Note: I received this press release this week and thought it was interesting technology to share with our FOREM readers. I’d love your thoughts on this app if you’ve used it – please leave me a comment below. – Katie

OKLAHOMA CITY –  a la mode, a leader in real estate technology, today released its popular DaVinci appraisal app in the Android Market.

The free labs release of DaVinci for Android follows in the footsteps of a long line of time-saving data gathering and sketching products in the DaVinci family, including DaVinci for iPad, DaVinci for iPhone, DaVinci for Desktop and DaVinci for Tablet PC.

“DaVinci has really made a splash on iOS devices, reaching more than 100,000 users this month, and we wanted to give more appraisers the opportunity to easily gather data in the field,” said Product Manager Dale Spoonemore. “Since releasing DaVinci for iPad a year ago, we’ve received a ton of requests from appraisers using Android devices, so we’ve designed a version of DaVinci that uses some of Android’s more popular features like talk-to-type text input.”

Like others in the DaVinci family, DaVinci for Android was born from a la mode labs – a research and development environment designed for collaboration on new applications.  By releasing new technology through the labs, a la mode gives appraisers a chance to try its newest releases and provide feedback on tools which are critical to their business.

DaVinci for Android works on any Smartphone or tablet device running Android 2.1 or later.  Like its mobile predecessors, DaVinci for Android offers appraisers all the fields they need to gather property data on site, create QuickLists that speed data entry by eliminating repetitive retyping, take voice and text notes, and add photos.

“DaVinci for Android speeds up appraisers’ turn times on home inspections. They can fill out an entire 1004 form by simply tapping on the screen,” Spoonemore said. “And, we’ll save them even more time when we release the sketcher in an update later this year.”

DaVinci for Android can now be downloaded in the Android Market. For more information, visit www.alamode.com/Labs/projects/DaVinciForAndroid.

Posted by: Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

Share on Facebook

I wrote a blog post yesterday about some great apps to download before you go to a conference, but I just discovered a very cool app that is available for download on the iPhone or Android – Hashable!

This app makes it super easy to exchange contact info with someone you meet at a conference, meeting, or networking event. You simply plug in their Twitter handle and your contact info is instantly shared. The other cool thing is that you can see who your Twitter followers are meeting in person – another great networking opportunity!

Here is a quick video explaining how their app works (click here to view):

I love the simplicity of this app and how easy it makes sharing info – let’s face it, dealing with business cards and exchanging contact info at an event can sometimes be a pain! How many times have you lost cards or accidently given someone elses card out? C’mon, we’ve all done it!

I’d love to get your opinion on this app – leave me your feedback below. And if you are going to Agent Reboot Phoenix tomorrow (Wed. 3/16) you should download it and try it out!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

Share on Facebook

Guest blog post by 
Jill Mayer from Lyman PR, jill@lymanpr.com, @Jill_Mayer

Note: FOREM fans, I am always on the lookout for technology that will make your life easier and be able to service your clients the best way possible. I came across SugarSync and asked Jill Mayer, from Lyman PR, to write a guest blog post about it!

Realtors are always on the move – whether it’s showing a house, checking out a listing or networking with peers and clients.

Life on-the-go can be difficult, especially if a client, colleague or title company calls and needs a document ASAP that may be stored on your desktop, but you just don’t have the time to make the trip back to the office before your next appointment.

That’s where SugarSync comes in.

SugarSync is a cloud-based file sync, online backup and file sharing service that enables Realtors to manage their important data, anytime, anywhere, and now from any device. SugarSync gives Realtors their own Personal Cloud where they can securely backup and instantly access all of their most important files—thousands of documents, photos and other valued content—from any device they choose. It offers a broad range of device and OS support—from laptops to BlackBerry, Android-based phones and iPhones, and today’s most popular tablets, such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy.

Working with partners or assistants?

With SugarSync’s collaboration features, you never have worry about duplicate documents and file versions.  With the new multi-user sync feature, you can both save a client’s folder on each of your computers or devices and once a change is made to a document in the folder or a new document is added, it’s automatically updated on all users’ computers and devices.  This means you never have to worry about emailing versions back and forth hoping that you have the same updated document or folder.

Features that Realtors will love:

• Anywhere, Anytime Access – If you’ve got an Internet connection or a smart phone, you’ve got a mobile office. Wherever you go, your files will be with you.
• Sync Without Limits – With SugarSync, you can sync as many computers and mobile devices as you want on a single account — and changes saved on one computer are instantaneously synced among the rest.
• Secure, Automatic Data Protection – As you work, your files are continuously backed up to your secure, personal SugarSync website using SSL encryption. Once in the servers, all data is then encrypted with 128-bit AES.
• Seamless Collaboration – Easily send files of any size to anyone, from anywhere. And you decide whether you’d like to password protect the information and whether the recipient can only review or can edit the files.
• File Versioning – Have you ever saved over a document and immediately wished you hadn’t? SugarSync will save, sync and back up the five latest versions of any given file —automatically. In a tough spot, it can be a real lifesaver.
• Mobile Support – SugarSync is compatible with Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android-based devices, Blackberry, Symbian and WinMo

Special Offer for FOREM fans!

