Looking Out From the Garage

Realtor.com has introduced their new Android App for Google Andriod based mobile phones like the T-Mobile G2, Sprint EVO, Verizon Droid X and AT&T Captivate.

I have to say, it is pretty cool.  It is 'location aware', so it can search for listings and open houses that are nearby.  It can also do a host of other things, such as filtering listings by price, amenities, size, bedrooms/bathrooms, etc.  It can also share listings with family and friends... and it syncs to your Realtor.com account so that you can share listings and notes between your computer and phone.

Scan this with your Android phone

The Android App also does a few things that are unique to it... such as viewing the listing and its surroundings on Google Street View and save voice memos.  You can also 'dictate' an email to your agent, and notes right on the listing page.

Android is the up and coming platform for mobile phones.  It is the fastest growing platform, and is nipping at the heels of the iPhone... which is flat in its growth.

Here is the QR code if you want to go straight to downloading the app.  And here is a link to the Realtor.com page about the app (including the QR code and a few screenshots).

Related articles

• Realtor.com offers house buying app for Android users (slashgear.com)
• Realtor.Com Launches Android Real Estate Search Application (prnewswire.com)
• REALTOR.com Real Estate Search - REALTOR.com (itunes.apple.com)

from LaneBailey.com

My Tablet PC is on the ropes... and as much as I wanted to get another, I couldn't... I got a "normal" laptop...  It is still pretty cool. 

I got another Toshiba, the last one was mostly trouble free for the last 5years, I can't really complain.  I did consider a few other machines...

• HP TouchSmart TM2.  This is a convertible Tablet PC, like my old one, except smaller.  While it was my first choice, it was also around $1000... and so I opted for being able to return home... 
  
• Toshiba Satellite T135D-S1325RD.  This borders on the Ultra-Portable range.  It is small, with a 13.3" screen.  It was a hard one for me NOT to get.  It runs about $600, but Office Depot had it on sale for $530.  I might have been able to come home, but it wouldn't have been fun...  
• Toshiba Satellite T115S-S1120.  I actually bought this one... but then found out that the processor was just a single core, unlike the previously mentioned machines.  IT was on sale for $470 at Office Depot... 
  
• Toshiba Satellite L505D-LS5007.  We almost had a winner, but I really wanted a smaller machine with more battery life.  The price was certainly right, $550... on sale for $400 at Office Depot.  The size was the only issue... and if I was dedicated to using it as my only machine, I might have gone for it... 
  
• Apple iPad...  Sorry, but it really wasn't seriously in the game.  Aside from not being available yesterday, the performance is sub-par for a real computer.  The price wasn't bad for an Apple... but I need WAY more flexibility. 
  
• Toshiba Satellite® L515-S4010...  We have a winner.  A little more battery life than the big machines and a little smaller.  It also has a little bigger screen and built in optical drive compared to the little ones.  The price was marked down from $570 to $500.

So, that is what I looked at and what I ended up with.  I'm still getting used to Windows 7 (Home Premium).  I like it, but it is a big change from where I was.  I have MS Office 2010, FireFox, Thunderbird, Open Office and most of the rest of the stuff I need loaded up... 

The "old" Tablet PC isn't going to go away.  I loved having the ability to write on my screen and a lot of the functionality of the Tablet.  We aren't sure what the problem is, but we are going to play with it and hot rod it some.  It doesn't HAVE to start up on Monday morning to go to work anymore, so there are some things we can try... 

Anyone have a license for Windows Vista or Windows 7 laying around that they aren't using anymore? I've heard that it can be 'mostly' upgraded to run those...  I've already upgraded to a 320GB Hard Drive and 4GB of RAM.  The problem might be an intermittent issue with Windows (we have just completed a fresh install to test) or it could be a motherboard issue... 

In with the new...  ;^ )

Ok, who knows what an "unboxing" is? 

For those that so, you are a a geek.  I am too. 

