Free WiFi Hotspot – Anaheim Hilton & Towers; 2nd floor Foyer
Starting Thursday morning, Nov 10  - Monday morning, Nov 14

Follow Me and Discover New Tech Tools:  Business Technology & Information Systems Forum
Saturday, Nov 12, 1:30-3:30pm
Anaheim Convention Center, Room 204A
Panelists: Todd Carpenter, Nobu Hata, Bill Lublin, and Chris Smith

Find out more about the latest social media trends and how they may influence your online presence today.  How are tech innovators using free office & mobile tools? What tools should you keep an eye on and how may these impact your business?  Join us and find out.

Peer-to-Peer Technology Discussions
Sunday, Nov 13
Variety of Discussions at 10:00 am ; 11:00 am ; 2:00 pm ; and 3:00 pm
Anaheim Convention Center, Room 207C

Topics being discussed in an informal setting:  latest tech tools ;  mobile technologies & apps ;  the cloud ; WordPress; Facebook; mobile video; online reputation management; and more.
Discussion leaders include:  Amy Chorew, Amy Smythe Harris, Chris Nichols, Dale Chumbley, Jay Thompson, Keith Garner, Nobu Hata, Shannon Williams King, and Steve Zehngut.

Being Responsive & Visual:  Creating a Robust Website with the Latest Tools
Sunday, Nov 13, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Anaheim Convention Center,  Room 206A

Want to be ahead of the competition?  Learn what is going on in the world of HTML 5, responsive web design and more.  These new tools give your site an edge over most.  You don’t want to miss this session.  Join us.

WordPress Meet-Up
Don’t miss it!  Monday, Nov 14, 2011 @ 5:00 pm
Organized by Jeff Turner and Steve Zehngut.

Marriott Wardman Park
Executive Corridor
WiFi Hotspot & Phone Recharge Station
Open Tues, 5/10 – Sat, 5/14

Omni Shoreham in the Forum Room
The Blog Room with WiFi & Phone Recharge Station
Open Tues, 5/10 – Thurs, 5/12 10:00am -5:00pm
Fri, 5/13 10:00am to 2:00pm

Share a quick tip on an easy to use technology resource!  Stop by the Omni Shoreham’s Forum Room on Wednesday, May 11, between 11:00am – 1:00pm. We’ll video record your 1 minute tip. It could end up on REALTOR® Magazine’s How To Minute web page

Add the State of the Union on Mobile Technologies: Business Technology & Information Systems Forum to your agenda.  Join us in the Omni’s Empire Room on Thursday from 3:00pm – 5:00pm. Be part of a dynamic and interactive discussion. Is a mobile site important to your business? What are the can’t miss smartphone apps right now? From apps to devices to what’s on the horizon, hear what thought leaders like Marty Frame, Bob Hale, and Errol Samuelson are using, recommending and which trends they will be watching.

And for those of you who couldn’t make it to the 2011 Midyear Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo, check out Midyear Live.

1- What is your favorite tech tool out there?  What makes it so great?
I like my iPhone, but if I can only pick ONE fave tech tool it’s gotta be… email.  You just can’t beat the ubiquity, portability and flexibility of good old fashioned email.  Many who use social media still get notifications via email.  People subscribe to blogs via email.  I even get my voice mails via email – they’re just easier to manage, respond to, and delegate that way.

2- Where do you get the latest technology information to keep you ahead of the curve?
Blog posts, magazine articles, conversations with leadership, conversations with frontline practitioners, twitter, facebook, company meetings, association committees, vendor trade shows.  You never know where the next great tech tool or implementation tactic is going to come from. But if you surround yourself with lots of oportunities, it’s hard to miss the obvious ones.

3-  As a tech thought leader – what kind of information are you looking to get your hands on?
Adoption curve models, event feedback, education requests, leadership changes, budget allocations, and blog topic trends.  These are great resources for identifying what the majority desires or needs to thrive in a new environment.  Both anecdotal and scientific evidence help define what’s really happening at both the grass roots level and upper management levels of our industry.  I want to hear from the industry practitioners as often as possible in as many different formats as possible.