• Those interested in setting up their own Personal Cloud service can get started with a free account by visiting SugarSync.com/signup.
• For persons with greater file storage needs, SugarSync offers a free 30-day trial for plans starting at 30 GB for just $4.99/month. We also offer a variety of business plans that aid SMBs of all sizes – sugarsync.com/business.

Here is a quick video to showcase how it works.  Click here to view the video >>

Questions or comments? Please leave your feedback below. Thank you!

Share on Facebook

Chad Fisher enjoys life as an entrepreneur, developing sites to help people find
affordable housing, and creating a resource for users to compare auto insurance quotes from companies in their state.

An Android smart phone can be a real estate agent’s best friend. Rather than having to trudge back to the office or make a phone call when an impromptu inquiry pops up, you can have all the information you need in a jiffy. Real estate agents fulfill so many roles that you probably need more than just five good apps to get the job done. Still, these five apps are useful to any agent. They are available directly on your phone and can provide the information you need in just a few clicks.

1. Suburb Scout

This handy app highlights anything that might affect the property value of a home. It will show you at a glance how far away the nearest airport is, if there is a landfill in the area, or the proximity of the local power plants. Prisons in the area are also highlighted. REALTORS® and home shoppers can use this tool to eliminate any unexpected surprises before they get too far into the home buying process.

2. Smarter Agent

This clean-cut, easy-to-navigate app helps anyone locate the nearest homes or apartments for rent or sale. You can look up the prices for any listed property, as well as recent photos and maps of the location. You can also get a quick average of home values in the neighborhood by researching the prices that area homes have sold for within the last three years. Users can browse by price or location and narrow searches easily. Even REALTOR Magazine likes this app as a tool to share with clients. It’s a freebee you can offer that lets clients search the MLS based on GPS coordinates and other criteria.

3. Google Voice

Google Voice is quickly becoming one of the most useful tools for real estate agents. Once you establish your own Google phone number you can use the native Android app to send voice messages as well as text messages. You can also listen to voicemails or read text transcripts of the voicemails directly from Google. Since it is part of the Google suite of applications, it automatically incorporates all of your contacts and information in one place on your phone. It’s never been easier to stay in contact with prospects, the office and other agents.

4. Google Maps

Google Maps continues to improve its excellent interface. You can follow a GPS signal to make sure you are headed in the right direction, no matter what part of town you need to locate. You can use the app to locate businesses or schools in the area. It will calculate the distance between locations and give you a good estimate of how much time it will take to travel that distance. If you like, you can choose to get driving directions in a simple list form. You can also receive driving directions in a graphical interface that shows exactly where each turn is along the route.

5. Karl’s Mortgage Calculator

Nothing works better than a visual aid when trying to help prospective buyers understand the value of a home and the cost of a mortgage. Karl’s Mortgage Calculator helps you fulfill your role as adviser when buyers are considering a purchase. It offers a sophisticated visual analysis of loans and investments to help buyers feel confident about their purchases. Try different interest rates, early payoffs or extra payments for “what if” scenarios.

Other helpful apps that you might consider include Remember the Milk for a to-do list, iHandy Carpenter to get that last-minute wall hanging up straight, Evernote for capturing and organizing any type of information you need, Dropbox for storing and sharing documents in the cloud, and Safe Neighborhood to help clients with concerns about locating convicted offenders in the area.

What are your favorite Android apps?

Share on Facebook

Google announced today they have invited the press to an “Android press gathering” on Jan. 5. This date is very strategic on Google’s part – as the Consumer Electronics Show is in Las Vegas later in the week. Google representatives declined to provide any further details about the event, but most likely this will be the unveiling of the Nexus One. This will be Google’s first phone sold directly to consumers. The rumors are, that if purchased directly from Google, consumers could pay up to $500, or considerably less if they sign a multi-year contract with T-Mobile.

Google employees began tweeting about the Nexus One after Google handed out these new phones to employees. Then, on December 12, Google posted a somewhat odd blog post where it said that the devices were intended to test new mobile technologies. “We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe,” Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management.

Also there are rumors that at this press conference, Google will address the questions that have risen about the Android strategy. Many are wondering if Google will sell the Android directly from its website.

I’m curious to see what this all will mean for the real estate professionals. As referenced in my last post about smartphones, the iPhone is still the top seller,  followed by the Blackberry and Razr. Will the Google Nexus One surpass what the iPhone has successfully accomplished? For real estate agents, ease of use is their top priority – followed by superior phone and data service. This topic will certainly be discussed at Connect NYC.

What is the future of mobile technology for 2010?

Find out at Connect! (FOREM members receive $100 off , use promo code “forem”)

by Katie Lance

Share on Facebook

I realize I’m a little biased in the world of smartphones. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a proud iPhone user. I love the apps, the ease of use, the large screen and the ‘bells and whistles.’

In real estate, having a smartphone is not just an option but a necessity. Everyone wants a response right now, not later today.