For those that don't, it is generally an EXTREMELY dry video where a reviewer opens the box of a groovy new product and introduces the viewer to all of the cool stuff inside.  Usually there is a monotone voice over that makes Golf announcers seem exciting. The reviewer pulls out each and every piece and describes it's function... 

"This is the AC wall adapter.  It charges the battery and can run the laptop from AC power."  Really?  Whoda thunkit?

Patrick Boivin slapped that model to the ground and kicked it in the teeth... Ninja style.  This has got to be the coolest unboxing I have seen. 

NINJA'S UNBOXING

I wonder if unboxing videos are going to undergo big changes as a result...  Probably not.

My wife WANTS a Nexus One.  If you aren't familiar, that is the new Android phone from Google.  It is seriously cool.  It might be the smartest of the smartphones. (watch the Apple iPhone fans go nuts over that little comment)

That is where the problems start... 

We have been T-Mobile customers for a long time.  She is 10+ years... I came on about 6 years ago.  And Google/T-Mobile seem to be putting up as many roadblocks as they can find to halt existing customers from getting the Nexus One.  In fact, the way they are even handling new customers should qualify as a #fail. 

We have a family plan... but Google/T-Mobile doesn't allow the Family Plans to work with the Nexus One.  And even if we change to the Unlimited Plan that we have access to (as long time customers), they consider this a "downgrade" and would hit us with an additional equipment charge. 

Did I mention that the ONLY plan available for the phone only has 500 minutes?  Either of us can kick 500 minutes in a week.  The unlimited nights and T-Mobile to T-Mobile calls would help, but we usually use about 1500 minutes a month. 

My wife thinks that most of the plan related difficulties revolve around Google's policies.  And they are the 8,000 pound gorilla.  They will likely get away with whatever they want. 

But T-Mobile has some blame here, too.  the lovely Mrs. GarageGuy has talked with several customer service people at T-Mobile (Google doesn't seem to talk to anyone).  Each time, she gets a different story.  T-Mobile hasn't managed to train everyone on the ins and outs of the most anticipated phone available to them. 

All around, it is a fail. 

Wouldn't is make sense...

to make the customer seem valued?  Wouldn't it be smarter to make buying something easy?  Isn't it obvious that the people that would be prime candidates for this phone would use more than 500 minutes a month? 

It is just a big fat Cluster Fail...

We've all been talking about Posterous.  It is a seriously cool site.  In fact, I have enjoyed using it so much that I am going to start up another Posterous blog to cover personal things going on (like vacation next week).  It is a GREAT platform. 

But it isn't the only platform.  In fact, before there was Posterous, there was Tumblr.  And they are very similar.  Similar enough that many think that Posterous took direct aim at Tumblr when they introduced their platform. 

There are some things that Posterous has done VERY well... to start with, the emial post capability of Posterous is amazing.  I'm not going to run over all of the options... it is another post... but let's just say that you can upate any combination of Flickr, FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, your own blog and/or Posterous with one email.  In fact, I would say that Posterous is one of the best syndication tools available.  With just a couple of clicks from your mobile phone, you can syndicate content all over the web... 

Tumblr has moved the other direction.  It is a great aggregation tool.  You can pull in content from 5 or more sources to one place.  That is a very nice option.  It is one of the best aggregators available.  But there is something else that Tumblr does better than Posterous (although there is erosion there).  That comes down to "the look".  Tumblr has great theme options.  Posterous has made their platform (kind of) compatible with the Tumblr themes, but they aren't quite there yet...  yet. 

The bottom line is that both platforms are pretty cool.  They both do much the same thing, but they do it differently and with different strengths and weaknesses. 

Imagine...

• Your car is a mobile hotspot.
  
• Your HD radio tags any of the songs that come on the radio so that you can decide if you want to buy them for your iPod later.  
• Instead of gauges above your steering column, there is a screen which displays gauges... any type of gauges you want...
• Instead of radio and HVAC controls, there is an interactive touch screen that has those controls... as well as whatever other controls you might need. 
  
• Your phone is 'Bluetoothed' into the car... not only to make calls, but anything else your phone or mobile device is capable of doing. 
  