4- What is the biggest trend you see developing in real estate right now – tech or otherwise? 
Moderation.  There aren’t as many frantic waves of excitement around any market condition improvements.  The same can be said about new technologies as they come to market.  Either because there isn’t much to be excited about, and I do believe some things and some places are worth raising your heartbeat a bit – or industry professional are just taking things more in moderation than before.   However, even beyond those reasons there is a sense of pause and thought – a more methodical industry seems to be rebuilding itself one block or byte at a time.  My optimistic view is that this is a strategic moment of moderation and not a retracted fearful state of being.  Tomorrow will be better, how and who is being decided right now.

5- Finally, which do you like best – iPhone; Android; WindowsMobile; Blackberry; Other?  Why?
iPhone because Apple’s intutitve design and smooth interface are second to none, plus AT&T has never really been a problem for me in Metro Atlanta.

~Again, congratulations to all 4 of our 2010 REALTOR^® Technology Spotlight Winners.  ~

 1- What is your favorite tech tool out there?  What makes it so great? Right now it must be GMail Priority Inbox.  Its ability to learn, predict and know what messages are important to me has made managing my personal inbox so much easier and quicker.  Just a few months ago I would have to periodically clean out my inbox just to stay organized.  Now, I let GMail do its thing and I’m content to just allow those less important emails to slink off the page.

5- Finally, which do you like best – iPhone; Android; WindowsMobile; Blackberry; Other?  Why? I’m a recent convert to Android.  With all of the ways that Google is part of my life on the web (search, mail, documents, web browser, bookmarking, etc.) having a Google-powered mobile phone just makes too much sense.  Plus, I like being able to actually make phone calls on my smart phone.

~~~  Stay tuned to this blog as we spotlight Brad Nix in the next few days.~~~~

The CRT WiFi Hotspot will be available Thursday, Nov 4 starting at 8:00am through Monday, Nov 8, 1:00pm.  in the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, Ballroom Promenade.  Not only can you access free WiFi, but you can charge your cell phone/smartphone at the ReCharge Station.  While you are there, play around with the Microsoft Surface table.

If you are looking to catch up on your social media to-do’s stop by the Bloggers’ Lounge – in the Morial Convention Center, Room 231-232 – starting Friday, Nov 5 through Sunday, Nov 7 from 10:00am to 5:00pm and Monday, Nov 8 from 10:00am to Noon.  For your convenience, a  cell phone/smartphone ReCharge Station is also available in the Bloggers’ Lounge.

Interested in learning more about apps that CRT makes available to real estate professionals like you, stop by the Start Up Pavilion on Saturday, Nov 6 between 9:00am – 4:00pm.  Convention Center Expo Floor, Hall C, Booth S-1656.

With the many tech sessions available during the conference, don’t miss the REBarCamp (Thursday); Embracing Consumer Generated Agent Reviews (12:30pm, Friday); Real Estate Road Warrior (2:30pm, Friday); the Peer-to-Peer Sessions (9am and 10am, Saturday); the Business Technology & Information Systems Forum (1:30pm, Saturday); Privacy Protection for You, Me, Anyone (9:00am, Sunday); Protecting Yourself and Your Clients (11:00am, Sunday); Embracing New Technologies in Your Organization (11:00am, Sunday); Connecting with Consumers through Mobile Technologies (1:30pm, Sunday); How to Secure Your Companies & Your Employees (1:30pm, Sunday); Real Estate Security Panel Wrap-Up (3:30pm, Sunday); WordPress Camp (9:00am, Monday).

And, because no one can be everywhere they want to be…stay tuned to what’s going on in during the 2010 REALTORS^® Conference & Expo via NardiGras Conference Live!

Mark Flavin is recognized as a recipient of the 2010 REALTOR^® Technology Spotlight Award in the Pioneer category.   CRT asked a few questions.   Check out what Mark shared with us:

What is your favorite tech tool out there?  What makes it so great? At the moment my favorite tech tool is Dropbox. This free online service allows you to easily share files and folders between computers and even devices. With more email providers actively blocking file attachments and putting restrictions on messages size the Dropbox public folder feature provides an easy way to securely share files with clients by sending them a link rather than an attachment. Finally Dropbox allows you to collaboratively share files with other Dropbox uses which is a great way to work on shared resources without managing multiple attachments. 

Where do you get the latest technology information to keep you ahead of the curve? Each morning I read/skim through approximately 120 different blogs, online news sites and magazines. But the best source of information for me is our members and association staff. I listen to what they are trying to do in the field or what pain-points they are encountering in a transaction and then I proactively look for the tools and services to address these challenges. Since our members are always trying to stay inline and ahead of the consumer this naturally pushes me forward.

As a tech thought leader – what kind of information are you looking to get your hands on? At a high level I try to keep informed of changes in consumer behavior and emerging technologies. This information along with our annual strategic planning process is critical for me to identify the right opportunities for new services or tools our members can utilize in their business. The resources from NAR including the field guides, NAR insights and member surveys are items that I regularly review and share. Ultimately though keeping in touch with agents and brokers and understanding their unique challenges from a business and service perspective is without a doubt the most critical information resource I have available to me.

What is the biggest trend you see developing in real estate right now – tech or otherwise?  Right now we are seeing a convergence between smartphones, video, mobile broadband and social networking with the smartphone becoming the unified messaging and multimedia creation platform. This is impacting consumer behaviors in fundamental ways which are causing agents and brokers to make service and marketing decisions they have not been forced to consider since the emergence of the web. Consumers are expecting their agents to be available around the clock and be able to respond to requests for information across a variety of different channels. This is forcing the Brokers and Agents into new learning curves from choosing the best device to selecting their platform and how they are going to integrate these new tools into their service catalog. For example all estimates point to 2015 as being the year when mobile devices will outnumber desktops yet at the moment Brokers and Agents are just now starting to consider how their web-presence looks on these devices.

Finally, which do you like best – iPhone; Android; WindowsMobile; Blackberry; Other?  Why? My two favorite devices are the iPhone and Android. With the exception of some unique platform specific features both devices are comparatively similar. The three reasons I prefer iPhone and Android are unified messaging, web display and application availability. The Blackberry does a great job at responding to emails but the iPhone and Android make it much easier to respond across a variety of channels including email, text, voice and instant messaging. Both devices provide a web experience which is largely similar to desktop whereas with the Blackberry and Windows Mobile the mobile web experience is entirely different and often times much worse than the desktop experience. Finally the infinite expandability and customization via different applications make both the Android and iPhone highly efficient multifunction purpose tools. For example you can take a video with the built in camera make some changes and upload directly to your website without ever touching a computer.