So the question remains, can the leader, the iPhone still hold their lead in 2010 as the top smartphone in the United States?

According to Nielsen…
According to Nielsen, The iPhone is still the most popular smartphone, followed by the BlackBerry 8300 series, but despite all the new smartphones flooding the market, Motorola’s trusty Razr (yep, the RAZR!) flip-phone was the third most-popular phone of the year.

What about Andriod?
Comascore.com, a leader in measuring the digital world, announced a few days ago the release of its latest report on the mobile market, ‘Android: Crashing the Smartphone Party.‘ The report provided an overview of the current U.S. mobile environment and offered an in-depth look at the Android OS. Among the report’s key findings is that consumer awareness of Google’s Android is growing rapidly, due in large part to the Verizon Droid ad campaign.

Here comes Google!
Coming to the smartphone party (possibly) next month is Google’s Nexus One. Nexus One puts Google in business against other providers of Android-based phones. Google is the major force behind Android. Will this create a backlash against the company, or did other providers get into the Android game aware that Google eventually would make this move?

A major shift happened…
A new survey of smartphone users by PC World and Macworld found that 85% of smartphone owners were extremely or very satisfied with their handsets, and the same percentage said they rely heavily on them. On a typical day, people use their phones two-thirds of the time for personal use and the balance for business. This highlights the HUGE shift that happened with smartphones from being primarily a corporate use to gaining a wider consumer customer base, courtesy of the iPhone.

So what is it about the iPhone?
I think one of the biggest reasons consumers, especially real estate professionals, love the iPhone is because of how easily they work – not the mention the incredible branding campaign that Apple has done to make you “feel” extra cool when you own an Apple product!

Did you know?
Did you know, Apple didn’t even launch the iTunes App Store until a year after the first iPhone became available? Over 2-billion-apps-sold have been sold as of late September 2009.When the iPhone was first launched in June 2007, Steve Jobs tried to sell developers on just making Web apps. When Web-based apps couldn’t match the performance or capabilities of native apps, developers asked for more. Apple announced that they were changing course in October, but didn’t launch the App Store until July 2008—just as Apple released the second generation iPhone hardware

So, in the spirit of the holidays, and because I do love the iPhone, I wanted to share with FOREM readers 7 FREE new iPhone apps just released within the last few days:

1. Ribbit Mobile
This app has already gotten quite a bit of buzz. You have to sign up and request to be invited to their beta trial. Ribbit Mobile will read your voicemail and then text or email it to you, it will save your messages forever, you can dictate memos on your phone, and answer calls on any phone.

2. CallRec.me
Pretty cool app especially for real estate agents –record your phone calls and voice notes with the push of a button. I could see this being especially helpful for agents to keep track of conversation records.

3.  HWA, Inc. – Home Warranty of America
Videos, sales tools, what’s news, and much more. Great app for title/escrow officers, mortgage lenders, real estate attorneys and agents. I’d love a Realtor’s first-hand experience using this app.

4. iParked
Ok this app was made for me – it helps you remember where you parked your car! If you dare to go shopping in the next couple days, I recommend using this app!

5. San Francisco Tweets
Search by categories or by SF districts. I like that it is a live Tweet stream so you could theoretically be walking down the street toward a restaurant and see if there is anyone inside the restaurant tweeting about the food, service, etc.

6.  New York App
Look up shows/events, places to eat, bars/clubs, tourist attractions, Yelp reviews and much more. Cool factor: there are links to some of the best lifestyle blogs in NYC built right in and a NYC Twitter stream. Not bad! Can’t wait to check this one out in person next month.

7.   ConnectNYC
Saved the best for last! This app is specifically designed for Real Estate Connect NYC  Jan.13-15th (#ICNY) includes live Twitter feeds, conference schedule, what sessions are starting within the next hour, exhibitor and sponsor booth info, as well as NYC hot spot info.

So how do you feel about this smartphone debate? Are you loyal to your iPhone, Blackberry, Andriod, or Razr? Are you holding out for something else?

Leave me a comment or send me a tweet here or here!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

Share on Facebook

French company MeilleurAgents.com (“best agents”) has released a mobile Android application that displays the value of every single building in Paris (value is displayed in price per square meter). Here’s a quick video demonstrating it in action:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/6006262[/vimeo]

The application is very similar to Zillow’s iPhone app (see Zillow Takes Zestimates to the Streets); which also displays home values – but for me, the street level view is far more visually exciting than the top-down, satellite view presented in Zillow’s app.

The MeilleurAgents.com app uses the Layar Reality browser, and the app will be available shortly for the iPhone 3GS in France.

The release of iPhone 3.1 update now technically allows apps to overlay graphics on a live video stream, so we’re inching closer to true augmented reality. Some apps in the US already take advantage of this, the Yelp app’s hidden monocle feature for example.

The promise for augmented reality real estate applications is certainly exciting; virtual for-sale signs and property descriptions, even the layering of interior room photos over exterior views of home.

I’m sure  we’ll be seeing much more of these sort of apps in the months to come.

Share on Facebook