Windows Tablets For Fieldwork

[Randall Garrett]

I just observed that the prices for the microSD cards mentioned in the post above have been reduced even further...
The cards range from 32 GB ($7.49) up to 512 GB ($84.99) but I believe the most popular are the 128 GB and the 256 GB, which are now $18.99 and $29.99, respectively

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0887P21Z2/?tag=realestatappraat​

Note: Evidently, this site is automatically adding the "tag=realestatappraat" at the end of the actual "raw" link for their own purposes. I am not doing that, so like with my other posts here, I am not marketing anything and I will not get any compensation for a sale if you decide to purchase one (or more) of these cards. I do not imply that anything nefarious is going on - I just didn't want any readers here to assume that I was now starting to monetize my posts on this forum. If you were to go to the article listed below and select the link to the cards from that site, that site will add a "tag", presumably for a "commission" as well (which does not adversely affect your price from what I can tell.)

[Edit] - I missed this sale price and just read about it on another site () and I thought a quote (which I agree with, LOL) from their article would be helpful:

"Samsung's EVO Select microSD cards are extremely popular and for good reason. They are some of the fastest and most reliable microSD cards out there. This Class 10 UHS 3 card has read speeds of up to 100MB/s and write speeds of up to 60MB/s. It works great for recording video (even 4K), as well as playing mobile games, taking pictures, and more. The card comes with a full-sized SD card adapter as well so you can put it into devices that accept SD cards instead of microSD cards." Link to full article: https://www.windowscentral.com/upgrade-samsung-evo-select-256gb-microsd-card-while-its-sale-30​

Hope this helps!


-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
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[Non Sequitur]

Any opinions on 4G lte laptops options? Or wait for 5G?

 

[Randall Garrett]

Any opinions on 4G lte laptops options? Or wait for 5G?

I'm looking at this topic for a relative this week and next, so I'll let you know what I find out. They have a particular set of things they want and so far no one device has them all, so it'll likely come down to a few minor (?) compromises... Do you have any "hot buttons?" Screen size/resolution/RAM/CPU, favorite (or least) brand? FWIW, though, For my own purposes, I'm only excited for the 5G stuff to hit so that the 4G variants will come down in price. I'm not finding that 4G is a particular bottleneck - at least, not enough to offset the negatives...

-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

cards range from 32 GB ($7.49) up to 512 GB ($84.99)

My cameras cannot keep up with it. The most some of them can handle is 32Gb and I've had only 1 camera claim it should work with 64Gb but apparently I didn't have the right 64Gb card as it would not function with it. My older cams max at 16Gb and my oldest car cam won't work on anything higher than 32Gb. My elderly Pentax 10D which still works well can only use 2 or 4Gb cards...

 

[Non Sequitur]

15inch minimum, pretty much looking for something that's more along the line of a traditional notebook to replace what I have now. Not really interested in touch screen or using it for anything other than having it 4G/5G capable as opposed to using a hotspot.

Thanks!

 

[Randall Garrett]

Still researching laptops and because I am also searching for that "perfect" device for myself, it's taking longer than I had expected. I wanted it for an upcoming ~3 week trip, but it looks like the decision for my own use will have to wait until mid-October. I'll attempt to share some info before I leave in a few days.

Getting back to the Tablet stuff, FWIW, I am seeing reports that a "platinum" version of the SPX may be shipping this fall. It is reported to have an upgraded CPU, more keyboard choices and the OS is planned to finally offer 64-bit app emulation for this ARM device. There are suggestions that it may also offer 5G. I'm excited about the better CPU and 64-bit thing as they are aimed at some substantial performance improvements (incl. battery life) and, as you know, I feel that a "platinum" color is more practical for most devices. I'm pretty sure that my "old" SPX1 will be moved into a testing role as soon as the next gen is available.

Again, I will very likely be away from my devices during the day while on this driving trip, but I'm usually able to get on-line in the evenings, especially once I reach my destination in CA.

-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/

 

[Randall Garrett]

I am still away from my desk, on some personal business in CA and not likely back home for another week to 10 days.

Not solely tablet related, but thought I'd do a quick post on the recnt MS announcements.

The Surface Pro X is getting a relatively mild CPU/GPU bump along with the "platinum" color they should have had all along (IMHO.) The color option alone is enough to make me consider upgrading, but again, the size of the 13" SPX screen may make it a little large for using for inspections. As a really ultra-portable laptop replacement, however, I find the form factor to be very convenient for my own use. For mostly residential inspection-related activities, the Surface Go 2 is still the better fit IMHO. The new SPX also has more keyboard cover color options, bit I still prefer the "plain black"... IF/when I get a new SPX, I will report on my observations between the old and the new model. Of note, MS is releasing an update in November which will add support for X64 emulation, which will add significantly better performance to a lot of "legacy" software titles. This is perhaps a big deal for some users who are still dependent on old software suites whose developers have not (will not?) commit to recompiling their software to accommodate newer "environments." This OS software improvement will also work with the older SPX, so that is good

MS announced the new Surface Laptop Go today with Core i5 for $549 (4 GB RAM, 64GB eMMC), $699 (8GB RAM, 128 GB SSD) and $899 (8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD.) It has a 3:2 aspect ratio screen which measures 12.45 inches diagonally and is a real "PixelSense" screen @ 1536 x 1024 resolution, so it is about the same size as the screen found on the more recent Surface Pro line. If you can't find one locally right now, take a look at a Surface Laptop 3 and imagine it with a smaller screen. None of these laptops have Windows Hello cameras, but the two "upper tier" models have a fingerprint reader built into the power button for biometric authentication. I'm sure you'll soon see some user reviews but for now, I'm linking to a preview article with more info, including a video. https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-laptop-go-549-official-announcement

