Pocket Total

[Joe LaRosa]

Pocket Total is advertised as being compatible with all software. Is anyone using this with ACI and if so - how does it work?

 

[wyecoyote]

Joe,

ACI has its own version for Palm Pilots. I have used the ACI version in the past took a long learning curve. If you try it use it when you are in a slump. Took about a month to get used to, it did help in filling out some of the form in the field but you still need the sketch and make some notes on the sketch pad. I stoped using it because my girlfriend stole Palm Pilot.

Ryan

 

[dbiggers]

Joe, what we've done and advertised is that all of Pocket TOTAL's integration is based on the open XML data language -- the same sort of XML used by all the vendors to do AI Reday and MISMO XML EDI -- so that every software vendor can integrate with it in a matter of a few hours of programming effort. It can be integrated with any software, but the vendor has to step up to the plate and do it. It's simple, it's free, and we give them sample code and full documentation. They can even call our programmers for help and we'll be glad to assist them.

My suggestion of course is for users like yourself to continue to put pressure on ACI to just integrate now with Pocket TOTAL instead of spending potentially a year or more writing their own. Their current Palm solution is not on par with Pocket TOTAL (that's not just my opinion -- go check the ACI forum on Yahoo and you'll see the same comment from their users), and they should recognize that, swallow their pride, and do their users a favor by simply writing a few lines of code so ACI users can take advantage of it immediately.

Of course, you can always switch forms vendors and get to use Pocket TOTAL every day like WinTOTAL users do. I'd hate to see them force you to do that. ;-)

Dave Biggers
CEO
a la mode, inc.

 

[graindart]

This is off topic, but Dave, any word on Pocket Apex? It's been advertised with Pocket Total since the new version came out (I think it's been out 2-3 months now?), but it seems like Pocket Apex is always been listed as in testing (Beta or something) and going to be released soon......any inside info you want to share? I can handle terms like 2 months, 5 months, 9 months, etc........but waiting months for "soon" just irritates the crap out of me.......

 

[dbiggers]

I hear you, and I agree with you. We hit our Pocket TOTAL deadline just fine, but Pocket Apex wasn't ready. Though we made the decision to ship Pocket TOTAL without Apex for the time being, I hate having it hanging over us and our users.

We can't control Apex's development speed, but we do want to be sure that the bugs are worked out before we roll that part out. Right now, there's only one "showstopper" bug in Pocket Apex that I'm aware of, and they're working on it diligently. All of the rest -- the integration, the registration process, core features, etc. -- appears to be solid, and our beta testers use it in the field every day. I'm hoping that it's a matter of days, not months, before our non-beta Pocket TOTAL users get Pocket Apex.

Meanwhile, everyone that owns Pocket TOTAL that I know of is using the FieldPad for the floorplan. It's actually a pretty nifty free-form sketcher, just like your clipboard.

Without pulling up your customer records, I don't know if you have Pocket TOTAL already or not (I assume you do from your post). But if you're waiting on Apex, there's no need to. Even without it, you can eliminate 100% of your clipboard using the new Pocket TOTAL.

When Pocket Apex is released, it will automatically install on your handheld the next time you sync it up. It's really easy.

Dave