• When you are parked, you can browse the internet on the touch screen.
• While moving you can access bookmarks...
• What about doing a Google Voice Search and displaying the results on either of the computer screens in your car?
• The Nav system can be constantly updated with road changes, traffic and even weather.   
  
• And when the technology changes, the system is upgradeable... both hardware and software. 
  

Ford is rolling out the beginnings of that very system in just a few months.  It is called MyFord Touch (there will also be a MyMercury Touch and MyLincoln Touch).  It will be coming out on the 2011 Ford Edge, and then the 2012 Ford Focus. 

Much of this is already on the market...

But not by any of the major manufacturers.  And not all together.  And certainly not integrated completely into the car like this.  I've read a few of the reports, but my mind just reels with the possibilities. 

Just like software for a laptop, if this system is built the way it could be... with reasonably open architecture... the car could be modified with all sorts of third party apps (think iPhone or Droid).  Don't like the instrument arrangement?  Change it.  Want to change the look of the arrays?  Change them.  Would you like different information displayed?  Change it. 

But the coolest thing would be this...

• You arrive in a new town. 
  
• You need to take your client to a nice Japanese restaurant. 
  
• Do a Google search for nearby, highly rated Japanese restaurants...
• Automatically send the address to the nav system...
• There is a GREAT place, but it is about 30 minutes away. 
  
• While on the road, the nav system finds out there is an accident on the Interstate... and re-routes you around it. 
  
• Oh, and you also called and made a reservation...

It would be a lot of fun...

It might be Ford coming out first, but the other manufacturers will follow suit.

I participated in a conference call with David Gibbons from Zillow on Monday.  He was sharing a new program they will be offering beginning today.

Primarily, this is aimed at people searching for and offering rentals, however there is one aspect of it that is VERY interesting to buyers. Here is the release:

SEATTLE (Dec. 15, 2009) – Real estate Web site Zillow.com today launched rental listings and search to its home shopping service and database of more than 90,000,000 U.S. homes. For the first time on Zillow, anyone can list a home for rent, and Zillow users can now search both rental homes and homes for sale in their area. Additionally, Zillow has built the industry’s first mapped search by monthly payment, allowing home shoppers to simultaneously find for-sale and for-rent homes, based on a monthly payment they can afford.

According to a recent survey by Harris Interactive 25 percent of people who plan to move in the next three years say they will search for both homes for rent and homes for sale.

With Zillow’s new monthly payment search, home shoppers can now use the “monthly payment” filter as one of their search criteria in addition to specifics like number of bedrooms or bathrooms. Zillow calculates the monthly payment on homes for sale using that day’s local mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, assuming a 20 percent down payment, and shows both for-sale and for-rent homes that match the entered criteria. Shoppers can then save their search and receive email notifications when new homes are listed. No other Web site helps home shoppers easily compare the monthly cost of owning versus renting side-by-side, and figure out the best solution for them today.

“In today’s volatile housing market, many would-be sellers are opting to rent for a few years and ride out the market, while many home shoppers are just trying to decide whether to buy or rent,” said Spencer Rascoff, Zillow Chief Operating Officer. “With the launch of rental listings and search, we are arming our more than 8 million monthly users with information, tools and options to make the right housing decisions for them today.”

Home shoppers on Zillow can search for rental properties and homes for sale by neighborhood, ZIP code or city, and filter their search based on price, monthly payment and numerous home characteristics. Additionally, landlords now have the opportunity to reach the nearly one million renters who currently visit Zillow each month. Zillow offers landlords a premium listing experience, with a Featured Listing for just $9.95 for 180 days. Featured Listings are sorted to the top of search results and receive six times more views than non-featured listings. Each listing can include unlimited photos, a full list of property features, marketing text, a link to an external Web site for the property, and personal contact information.

Zillow.com is the second-largest real estate Web site, according to Hitwise. On average, 8.3 million unique visitors came to Zillow each month this year, up 60 percent over 2008.

