Surface Pro 3 In The Field

[Leon Marcus]

I have seen posts asking about this but I have not really seen any clear answers. I currently use the Mobil sketch but would really like to be able to use something like the Surface Pro 3 or 4 to fill in much more of the report while I am out at the house. The surface uses a full version of windows not a tablet version so why would this not work? I have seen posts sort of saying it would not work but it seems like this is no different than taking a laptop out with you except more portable. So does this work or not?
The other thing is the sketching, since the mobil version connects to a Disto would the desktop version? I see it seems to have the ability but have not been able to get my computer to link the Disto so far.
Does anyone use a Surface in the field to fill out the report and sketch?
I have tried the total app but that is no help at all and nothing but problems transferring what I do have into a report without causing problems that take longer to fix than if I just fill it in at the desk.

 

[Leon Marcus]

Hey, good question.
It's kind of odd that nobody is ever tried this or that the people at Ala Mode who watch this form wouldn't even have any input on this.
Well, I just purchased a Surface Pro so I can tell you from experience that using the surface Pro, you can fill out the form pretty much like you do on your computer while you're out in the field. So to me that's a benefit because I'm used to looking at the form and it's "natural state". Depending how each person does their inspection you may have to make some adjustments as to how you use the tablet.
I am used to walking through the property while I drive my sketch and take notes directly on the sketch. Luckily the surface pro has the ability to split the screen so I am able to have a basic "sketching" program run directly next to the appraisal form so I can work on both pretty much at the same time.

The drawback for me, is the sketching. Obviously you can use the Total sketch which obviously works on the surface Pro.
I have been using Apex since the late 90s and am used to that. That's obviously available for the surface pro as well.

So I have been trying to use the total sketch so I don't have to pay that additional fee to have Apex work with the software but, I just recently found out doing a new custom house that has not yet been built off of the blueprints total sketch does not have the ability to put an actual dimensions where as Apex has absolutely no problem with any kind of dimension you want to put in.
The problem I ran into was that the blueprints for this house had measurements in feet and inches only. So with Total sketch having a wall that is 12' 3 3/4" you have to spend time converting that into decimal inches or put a measurement that is knowingly wrong just to make it easy on yourself to do the sketch.
So instead of wasting time trying to convert measurements into decimal feet are use the professional sketching program, Apex, which allows me to put in whatever dimensions I need to put in.
The only drawback to that is the actual program itself is expensive for the surface tablet.
A cheaper way to use apex and total is to get an android tablet and use their app for a very low price but the app for the appraisal software is less than great.

So yes, the surface can work great out in the field. Just be sure to get a good cover and screen protector. I would also suggest getting an i5 not i7 since the i7 gets hotter and in the summer could possibly cause overheating issuers if you live in a hot area. I got the i7 and it works fine but it does get hot.

 

[Kevin Hauck]

...not much help for the OP but on my total sketcher if I type 12 <Tab> 3.75 <enter> it converts the fractional inches to decimal feet.

 

[Leon Marcus]

So nobody minds spending extra time figuring out fractions to decimals? Apex I type 12 <tab> 3 <Tab>1/2. I would rather not spend any time beyond just typing in the actual number. I have had people say they just round the number. Apparently that is what Alamode thinks most appraisers do. Whatever the measurement is that is what I think should be used no rounding.

 

[Kevin Hauck]

Like I said in in my first post, it works the same way in Alamode's total sketcher.

 

[Leon Marcus]

Yes, very poorly

 

[dbiggers]

Hey, good question.
It's kind of odd that nobody is ever tried this or that the people at Ala Mode who watch this form wouldn't even have any input on this.
.

If you'll look at the prior threads that you reference, you'll see that this topic of Windows 8/10 Surface and similar tablets in the field has been literally beaten to death, with many, many comments and recommendations by my staff and by me on the subject. I'm not sure why we'd weigh in on the exact same things we've talked about before.

I'm also confused on your Apex comments -- this is a profession, and you should use the tools you need. If you feel you need Apex, buy it. Why complain about a few hundred dollars for the tool you prefer? They're good at sketching, it's all they do, and you're used to it. And, we do zero to stop you from using it. In the time you've spent posting about it, you could have taken an extra appraisal assignment and paid for the Apex cost already. ;-)

Apex chose to terminate our agreement and remove its product as the default sketcher for TOTAL years ago, driving costs up for everyone. We responded with a built-in free sketcher, because we think basic sketching is a commodity. It certainly wasn't a market we chose to enter, but considering that we did so reluctantly, we think TOTAL Sketch is a solid competitor -- as do the majority of our users who now rely on it instead of Apex. Considering that nobody else supports a sketcher across all the various platforms and inside a comprehensive data gathering family of tools, we think we're doing very well in the sketch business.

We're in the middle of a massive upgrade of it (new UI, new web-compatible drawing canvas, etc.), so it'll get even better and share almost 100% of the code across all platforms. Maybe one day you'll like it -- but even if that never happens, just use Apex and be happy. It's not free, but that's not our call.

 

[Kevin Hauck]

Yes, very poorly

Bless your heart.

 

[Leon Marcus]

I have read as many of the posts about using one in the field but nobody actually gave any direct answer. I saw a bunch of "its not quite the same" or not "as intuitive" etc. I saw nothing saying definitely no or definitely yes.
The thing is, It seems to be exactly the same as using my main computer at the office. I saw nobody saying there really is no difference. That is what I was looking for when trying to decide if I wanted to go ahead and get a surface Pro for that purpose. If there was a discussion saying that I must have missed that one.
I wanted to see if using a full windows tablet with all the software I use was a realistic expectation I saw nobody saying so. Just a lot of "it may not be what you expect".
Seeing how it works I cant see why nobody just simply said yea, its the same thing on a tablet, desktop pc or laptop.

For the sketch, my responses are based on frustration of the function of the program. It seems to me it was meant to make everything easy but is nothing more than frustrating after using Apex. I used a number of other "sketch" programs over the years and yes total sketch was better than those other ones. I gave it a solid 2 months of trying, as far as software I catch on very quickly, and after 2 months the frustration and problems never got worked out. I am just saying that since 1998 (+-) Apex has NEVER field me, never caused delays or problems of any kind, NEVER. That is the kind of program I would think anyone would want to copy.