Mobile Tablet PCs:

An ‘Office to Go’

REALTORS may never have to go into the office again. The newest tablet computers make doing business outside the office easier than ever. They seem to be designed with REALTORS® in mind.

Mobility is just one of the features REALTOR® Brenda Florida of Lansdale particularly likes. With her REDtablet PC slate version, she appreciates being able to separate the keyboard from the monitor. “I can just take the monitor with me and it only weighs three pounds,” she says.

REDtablet, a tablet PC loaded with VREO’s Real Estate Dashboard™ software, has been specifically designed for the real estate industry. “I love the REDtablet; it’s light-weight, compact in size and it’s the only computer I use now,” Florida continues. “I was afraid it would feel too small but I adjusted to it quickly. I love the writing feature. I can take notes on the screen and the wireless feature allows me to get on the web anywhere. It saves me all sorts of time.”

The tablet PCs come in two designs, convertible and slate. On both the user can write directly on the screen. The convertible is like a notebook computer with a screen that swivels; the slate comes with a wireless keyboard but can also be used without the keyboard. VREO recommends several tablet PCs on its web site, www.vreo.com, to be used in conjunction with its specialized real estate software.

District 1 Vice-President Joe McGavin uses a slate-style tablet PC from Motion Computing. He likes it because it has voice and handwriting recognition software. “I have my computer programmed to understand my voice, so instead of typing notes I can turn on the voice recognition and dictate to the computer and it will convert the audio to text,” he explains. The same works for handwriting. McGavin writes notes and the computer translates the handwriting into typed text.

McGavin uses his tablet PC with a broadband access service which allows him to have Internet access nearly anywhere he goes. “This is a fantastic piece of equipment,” he adds. This service gives him access to the MLS while he’s away from the office and he’s able to show clients other listings while they are on the road. He also takes digital photos of listings and downloads them onto his tablet PC. “You can handle every phase of the transaction through this tablet PC,” McGavin notes.

McGavin operates with Windows XP and has stored electronic forms in his computer. His clients can sign forms directly on the tablet PC screen, then e-mail them home and to Gavin’s e-mail address. “There are very few forms I need to take with me anymore,” McGavin says.

Florida also likes the convenience of having a completely paperless transaction. “For an agent, a paperless transaction eliminates all the driving around delivering contracts. You can have clients sign on the tablet PC and you can e-mail or fax the copies to them,” she says.

PAR First Vice-President Bob Hay uses a convertible tablet PC. His computer screen turns and lies flat like a tablet but for presentations Hay pivots the screen to show others.  He finds this feature useful while making listing presentations.

“This version best suits my needs,” Hay comments. “I like the presentation feature the best and I use it a lot. The mobility of the computer allows me to take it to meetings and write on the screen to take notes.”

Hay has been using the tablet PC for more than two years and has two other people in the office using the tablet PCs as well.