~~~ Stay tuned to this blog as we spotlight Brad Nix and Ben Martin individually in the next few days.~~~~

Brian Copeland is recognized as a recipient of the 2010 REALTOR^® Technology Spotlight Award in the Advocate category.   CRT asked a few questions and Brian shared his thoughts enthusiastically.

What is your favorite tech tool out there? What makes it so great?

As I’ve said over and over, I’m not a gadget and tool hoarder.  I believe in using very few and using them extremely well.  As cliché as it is, my iPhone is my must-have.  I’m huge on breathing your communications, meaning that technology, social media, digital life should be as integrated and simple in your life as breathing.  You CANNOT breath your digital person unless you have the correct mobile device.  Currently, the iPhone is the best tech tool for me to accomplish this essential part of my daily life.

Where do you get the latest technology information to keep you ahead of the curve?

I’m a member of Apple’s app developer program; so, there’s a lot of good inside information there.  I’m also friends with some pretty big geeks.  They love sharing, and I’m usually their first call when they see something they love.  

As a tech thought leader – what kind of information are you looking to get your hands on?

I’m rarely impressed with the daily new list of fun techy things.  I don’t download apps every day.  I don’t try out everything.  I search for the information that leads to a bigger picture.  I consider myself a translator.  As a REALTOR®, daily I see my fellow agents struggling to find ways to be more efficient.  The problem, however, is they get lost in “how” efficiency tools work rather than “what” they can do with the tool.  I’m always searching for information that helps me translate information for others.  If I can’t find that information on something complex, I love creating the parallel for those who lean on me for this information.

What is the biggest trend you see developing in real estate right now – tech or otherwise?

