use an Apple device to play them. Most users of Apple products have purchased music and other media through Apple's iTunes store over the years and can not port them over to a device that is not made by Apple. So rather than losing access to their media collections they just keep buying Apples products. Their music and movies will always be waiting for them on Apple's Cloud Servers. Smart for Steve Jobs and Apple, foolish of everybody else. So when you hear your kids and grandkids talking about how awesome Apple iPads and iPhones are, remember why. They don't have to do business with their device, they just play games, videos and music. As a Real Estate Agent you have to make money and work in various web platforms with you mobile device so you need a device that can work with you, not against you. You need to access your MLS and print listings, not play music and movies.

To Sum it up...
Don't get me wrong. In other professions Apples products may very well be superior to Microsoft and Droid products. For music and movie editing and other media based initiatives Apple is a God sent blessing. But Real Estate Agents are on the go. You need fast and easy access to all of your MLS systems throughout the day. When you boil it all down you can see how a Droid or Windows based product is more in tune with your needs. From MLS to Lockbox to Printing, you need it all in one place and working with ease right out of the box. As we make the transition from personal computers to mobile devices and from eMail to tMail (texting email) we will need a device that can grow with us. tMail will be where your attachments are sent using texting rather than your current email. tMail is simply texting a phone number with an attachment for the user to open rather than having to bother to set up and send email on your cell phone. Open, read, edit and return contracts without having to go to a desktop or laptop computer. This way your cell phone number becomes or replaces your current email address(s). Fast and easy and remember, you heard it here first! Make sure your new mobile device can take you to where we are going tomorrow.

I hope this helps you to make the right choice when you update your Mobile Device.
Save some money and buy more Virtual Tours!

Frank Colontonio
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