"Everywhere E-mail"

Name: C. Michael Royce

Company: Realty World–Royce & Associates; Dayton, Ohio

Smartphone: Blackberry 8320

 

The Ohio real estate broker bought his first Blackberry smartphone after hearing other real estate practitioners rave about theirs. He’s recently stepped up to his second, the Blackberry 8320.

 

“The big advantage for me is always receiving my e-mail immediately, and getting on the Internet to search for property when I want,” he says. Royce can add callers to his contact database with a push of a button, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support are all built-in, and the unit doubles as an audio and video player. An aftermarket application called SpinVox converts voicemail messages to text and forwards them to the handset "with 95 percent accuracy," Royce says.

 

 

"My Productivity Hub"

Name: Diana Hoyt, GRI

Company: Realty Executives, Lake Region; Ossipee, N.H.

System: Treo 700wx

 

“I originally purchased the Treo 700wx for managing lockboxes," says Hoyt.“I had no idea of everything else it could do." Since buying that Windows Mobile smart phone, she’s unlocked its features and come to rely on it as her productivity hub.

 

She uses it for phone and e-mail, mobile Web access in the field, and as a broadband wireless modem at home. It’s also her GPS navigator, contact manager, personal alarm and Supra eKey manager. “The ability to carry all this in one hand makes my personal and business less hectic,” Hoyt says. “I love it, and use it constantly.”

 

 

"A Stylish Solution"

Name: Judi Ludlam

Company: Century 21 Cape Shore Realty; North Cape May, N.J.

System: iPhone

 

“No matter where I am, I have all my information and resources with me in my iPhone,” says Ludlam. “It’s my everything” — phone and e-mailer, Web browser, contact manager, GPS system, digital camera, calculator, note-taker and music player. Ludlam is especially fond of the iPhone’s stylish design, soft touch software keypad, and scalable high resolution display. “I don’t need reading glasses to read what’s on the phone’s screen,” she says. “This has and does everything we need in real estate.”

 

 

"Seamless Integration"

Name: Artie Turner

Company: Coldwell Banker Apex REALTORS®; Dallas

System: T-Mobile's G1

 

Time and circumstance all played into Turner becoming an early adopter of T-Mobile’s G1, the first smartphone equipped with Google’s much anticipated Android operating system, which debuted in the fall of 2008. The sales associate wanted a smartphone to empower his new career, but choices were limited: Only T-Mobile provided seamless coverage in his work area.

 

"What makes it so useful is its seamless integration with Google apps," Turner says. “It’s a 3G and Wi-Fi phone with an easy to use touch screen and QWERTY keypad tucked underneath." Another plus, he says, is the open source operating system and software support it’s sure to attract. “This is going to be a very cool phone,” he says.

 

 

 

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