By Michael Antoniak
In theory, the Tablet PC platform launched last year, powered by a special version of Windows by Microsoft Corp., might seem like an ideal solution for real estate professionals who want ease of use without sacrificing performance in a mobile computing solution.
Tablet PCs combine some of the best features of both PDAs and the more powerful notebooks. These compact portables offer a full-sized screen, which doubles as a monitor and electronic notepad. Users can enter notes and data in their own handwriting on the screen using an electronic pen.
Putting pen to screen also controls all computer functions and software applications, bypassing the need for keyboarding.
And, with built-in support for wireless networking and the addition of a wireless modem expansion card, a Tablet PC can be outfitted for the anywhere-anytime access—so critical when you spend most of your day in the field.
Of course, hardware is only half the answer when evaluating a system. It takes software to make the computer a practical tool. The Tablet PC can run any Windows XP-compatible application. However, the platform has such unique capabilities that it requires software developed specifically for the Tablet PC to take full advantage of its features. With relatively few Tablet PCs in use, compared to notebooks and PDAs, such software applications have been slow in coming to the market, especially for a highly specialized profession like real estate.
But that could be changing. Criterion Corp., a maker of mobile hardware and software, has taken an early lead in targeting the Tablet PC to the real estate industry. Its Real Estate Dashboard (R.E.D.) Tablet offers a turnkey hardware/software bundle, designed to help mobile practitioners boost productivity in the field, according to company president Dan Tealdi, who's also a licensed real estate broker.
"We think the Tablet PC is the perfect platform for real estate for several reasons," Tealdi says. "You don't need to invest a lot of time figuring out how to use it. Also, some practitioners don't have great typing skills, and for them, there's an advantage to being able to enter information and communicate in their own handwriting."
The REDtablet bundle is available with a choice of Tablet PC computers from Toshiba or Motion Computing. The base price is around $3,500 for the complete turnkey solution, and Tealdi says 24- and 36-month financing is available. The package includes the Tablet PC hardware; an HP mobile inkjet printer; a PCMIA wireless modem expansion card for wireless Web access through Sprint or T-Mobile; a case for the computer and printer; and the R.E.D. Tablet software. Users can purchase the software alone for use on other Tablet PCs for a $495 individual license fee and a one-year subscription commitment at $20 per month.
The REDtablet software includes modules installed on the computer and accessible via the company's Web site. The R.E.D. Tablet was developed to allow users to manage all aspects of a transaction and related activity, from initial customer contact through closing, from any location, Tealdi says. The customer relationship management module features a Web-based contact and transaction-management application, which automatically alerts users when some aspect of a transaction requires attention or new information has arrived. In the software's communicator module, users can compose e-mail or instant message in their own handwriting.
Another module allows users to complete contracts and standardized electronic forms or place orders for items such as title information by writing on the Tablet PC screen. A mapping feature lets users create a map to a particular location or a tour of several properties, and send it to clients.
As awareness builds, and more vendors start developing platform-specific software, the Tablet PC could prove to be the practical alternative for real estate professionals who've been awaiting a mobile solution that falls somewhere between a PDA and notebook.
Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2003. All rights reserved.