David mentioned that they aren't expecting an initial rush of "purple houses" on the first day of implementation.  It certainly is interesting, and shows how much more important the rental market has become amidst the current housing crisis.

I have certainly not been a giant cheerleader for everything coming from Zillow.  However, they are doing many things right.  I have also had the opportunity to hang out with David on a couple of occasions.  He is a cool guy... and there aren't very many people with whom I can talk about South African Sports Cars.

I like free stuff.  Free stuff is good.  Good free stuff is better...

Right now, Microsoft is running BETA tests on MS Office 2010.  And it is a public BETA, so ANYONE can download and install the total MS Office suite.  This includes:

• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• One Note
• Outlook
• Access
• Publisher
• InfoPath
• SharePoint Workspace
• Communicator

This depends on exactly which version you download.  I didn't get InfoPath, SharePoint Workspace or Communicator.

And there certainly are some things to keep in mind.  To start with, these are only going to run until October

of 2010 (I have been told...).  Also, they are BETA releases, and so there may be bugs.  Microsoft has some specific instruction for trying it out.

Outlook 2010...

The reason I even ran across this is that I needed a calendar.  I have been sifting through a

PILE of calendar solutions over the last couple of weeks and not found a single one I liked as much as my old Outlook Calendar.  And I like the new one, too.

I haven't even opened the rest of the software, nor have I set up Outlook to handle my email... I am using Thunderbird 3... but just having the calendar function makes it worthwhile for me.

In the coming weeks I will likely dive into Publisher, and One Note has long been something I like to use with my Tablet PC.  I will also try to compare the functionality of Word and Excel to their counterparts in Open Office.

In  the mean time, they are free to try.

One last thing to keep in mind, this is a BIG download.  Expect it to take quite a while to download...

Here is the download link...

from LaneBailey.info

I have been VERY curious about Posterous.  I have watched about it, written about it, listened about it and played with it.  But I have really "used" it much. 

I'm a Man with an Excuse Plan...

While everyone else is shopping for nifty junk they don't need for people they may not like that much, I will be road tripping with a friend of mine.  Atlanta to Hampton, VA on Black Friday... then Hampton to Gaithersburg, MD on Saturday... and Gaithersburg back to Atlanta on Sunday. 

Pat and I have done a fair number of road trip together, but previously only a few people have been able to "share" in the experience.  We have made videos... shot pictures... even taken notes.  But never before have we posted the lowlights highlights of our road trips. 

In an effort to create new habits and change old ones, I will attempt to document the trip via Posterous.  I will be posting pictures, videos and even good old impressions via the typed word... 

Feel free to follow along...  I'd love to know that there are a few people paying attention...  It'll keep me honest. 

LaneBailey.Posterous.com

I've talked about it, as have many others... 

Social Media Plan...

But is it even possible?

During this morning's Social Media Breakfast - Atlanta, one of our members was talking about social media planning... and something occured to me.  Just moments before, we were talking about how social media tools had changed dramatically in just the last few months.  So...

How can we make a plan for a rapidly changing landscape?

Can a surfer make a plan for the wave?  Or does the wave unfold and he reads it and responds? 

It would seem obvious that while a surf has an idea of what he wants to accomplish, and generally how he wants to accomplish it, planning the steps can be a trap.  The wave will probably break one way... but may break another.  The wave may offer a tube opportunity, or it might close up and trap you.  Or you might just sit on a board all afternoon waiting for a good opportunity... 

But, you can't sit on the beach and decide how it is going to go... and you can't even paddle into the wave knowing exactly what you are going to do...  You have to rely on guts and experience.  And you have to be ready to change everything you are doing at any moment. 

I think that is a WHOLE lot more like Social Media than planning a marketing campaign...

Settle for an idea...

Maybe a destination...

Perhaps even the board...

But know that the scape you are looking at from the beach won't be the one there when you are sitting in the water.  And the waves that pass you by won't be like the one you try to ride... and it will change every inch of the way to shore. 

FaceBook changed everything > Twitter changed everything > Posterous changed everything > ???