Another announcement on a small item is an upgrade to the MS Wireless Display Adapter ("dongle.") I currently carry the previous version with me while traveling as it is very handy for connecting my devices to a compatible monitor or TV. The old one was limited to HD resolution but I had good success using it with 4K TVs which featured respectable upscaling. I also carry a USBC-to-regular USB adapter since my SG2 and SPX both have USBC only, but hopefully the new one uses USBC right out of the gate. The new one is rated at 4K so I am definitely upgrading mine ASAP. The old one is still available for $45 and the new one will run $70. I would imagine that there already are (or soon will be) other similar devices on the market which may work better for you and/or be less expensive but I tend to use the "official" accessories first... Here is a link to a short article on the adapter (the pic looks like my current one to me.) https://www.windowscentral.com/microsofts-new-wireless-display-adapter-projects-your-pc-4k-70

Hope this helps!

-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/

 

[Randall Garrett]

FWIW, the short article linked below gives a pretty good summarization regarding whether you should consider a Surface Go 2 or a Surface Pro 7 for your mobile needs. Summarily, the article points out the major factors which might affect your decision.

That said, keep in mind that if you go with a Surface Pro introduced in the last few years, the Core i5 is the better choice if you are spending a good portion of your time outdoors. Those models are "fan-less" so they do not circulate (dust/dirt/pollen, etc.-laden) air through the vent holes. Just remember how dusty your regular computers get while in your office space and then picture an environment that has more contaminants floating about and getting trapped by the very small passageways necessary for such a small device. I suggest that your mobile needs do not require a core i7 CPU. Heck, even a properly configured desktop configured with a core i5, sufficient RAM and other speedy components is more than adequate for appraisal software suites... In any case, the thermal profiles for the Surface Go 2 and fan-less Core i5 Surface Pros mean a longer running device which is not nearly as susceptible to airborne contaminants...

Link to article: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-surface-go-2-vs-surface-pro-7

Hope this is helpful!


-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+

PS - I should be back in my office by mid-October (ish) and will be getting some performance numbers from tests (done mainly by Brian) put together as well as some (personal) observations from using only my SG2 m3 and my SPX gen 1 for these past few weeks. I hope to show these by running our existing Sketch software as well as some other products which are on a final glide path toward public launch. Some software consists of products previously mentioned while others are new for Apex. These products new to Apex are the result of some strategic moves within our larger "Enterprise" products, but I aim to drive these products & services toward a line geared toward fee appraisers, since that is where I came from and I feel that this segment of the industry is underserved. Don't fret, though, I will NOT be engaging in advertisement here - I'll aim to illustrate performance "metrics" on my own mobile devices using some of our own products which are way more robust in terms of things you do daily and which also have more "heavy lifting" aspects to them so that you can get a better feel for "real world" performance in the appraisal segment, residential and commercial. Given the scope of the software, I am certain we (Apex) WILL be doing ads, demos, etc., but I won't be doing that sort of thing here!

/end/

 

[Meandering]

Randall,

Did the owners of Clarocity buy your company???

iLOOKABOUT Closes Acquisition of Apex Software and Expands Credit Facilities with the Bank of Montreal​

GlobeNewswire October 1, 2020

 

[Randall Garrett]

Randall,

Did the owners of Clarocity buy your company???

iLOOKABOUT Closes Acquisition of Apex Software and Expands Credit Facilities with the Bank of Montreal​

GlobeNewswire October 1, 2020

Hi Meandering,

Yes, ILOOKABOUT ("ILA") did an Asset Purchase of Starcap Marketing, LLC on October 1st, 2020. Starcap has been the "parent company" of Apex Software since ~the mid 1990's, I think - it's been so long, I can't remember the actual date I formed Starcap with one of my existing Apex employees, and added a few other non-employees in sort of a "board" capacity. Anyway, for all intents and purposes, ILA recently purchased what people here know as Apex Software and I believe it is a good thing!

My company, Starcap Marketing, is still in existence and I believe it will be for years to come. If the "Apex Purchase" is something that people here want/need more info on, I'll see about us making an announcement tailored to this market. I have, however, observed how the sales of other Fee Appraiser software companies have not seemed to have been popular by the readers here... Just look at the reader counts on the various threads here - they are generally very negative, despite the claims made by the new or old owners. Hence, I won't make claims that people who want to see something bad coming out of this won't believe anyway (LOL) - I'll let the actual performance going forward speak for itself. FWIW, I remain the Managing Partner at Starcap Marketing but my "day job" is as a senior employee of ILA, and am excited to be a part of the growth going forward. I can't (and won't) speak to actual products coming - you all know how I feel about "marketing" type things on my threads - but FWIW, some of the products we will (finally) be able to bring to this market are things I believe are good for our customers here. IF they are discussed here, I envision that they will be handled like this one is here - to discuss the topic at hand (the good, the bad, the "how-to" and "what needs to be added", etc.) and not as a thinly disguised advertisement ;-)

Let's get back to discussing Windows Tablets on this thread, please. Again, if folks here want to discuss this item in more detail, that is fine. but let's start a new thread vs. "polluting" this one. A lot of people bookmark this thread to keep up on what is discussed here.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
(I guess I need to add a fancy title now, LOL)
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