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Pocket PC and a-la-mode

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TZitter

Sophomore Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Looking at purchasing a Toshiba e740 to use with pocket total.

Anyone out there using one?

Do they work well in the field?

Tim Zitter
 
Hey Tim:

I purchased a Toshiba e740 from about a week before they were officially released. I've been using it with Pocket Total ever since. I also purchased a cf camera for it. Since it has both a sd and cf slot, it works out great. I keep a sd card in it at all times to use as a backup. (once a day, and it backs the whole thing up in five minutes, all my files and programs; not just pocket total while I'm driving to an inspection, could not be easier.)

The camera quality is only so-so, so I use my Nikon with a cf card, I take the pictures with the Nikon, slip the cf card in the e740 and load the pictures into the proper place in seconds.

As far as the rest of the program goes, inspections go quicker than writing everything down (with all my quick lists, I hardly ever have to write anything down at all, just hit the drop down box and pick my response. Alamode is soon going to be releasing "Pocket Genie" I think its called, so you can customize the way the forms are, for example: right now I have to scroll down to get to the outside stuff first (road, side walks, street lights, etc) then scroll back up when I go inside, with pocket genie; I'll be able to move that section to the top and line up the other sections in the order that I usually do them, that will make life great!

Simple sketches I do in Pocket Apex, the screen is simply too small to do more complicated stuff, I also enjoy making voice notes with it that transfer into my workfile when I get back to the office, its a whole lot easier to speak it than to write it all down.

All in all, I love it. Its the best technology at the moment. I can't wait for the tablet pc's with the trans-flective screens coming soon, when that happens I may have to semi-retire my pocket pc.

I use the Wi-Fi around the house for reading my emails which works great, but surfing the net is not too practical with such a small screen.

Clinents also seem to enjoy the experience, especially since I'm using a Disto at the same time; it seems to give them something else to talk about instead of how much they think their home is worth!

Check out the prices carefully, I've seen it recently on the web for somewhere for $399.00 plus about $10.00 shipping whcih is about $200.00 less than at some stores.

Bill
 
Bill:

Can you give us a quick rundown on your 'max' complexity with pocket APEX in the field? In other words is it practical for more than a simple box?

Does it have redraw or snap-to functions?
(pesky homes which don't close :oops: ) til you find out it was wall #1 that blew the sketch :roll:

Glad ONE of the software companies is listening wrt field work is NOT form :evil: ACI are you listening???? There is a definite need to make the field form fill less cumbersome. :x
 
Hello fellow posters:

If I may throw my 2 bits in. You can definitely
draw more than a simple box, but the bigger the subject gets the smaller you drawing gets. Drawing Lower and Upper levels can get interesting too. As far as features it is packed full I have found that the Apex Keyboard works quite well and has all the same popular features that I use with the Desktop version. I have found that it has a nifty feature using the INSERT Key and the DELETE key for the drawings where wall one is the mistake. Just hit the Delete key until you get to the incorrect wall fix the error and hit Insert and will remember everything up to the point where you left off. It is a nice program and quite handy when you need to get the Square Footage on something in the Field. As of now I Apex for the simpler drawings and use my pencil and paper for the rest, but i also like to ad lots of details my drawing to like windows and doors sidwalks, etc. I hope this helped.

John.
 
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