Laser Measuring Device

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Originally posted by Doug Bingham@Aug 26 2004, 03:14 PM
Matt Johnson maybe?

Laser measuring devices? C'mon ..... this is appraising ... not Star Trek .. :rofl: :rofl:

If the Lord has made anything better than a Disto ... He, likely, has kept it for himself .... :lol:

Near as I can figure ... based on about the number of appraisal observation I complete annually, it will save me about 2 weeks a year or about 20 minutes per appointment .... $500???

Talk to Matt ....

Man, you are slow with a tape. Grandpa Doug.

Maybe you can perform Lasik on the side with that laser.

 

[DB]

I ain't measurin' trailers ..... (oops.. ) Uh.... Manufactured homes ....

did Lasik on the cat .... it can actually find the litter box now ..... The goldfish are better for it too ... they can now see the floating food and explored new parts of thier limited domain thanks to Disto Lasik ... Send me an armadillo and I will see if it will help them dodge cars ....

Besides .. in TN ... everyone believes in planting bushes ... right up next to the house .... like going on safari to measure one of the older homes ... and draggin' a tape through a second story IS a drag ....

They can have my Disto when they pry it from my cold dead fingers ...

 

[Sandra Herrera]

By far the best invention after digital cameras. They save time when you are out
in the field. One drawback is the laser is not visible in sunlight. They do have a
little window to view the laser with for this situation. I hear they don't work too well with with manufactured homes since there are so few targets. They are expensive but well worth every last penny. I have had mine for almost 2 years and never use my measuring tape anymore.



Have fun.



Sandra Herrera

 

[matt_johnson]

Randy,

What I told you at the conference was that something like that might come out in the future. There are currently no plans to integrate a PPC/Tablet, digital camera, and a DISTO into one unit. Before I get attacked, I am not hiding behind a confidentiality agreement when I say that, either.

 

[DB]

That's what we need .... a Digital, Disto, Camera, computer, pen ....... special paper will allows us to laser engrave, rather than write .... it will transmit to a mounted CPU in the truck .... so that every move we make is recorded on the disk ... like having an assistant .....

Or better yet .... the Bluetooth enabled Disto Frisbee!!.... you throw it and it circles the house, takes pictures of different angles, draws a sketch in 3-D and gives you an accurate measument ....

Matt .... wanna hire me for R&D???

:rofl: :rofl:

 

[Randy Beigh]

Matt

Thanks for the clarification and sorry about messin' up your name.

Anyway, that is the type of product I want.

 

[matt_johnson]

Randy,

No problem at all. I just didn't want anyone to get excited about a product that isn't even on the drawing board.

Personally, this type of gadget doesn't interest me. Here is why:

1) What happens if one part of it goes bad? Let's say the camera stopped working. How does an appraiser cope with the repair time?

2) Laser technology has arrived. The DISTOs are much more accurate than an appraiser needs. I don't know of any appraiser that reports their measurements to the 16th of an inch. On the other hand, digital cameras and the Pocket PCs/Tablets change every 6 months. Since a DISTO is built to last for a very long time, I'm not sure that I would want to commit to a Pocket PC/Tablet for that long. Software companies always want to use the latest operating systems when designing new programs. This is especially important in mobile devices because the new operating systems give them more freedom and flexibility. For instance, all of the new HP Pocket PCs are coming out with Windows Mobile 2003 SE. You can't upgrade the previous Pocket PCs to this operating system. If the proposed DISTO, PPC/Tablet, Camera unit had hit the street 6 months ago, all of those who own it wouldn't be able to upgrade to the new operating system. See where I am going with this?


In the future, I think we will see smaller DISTOs. That is the next step in their evolution. I know that many people complain about their current size. If you had bought one of the first DISTOs, you'd be really happy with their size. You almost needed a briefcase to carry them. Next spring, when the new Classic and Lite come out, I wouldn't be surprised if they are smaller. I haven't seen them, I'm just speculating at this point. In another 2 years, we'll probably see the size of the Plus (w/Bluetooth) decrease, too.

 

[DB]

Hey Matt ... while we're on the subject ... do you have an end piece for the classic 5 that has a metal tripod insert? My plastic one is almost shot ... Thanks brother!

 

[matt_johnson]

Do you just need an end piece? We have those. The tripod thread isn't located on the end piece.

 

[Jerry Lieb]

My son got me a laser for birthday. I measured my own house several times; both with the laser and the tape measure. Tape measure was the same each time (of course). The laser did not repeat the measurements; found an error of up to 3" on successive shoots. While 3" may not seem like much, it can add up on a large house. I returned the laser and got an electric moustache trimmer and Cuisinart with the store credit.