Social couponing.  Location-based social media has opened the door for this amazing new potential.  If the social couponing services can get their act together, I’m confident it will GREATLY enrich what we do already.  Side note, attention deficient disorder moment:  Notice, I emphasize the word “enrich.”  We use the word “change” too much.  Technology enriches our lives, which is another level of change.  I don’t want technology to change my real life.  I love my life.  I just want it to help enrich what I already have.

Finally, which do you like best – iPhone; Android; WindowsMobile; Blackberry; Other? Why?

My first smarphone was a Treo.  From there, I migrated to a Blackberry.  Now, I use an iPhone daily.  I also have the HTC EVO Android which I have learned and am comfortable using.  I keep that one because almost all agents I know at all age levels are moving to either iPhone or Android platform phones.  I get so many questions, I have to know both.  Using and knowing both iPhone and Android, the iPhone is on an entirely superior level.

~~~ Stay tuned to this blog as we spotlight Brad Nix, Mark Flavin, and Ben Martin individually over the next few weeks.~~~~

A few weeks ago, the finalists for this year’s REALTOR® Technology Spotlight Award were announced!  They, and all the nominees, are deserving of the praise & recognition they’ve received from their peers, consumers, and business associates.  Today, join CRT in congratulating the final four…the recipients of the 2010 REALTOR® Technology Spotlight Award.  These individuals will receive special prizes, and will be recognized at the 2010 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in New Orleans. 

Advocate Category – a leader of a cause; essential supporter.
Brian Copeland  Village Real Estate Services (Nashville, TN)

This individual is the lynch pin when it comes to technology in real estate. They make sense of the new tech ideas by understanding their uses. They jump in and test drive technology, evaluate it thoroughly, and then share their knowledge freely with REALTORS® in order to empower and educate them on the latest tech trends. The advocate reaches out and engages others. They make a difference one person at a time.

Innovator Category – a groundbreaker; trailblazer.
Ben Martin  Virginia Association of REALTORS®  (Glen Allen, VA)

This individual pushes technology to the next level. The innovator ensures that real estate technology systems and processes are prepared to meet business and consumer needs today and tomorrow. They implement creative ideas, and drive ‘out of the box’ thinking. Innovators collaborate with others and share ideas openly in order to obtain the greatest benefit for the REALTORS®, consumers, and the industry.

Pioneer Category – a leader into the unexplored or into something new.
Mark Flavin  Bay East Association (Pleasanton, CA)

This individual takes technology and pushes its applications to the next level. They are the trend setters that lead the way. The pioneer is the one to watch and the one to follow.

Visionary Category – one with foresight.
Brad Nix  MaxSell Real Estate (Woodstock, GA)

These individual see the technology trends and understand how new tech tools & resources can be applied to the real estate industry in the next month, year or even decades. Often times they are the ones that are doing things so extremely different, it takes the combined efforts of the Advocates, Innovators, and Pioneers to embrace this individual’s vision before the industry as a whole understands it. This is what makes the visionaries stand out – they look outside the proven techniques to define the new standard and ultimately change the real estate landscape for the better.

Many thanks to all who took the time to nominate a tech super star and to the  judges  of this award. 

Special thanks to all those tech wizards that make the magic happen for our real estate businesses every day!   Keep up the great work.

• REBarCamp New Orleans:  Thursday, Nov 4 at the Presbytere, 751 Rue Chartres in Jackson Square; Fantastic opportunity to share what you know, learn from others, and network.  It’s Free! 

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If you are already planning to attend REBarCamp in New Orleans but are not sure about attending the REALTORS^® Conference & Expo, don’t miss out on NAR’s Free Expo Pass just for you!  You’re sure to find tools and innovations to jazz up your business.  When registering for the expo pass, enter CODE:  RECAMP10A.  The pass is good starting Friday, Nov 5 thru Monday, Nov 8.

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•  The previous post on this blog was packed with info on mobile tools.  If you want to learn more, add the Real Estate Road Warrior session to your schedule.  It takes place Friday, Nov 5 from 2:30pm – 4:00pm.  Speaker:  Shannon Williams-King.
• Want to learn about useful tech tools other brokers and agents are using in their organizations?  Don’t miss out on Embracing New Technologies in Your Organization.  This powerful panel is led by Eric Stegemann.  Learn from and ask questions of Dale Chumbley, Bill Lublin, Jessica Stoner, and Aaron Wheeler.  Sunday, Nov 7 from 11:00am – 12:30pm
