Pocket Apex stand alone version.

[Frederick R. Ruffell]

Just got off the phone with Apex Tech support. A stand alone version of pocket Apex will be avbailable in the next two weeks (they hope). You will need to have the Apex 32 bit version on your desk top for the pocket apex to interface with. Apex does have upgrade deals for those of us still running the old versions. For example if I have purchased ACI 32 bit program I can get Apex 32 bit upgrade for $49. The cost of the pocket Apex is $99.00. I can't wait!!! 8) 8)

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Frederick,

Do you have a PDA? Have you seen how small the screens are? I am sure there are some people that do their sketches on that small screen, but most homes I get to measure are just plain too large to fit on that tiny screen. I have the jornada, Pocket Total and Pocket Apex. I found it impossible to check to see if I input the diminsions correcty. I had a wall that went up 34.2, left 6.5, up 2.2, left 6.2, right 2.2, left 6.5, left 8.2. All the diminsions were written? all over each other. Then I hit a wrong key and never did get it straightened out. I grabbed my clipboard and had the home rough sketched in 10 minutes. I spent longer than that before I retrieved the clipboard. I hope you are not as disappointed as I was. Plus I am used to making notes all over my sketches and you can not do that in Pocket Apex. I suppose you could just use the recording device, but pictures are worth a 1,000 words. Man, give me a cable modem problem for a full week and I am critical of everything.



Now give me a tablet PC and full apex and I am excited.

 

[Farm Gal]

Tim:

I am in agrement with the tablet pc issue for reasons you listed here ands eslewhere, but want to ask you how familiar were you with your handheld writing system PRIOR to testdriving the apex?

I use my handheld for many many things and find it quite convenient, my kid learned graffiti before she learned how to properly (well) write on paper!

Does honest assessment of your handheld skills indicate preference for paper on all occasions anyway?

Not an idle question as I am debating the wisdom of spending - or not -that 40 something on the sketcher....(having already decided that on the handheld the pocket ACI is a kludge) :evil:

Thanks!!

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Lee Ann,

I play around on the Jornada all the time. I can use it for minor tasks and did play solitaire on it. It took less than a minute to set up and link with wintotal. About another minute to download a report to the Jornada. That part was simple. But, to be frank and I always am, the screen limits what I want to do on site or might try to do. I thought I could just do the outside walls, label the rest when I got back to the office and be on my merry way. I drew simply a straight wall then an L shaped porch with a bay style window in the middle and was about to make my turn down the back wall and realized I could not see my last walls diminsions because there were three other numbers right on top of it. I lost patience with it on a simple semi-custom home. I have to admit that I have high expectations for these type items and I was disappointed.

I already have my site inspection down to a science of pure speed with notes and sketching. The Jornada has some features I would like to incorporate, but the screen certainly is too small even for note taking .

I have embraced most new technolgy, but my personal opinion is that the Jornada is not an appraisers friend like advertised. I can comp a property pretty quick at the office compared to the limited view you get on the Jornada screen and then you need re-proofread it again at the office. Sorry, I am not usually the grouch that I am this week although my wife would argue that point.

Seriously, give it a try. Let me know if the small screen inhibits you in any way. I am not really inhibited by the hand held device. I type better than I write and the little pointing device is a snap to use. My problem involves seeing the results on that tiny screen.

 

[George W Dodd]

Has anyone tried incorporating the sketch program with something like a smartPad2?

If uses infrared to transfer from paper to screen. I got one but it doesn't work for the ipaq 3970 yet. Something about the bluetooth...

Just wondering if some kind of bridge might be the best of both: draw the sketch on paper and having it save in the program at the same time. That would be nice!

 

[Russ]

Do not invest in anything, save your money for the new Tablet PC's coming out later this year! You get a full 14 - 15 inch touch screen with Windows XP operating system that will run any appraisal software you have! Smaller than a notebook, bigger than a palm top! Big enough to use the full Apex program (16 or 32 bit) and sketch those monster 5,000 square footers!

The new revolution of computers is coming! Will save us appraisers alot of time, you will actually be able to complete the report on site! Soon they will have digital cameras built in!

 

[Frederick R. Ruffell]

Russ,
Tell me more about Tablet PC's. Who what When etc...

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Frederick, check out my post "Tablet PC's". They are supposed to be out in November. Viewsonic already has one and I saw it on Ebay for $1,800 a couple of weeks ago. They are supposed to weight less than four pounds, Microsoft is helping develop them and several big companies working on them now. It is equivalent to carrying a flat screen monitor like a clipboard with touch screen, cd rom and usb ports.

 

[Farm Gal]

George's

Solution is sort of MY personal dream system, what I want (are you listening developers??) is a standardized paper format which locks into a 'paper side' so that I can hit checkboxes for some of the stuff,, a 'notes' section that permits non-report side notes, and a gridded paper sketch are which would permit sketch importation.. with the numeric entry overriding the grid sketch...

In MY world software crashes happen (regularly :roll: ) so I want a hardcopy fall-back.

Even the notebook though a good idea would fall second to such a system for ME. I don't have a great track record with things electroinic :wink: , though I would be wiling to give it a shot.

 

[EDWARD BERRY]

TO ALL,

Thanks so much for the Field Data info.

I do not have time or patience to use Apex in the field.

However the other data gathering items appear to be useful especially the sync features and hopefully the wireless transfer.

I do have question on the floor plan.

Can you not use 2-3 pages in the free form to draw the house with dims and then complete it at the office. My normal house sketch in the field is only about 3 x 4 (am nearsighted so can see a chiggen in a pin head)

Again, thanks for the info. ed in arkansas