Technology Untethered

Hardware

HARDWARE MOBILITY
is key in today’s business world and staying connected can mean the difference between closing a deal and losing a deal. To help you work efficiently in today’s fast-paced mobile climate, we’ve listed a number of tools that will allow you to remain portable and connected.

Pebble Watch $150

http://getpebble.com

THE PEBBLE WATCH makes it easier for you to stay ‘in the moment’ while not losing track of communication. The Pebble Watch looks like a standard wrist watch, but syncs with your smartphone to provide you with a quick way to review incoming email and text messages without having to reach into your pocket or bag for your mobile device.This is a low-key way to check-in without causing distractions. With a number of apps already developed,you can customize the Pebble Watch to meet your need.

Cocoon Grid-It $14.99-$59.99

http://www.cocooninnovations.com

IF YOU’RE CONSTANTLY digging around looking for your charger, headset, adaptor, or other mobile accessory, the Grid-It is a helpful product designed to keep all your mobile accessories stored and organized in one place.Constructed as a web of woven elastic straps of various sizes, it can hold whatever you need it to. There are several sizes to choose from, and all will fit comfortably into a standard shoulder bag or purse.

Karma 4G Wifi Hotspot $99-$279 (1GB of data @ $14)

http://www.yourkarma.com

THERE ARE MANY 4G Wifi Hotspot brands available today, but the Karma is different. It’s presented as ‘pay-as-you-go’ data, with a twist. By using your Karma, you can gain more data by sharing with other users nearby. For every person who connects to your wifi hotspot for the first time, you get 100mb of data to use. So, if 8 people use your hotspot, you’ve gained 800mb of data for your use on the Karma. There’s no limit on how much data you can collect.Each person who connects also gets 100mb of data.Starting at $99 with 1GB of data, you can be well on your way to building a nice little data cache between coffee shop stops and hotel lobbies as you connect on the go.

Logitech Solar Bluetooth Keyboard K-760 $79.99

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-solar- keyboard-k760-for-mac

THIS IS A FAVORITE tool of mine. It’s a portable keyboard that comes with three inter-changeable bluetooth pairings.So, you can go from working with your desktop to your iPad to your iPhone with the touch of a button. This is great for mobility, especially during those times when you move from the office to an offsite meeting. The solar panels work with indoor light as well as sunlight. I’ve never had to worry about having enough power for this device.Note: It says it’s for Mac, but as long as you have bluetooth on your computer, this should work for you.

UE Mobile Boombox $99.99

http://ue.logitech.com/en-us/product/mobile-boombox

ANOTHER LOGITECH PRODUCT that I love. Constructed as a small black box, this speaker delivers great sound at a nice price. The speaker also features a built-in microphone, which is perfect for conference calls. I’ve personally used this speaker for webinars and participants said the audio quality was great. It allows for 2 simultaneous bluetooth connections should you need to switch between devices quickly.

Software

The beauty of the devices we are carrying is that they can be anything at any time. We have more options for productivity and communication than we’ve ever had in the past. Below are a few apps and software programs that can help you be more productive while you’re out and about.

Trello

High-quality project management at a steal of a price Free version & Pro Version – $200/yr for your group

http://trello.com

THIS IS BY FAR my favorite app right now. It’s a great tool for organizing yourself and organizing teams. Best part is it’s free. To say Trello is like this product or that product doesn’t do it justice. It can become what you need it to be. You have file storage, check-lists, due dates, task assignment. All of it. It works fully over the multi-device world we live in. They have apps for iOS, Android and Microsoft Surface. The Free Version is robust and has the major functionality needed. The Pro Version allows for more access control as well as finer control of member participation.

Videolicious

Video composition made easy Free to Enterprise Version

https://videolicious.com

VIDEOLICIOUS IS A WONDERFUL TOOL for creating walk through and presentational videos. Record video with your phone and edit within the app including adding voice over and branding. You can do all of this within seconds of recording the video. The quality of video is really great and the interface is very intuitive. This is a great low cost option for doing video tours like this one: https://videolicious.com/examples/video-tour.

Aurasma and Layar – AR Browsers

Both Browsers are Free | Layar Creator service has pricing tiers.

http://www.aurasma.com/ | https://www.layar.com/

AR STANDS FOR Augmented Reality and it’s a pretty hot field right now. Augmented Reality in practice is the overlay of additional information on today’s world.Conceptually, think about the football games on Sunday afternoons that show you where the first down is located with a yellow line. That’s AR. You would point browser at a marker that would trigger the AR.

Both of these browsers also have a set of tools for creating overlays as well, with Layar having a tiered-pricing system and Aurasma’s being free (they call them Auras and you can create private as well as public auras). Why would you use this? You could use it to show the potential in a currently vacant property to a client. You could show how different sections of a space could be utilized or depending on the business the client’s in have different ARs created to fit their needs. Take a look at some of the examples for Aurasma here: http://www.aurasma.com/campaigns/ and for Layar here: https://www.layar.com/augmented-reality/inspiration/

Sitegeist

Demographic Data for wherever you are. Free

http://sitegeist.sunlightfoundation.com/

A BIG THANK YOU to REALTOR® Bill Lublin for introducing me to this amazing little app. Sitegeist gives you a quick way to find demographic data about the exact spot you are standing in. This was created by the Sunlight Foundation as a proof of concept of what could be done with large amounts of data. Quickly find out gender, age,average residential rent, popular local spots and so much more. Information is power and this app is a great way to stay informed.

BombBomb

Video Email Marketing Pricing varies from $25/month to $129/month

https://bombbomb.com

BOMBBOMB is an NAR REach® company and they’ve got email marketing figured out. They have created a system that allows for video to be played in the email. It’s a great tool for reaching people quickly without chunks of text sitting in their inbox. Create engaging emails that get your point across quickly. You can track open and play rates to see which videos are performing well. Great tool for working with large teams or marketing your properties.They offer a free 14-day trial.

Notice: The information on this page may not be current. The archive is a collection of content previously published on one or more NAR web properties. Archive pages are not updated and may no longer be accurate. Users must independently verify the accuracy and currency of the information found here. The National Association of REALTORS® disclaims all liability for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information or data found on this page.

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