• Want to learn more about mobile applications available to consumers and apps that agents should look at? Then don’t miss this informative panel led by Todd Carpenter.  Connecting with Consumers through Mobile Technologies will include conversations with Rudy Bachraty, Eric Blumberg, Max Pigman, and Randall Standard.  Sunday, Nov 7 from 1:30pm -3:00pm.

Of course, there’s many other great sessions to add to your agenda:  Peer-to-Peer Skillshops; Thought Leaders Discuss and Debate; Keeping yourself, your business and your consumers’ information safe.  More about these in upcoming posts.

Find more tech sessions during the REALTORS^® Annual Conference & Expo.   Get a flavor for all that’s going on at the Conference by joining us.

Reading Documents

The following applications allow you to read various types of documents such as PDFs, Word Documents and eBooks. They are designed to make reading easier and have limited to no ability to edit documents.

1. Mail – The mail application has the ability to read many documents that are attached to your email, such as PDFs. While it will work in a pinch, it requires that the document be attached to an email.
2. iBooks – This application preinstalled on your iPad and newer iPhones and iPod touches. More of an electronic book reader, it does allow you to read PDF files that your sync through iTunes, and documents can also be added from Mail attachments It’s a good reader application, but the requirement of iTunes syncing is restrictive.
3. GoodReader – GoodReader is available for both the iPhone and iPad and is a bit more flexible. It too can have documents added from Mail, but it also allows you to download documents stored online on Google Documents, DropBox and other cloud based file storage service. You download the document to GoodReader over the internet and GoodReader saves it for easy and fast access, even when offline. GoodReader also has limited editing ability for some types of files and costs $0.99, a really good price for such a useful application.[Update 10/8/2010 Version 3 of Goodreader adds support for annotating PDFs, another cool and useful feature!]

Editing Documents

Reading a document is all well and good, but sometimes you need to edit the document as well. These apps allow you to do just that.

1. Apple’s iWork Apps for iPad: Pages, Numbers and Keynote – These three apps are the iPad version of the iWorks productivity suite from Apple and allow you to view and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations respectively. Each of these apps is designed to work with the iWork productivity suite, so if you are running a Mac and have iWorks these apps provide tight integration. All three apps also support access documents on cloud based file services, mostly through access to Apple iDisk and iWork.com accounts. If you don’t have either of those, it can access documents on a WebDav server as well. Each one of these applications is $9.99 so to get all three is about $30.
2. Documents to Go – Dataviz has been in the business of providing mobile document editing software for several years, and their Documents to Go suite, which originally was written for PalmOS is now available for the iPhone. Documents to Go allows you edit read and edit PDFs and Microsoft Office documents (premium version required to edit Powerpoint). You can download a free desktop application, for both Mac and Windows to manage syncing documents between your device and your desktop and includes WiFi syncing. The premium version also includes access to cloud based file storage services, including Google Docs, iDisk and others. Documents to Go is $9.99 for the basic version and $16.99 for the premium,

Signing Documents

Being able to sign documents without the need to printed hardcopies while on the road is in many ways a killer feature of mobile devices for people in the real estate industry. The following applications allow you to electronically sign documents on your iPhone or iPad.

1. DocuSign – DocuSign is a well known player in electronic signatures and are even partnered with NAR to create solutions specifically for members. The DocuSign application is free for download and requires you to be subscribed to a DocuSign plan, and as a result has tight integration with the DocuSign service. On top of this it also links with other cloud based file storage systems such as Google Docs and Box.net.
2. Zosh – If DocuSign is a little too heavy for your needs, Zosh allows you to annotate and sign documents using digital signiture capture, basically sign with your finger. While it does allow you to email the annotated and signed documents, it does not connect to online file storage systems. Zosh is $2.99 in the app store and it’s price and simplicity make it appealing choice for those that just want to simply annotate and digitally capture signatures.

Conclusion

Document handling is one of the most important tasks your electronic tools, including your mobile tools, can perform. This is a small list of applications for iPhones and iPads that can help you be more productive in that arena and there are sure to be more on the way. Keep a look out for more articles from CRT about Android applications that give you similar functionality.