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Free
Webinar (Web-Based Seminar): The Internet Appraiser
The
modern appraiser is not only mobile, but also Internet savvy.
They leverage the Internet for showcasing their services, marketing,
order processing, e-mail, file transfer and more. We'll show you
how to optimize all that and more.
We're
offering a free webinar (web-based seminar), every Friday for
the next four Fridays. This will be an interactive phone and web
conference, so you'll be able to hear and see the cool stuff you
can do. And the best part is, you don't even have to leave your
desk to attend!
•
Friday, April 15th - 10:00am - 11:30am (PDT); 1:00pm - 2:30pm
(PDT)
• Friday, April 29th - 10:00am - 11:30am (PDT); 1:00pm -
2:30pm (PDT)
• Friday, May 6th - 10:00am - 11:30am (PDT); 1:00pm - 2:30pm
(PDT)
• Friday, May 13th - 10:00am - 11:30am (PDT); 1:00pm - 2:30pm
(PDT)
We
will be having more webinars soon, so if these times don't work,
give us a call!!
Sign
up to reserve your spot today. 800-622-8727
See
you there!
|
New
Bradford Website!
|
Speaking of the Internet, Bradford Technologies has a new and improved website.
It's still at the same address - www.bradfordsoftware.com,
but we've made it even easier and added some cool new features!
Check it out and send us your comments or suggestions at suggestions@bradfordsoftware.com |
The
Mobile Appraiser
Part 4 - GPS Technology
We
interrupt this article to bring you the following important message
. . .
In the last ClickTalk we discussed wireless aircards. Joan Trice,
editor of the Appraisal Buzz newsletter, described her experience
with the Verizon brand aircard. We thought you might find it interesting.
"I
just bought one of those new Verizon Broadband aircards yesterday.
I am sitting in the airport. It took me all of 10 minutes to install
and grab a signal. Wow. Really fast. Really easy. So now I always
have a connection regardless of whether or not there is a hotspot.
Not cheap though. The $200 card comes to $50 after rebates but
the monthly nut is $80.00. If you travel a lot it makes sense.
If you use your laptop to work in the filed it would be great
to access MLS." - Joan Trice
Back
to the Mobile Appraiser . . .
This is the fourth in a series of articles on technology for the
mobile appraiser:
This
installment of the mobile appraiser will discuss GPS technology
and geocoding, and how they can help you in your appraisal business.
We will look at some of the specific hardware that's available
and review the pros and cons of each.
Geocoding
Geocoding appears to be an inevitable part of the appraiser's
future workday world, and we are incorporating it into ClickFORMS
in a future release. What is geocoding? A very good definition
of geocoding can be found on Mapquest's website (http://www.mapquest.com/features/main.adp?page=geocode).
Mapquest defines geocoding as "the process that assigns a
latitude-longitude coordinate to an address. Once a latitude-longitude
coordinate is assigned, the address can be displayed on a map
or used in a spatial search."
The
bottom line is that when you purchase your GPS system, be sure
that it can export longitude and latitude data. Most all do, but
it's good to check.
GPS
Technology - an Overview
Most of you know that a Global Positioning System (GPS) provides
precise coordinates for a specific location, and does so in an
electronic format. A more formal definition can be found at the
Geographical Information System (GIS) website (http://www.gis2gps.com/GPS/GPSDEF/gpsdef.html)
"GPS,
which stands for Global Positioning System, is a radio navigation
system that allows land, sea, and airborne users to determine
their exact location, velocity, and time 24 hours a day, in all
weather conditions, anywhere in the world. The capabilities of
today's system render other well-known navigation and positioning
"technologies"-namely the magnetic compass, the sextant,
the chronometer, and radio-based devices-impractical and obsolete.
GPS is used to support a broad range of military, commercial,
and consumer applications."
More
information can be found at the Trimble website, which has a pretty
neat tutorial (though you will have to download the Macromedia
Shockwave media player). This can be found at http://trimble.com/gps/
Check it out.
Types
of Consumer GPS Systems
There are lots of GPS systems for the military, agriculture, transportation
and other applications. The types that apply to appraisers are
the consumer-based ones that we've all seen. This section will
focus on the three basic varieties of the consumer GPS systems,
namely, hand-held, PDA and laptop/tablet. They all have their
strengths and weaknesses, depending on your particular application.
Dedicated
GPS Systems
Dedicated GPS systems, like those manufactured by Garmin (http://www.garmin.com/),
are GPS-only, i.e., they can't run ClickFORMS or keep your appointments.
The advantage to these is that they are small, ergonomic, and
fairly inexpensive, especially if you don't consider the cost
of a PDA or laptop, as they are not required by the hand-held
for use. The big disadvantage is that they cannot directly interact
with your ClickFORMS software, as that is loaded on a separate
PC.
PDA-based
GPS Systems
If you have a personal digital assistant (PDA), you can probably
add a GPS navigation system to it. The advantage is that you've
now combined two of your mobile devices into one (your PDA and
your GPS); the disadvantages are the small screen and the pretty
steep price. If you have an HP iPAQ for example, expect to pay
over $300 for this cool accessory. http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/prodserv/handheld.html
Laptop/Tablet-based
GPS Systems
Adding a GPS system to your laptop or tablet PC is a pretty simple
and inexpensive proposition. There are several options, but the
best is probably the DeLorme/Earthmate GPS System (http://www.delorme.com/gps.htm),
for $130. It's won several awards, including a Consumer Reports
Best Buy.
The
DeLorme/Earthmate system uses a small (1"x 1") Earthmate
antenna and the DeLorme street maps to create a very nice GPS
system on your PC. The antenna can either be USB (plug-in) or
Bluetooth (wireless). The advantages are that you have a full-size
screen for easy viewing, dual-use capability (you can use your
laptop for appraisals and navigation), voice recognition capabilities
for hands-free navigation, and a low price. Perhaps best of all
is that this system allows you to exchange map data with ClickFORMS.
The hand-held GPS systems (e.g., Garmin) cannot do this.
The
disadvantage is that it is not a stand-alone system, so you will
have to fire up your laptop or tablet PC to use it.
We
liked the DeLorme/Earthmate GPS system so much we've added it
to our product line. Call us and we can give you more information
about it.
Next
week: How to power all this stuff while on the road -
a neat trick that you really need to know.
Tech
Tip: How to Customize the Printing of a Template
Whether
printing a copy for yourself or a hard copy for a client, many
Appraisers prefer to print their reports using two different printers.
In ClickFORMS, creating this type of template is very easy.
To
setup a template to print using two different printers:
| 1.
Open a report or create a template with the forms desired
2.
From the pull-down menu at the top, select File >
Print
3.
Click on the 
button to select the desired printer for Printer1 and Printer2
4.
Under the Printer column, select the desired printer
(P1 or P2) for each page
5.
If you choose to make multiple copies of specific pages,
modify the Copies values as desired.
6.
If you uncheck the box for Auto close this dialog after
printing you can print without having the Print
window close each time. This may be helpful until you are
happy with your settings.
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 |
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7.
Once you have the pages set the way you want, click the
button for each printer.
(NOTE: You must print to save your settings)
8.
After your printing customizations are complete, 
the Print window, select File > Save
As Template... and select the template you desire to
update
9.
Click on Save then YES when asked to replace
the file
Your
printing preferences should now be saved for the next report
you create using that template.
|
 |
Laura
Segall – Technical Support Specialist
New ClickTALK time! |
Our market research has told us that more of you read ClickTALK on Monday, rather than on the Friday when we normally send it. So, to accommodate you, we are changing the send time to every other Monday instead of every other Friday. Let us know what you think! |
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