BRADFORD
TECHNOLOGIES AND VEROS DEAL HIGHLIGHTED IN THE VALUATION REVIEW
Bradford
Technologies was recently featured in the premier edition (February
14) of The Valuation Review newsletter. The article,
entitled “Deal is Reaping Benefits for Veros, Bradford,” discussed
how Bradford Technologies’
ClickFORMS
product will seamlessly integrate with VerosVALUE AVMs.
The Bradford/Veros partnership is ultimately designed to strengthen
the appraiser’s hand in the appraisal process. The article quotes
Jeff Bradford, President of Bradford Technologies, “Through
our partnership with Veros, we are enhancing the appraiser’s
ability to provide additional analysis based on their local
expertise.”
Further evidence of the two companies’ common goal came from
Veros president Darius Bozorgi: “...by integrating with a well-known
platform (ClickFORMS), it lessens the learning curve for appraisers.”
To read the entire article, download it today at: http://www.valuationreview.com/pdfs/valreview.pdf
For more information on how you can benefit from ClickFORMS
and Veros AVMs,
call Bradford Technologies at 800-622-8727.
Mark
Your Calendars! Jeff Bradford to Speak at the MBA Technology
Conference
Jeff Bradford will be presenting “New Technology” at the MBA
Technology Conference being held from March 29 – April 1 in
Orlando, FL. In his presentation, Jeff focuses on how technology
can simplify the life of an appraiser.
Now’s
a good time to make reservations to get the best flights! To
register, go to: http://events.mortgagebankers.org
Stop
by and say hello. Jeff would love to meet you.
The
Mobile Appraiser Part 2 – Wireless Demystified
This is the second in a series of articles for the mobile appraiser.
In the last ClickTALK, we discussed mobile computing technologies
such as laptops and tablet PCs. In this article, we’ll discuss
the wireless aspect of mobile computing, specifically as it
relates to wireless devices.
Why
go wireless? What’s in it for the average appraiser? There are
several benefits. For example, imagine that you’re at a jobsite
100 miles from your office. You finish at noon and want to get
the information back to the client ASAP. If you have a wireless
laptop or tablet PC, you can email the data from your local
Starbuck’s coffee shop. All while sipping on your latte.
Untangling
the Wireless Jargon
For purposes of simplification, the two major wireless technologies
can basically be identified by their operating range from the
mobile device. Bluetooth operates within 30 feet of the device,
and 802.11 (also known as “WiFi”) operates within 300 feet of
the device.
Typical
Bluetooth applications include wireless keyboards, mice, digital
cameras, printers, GPS antennas and so on. Imagine those things
that are normally plugged into the back of your PC are now wireless.
No more cords.
802.11
applications are all communications based. So the Starbuck’s
example above used 802.11 to telecommunicate the job back to
the office. Another application would be a wireless network,
where the user could connect to the office network without plugging
in an Ethernet cable.
Bluetooth
Setting up and using Bluetooth devices is very simple. It requires
a transmitter (either built-in or externally attached) and the
device (mouse, keyboard, etc.) One transmitter can operate several
devices. For example, a Tablet PC with built-in Bluetooth will
automatically detect a wireless keyboard. So you can finish
your work in your truck without having to fumble with any cords.
(Note that the wireless keyboards and mice require batteries
as they cannot get their power from the PC.)
Another example of a Bluetooth application is a wireless digital
camera. Imagine that you’re at a jobsite and you’ve just taken
twenty pictures. At your truck, your Tablet PC automatically
detects the camera and you’re able to preview the pictures on
the spot. Plus you’ve backed them up on your PC for safekeeping.
802.11/WiFi
For communicating your pictures back to the office or the client,
you would use the 802.11 feature. However, you can’t just do
this from anywhere; you need to be in a “hotspot.” Hotspots
are located in coffee shops, airports, office buildings, even
McDonald’s restaurants. Most hotspots are free, i.e., they want
you to buy their coffee, but not all. Some hotspots, like those
at airports, require a subscription to utilize their wireless
services.
Two
major carriers for 802.11 wireless are T-Mobile and Boingo.
They cost about $30 a month or $7 per day and are not reciprocal.
In other words, if you have a T-Mobile account and need wireless
access in the San Jose airport (which is Boingo), you have to
buy Boingo. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.
Conclusion
Whether it’s downloading a new job while at a Starbuck’s or
simply using a Bluetooth keyboard to input data, going wireless
can dramatically improve your productivity. If you’d like to
learn more about these amazing technologies, feel free to call
Bradford Technologies at 800-622-8727.
Next
issue: Cellular Wireless Technology
Tech
Tip: The “Question?” Window – What is it for?
Have
you ever received the “Question?” window when you’ve
closed a report and wondered what it’s for?
It’s actually a way to manage your file sizes. Let’s explain.
With the introduction of the ClickFORMS Image Editor, there
is now a threshold value that can be set to warn you if you
have large images in your report. This can be very helpful in
keeping the size of your reports from getting too large. A lot
of email firewalls don’t accept those large files. The Image
Editor will help you to manage this issue.
Here’s
how it works:
If you click NO on the Question window, the report
will close as usual. If you click YES, the Image Editor
will open, allowing you to optimize your images, which will
reduce the file size.
To adjust the threshold value for this image size warning message,
go to the pull-down menu at the top of ClickFORMS and select
Edit > Preferences > Application and click on the
Saving tab. At the upper-right will be a check box for the alert
and a threshold value field that you can change. The default
value is 100K but you may increase or decrease this value, depending
on your needs. If you do not want to be warned about large images
in your report, simply clear the check box and click OK.
For
more information on using the Image Editor, go to Help >
Tell Me How.
