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Windows Tablets For Fieldwork

Hi Folks,
Sorry about the lack of posts on my part lately. I did, however, post something a couple of weeks ago, but for whatever reason, it didn't "take." I had posted a "few" (ha!) words about the changes in my "daily drivers" list and my initial thoughts on suitability for the typical reader here. Now that I've had some more time with things, I'll be getting my thoughts together and I'll post again in a few days. I'm about to be away for a "quickie Christmas trip" to see family in CA and then I'll be back in TX for the last week of the year. Soon afterward, I'll be away on a journey but I aim to report regularly as I'll have routine access to an Internet connection, so I'll have additional feedback on how my selected mobile gear is performing. For now, however, I just want express my hopes that you and yours are now, and will stay, safe and healthy. Peace be with you all!

+Randall Garrett+
/end/
 
Another apology for the lack of contact lately. we are scheduled to be back in TX the first week in April. In the meantime, my thoughts on the MS Surface Laptop Studio have not changed while on this long trip - it performs OK, no real complaints - but it is not something I would recommend as the best "Desktop replacement" for folks who travel OR are stationary. I have a lot more "distant lands" travels booked so I will be making a change for my "traveling desktop replacement" device. In the interim, I am also looking at a few devices which look to be more suitable for those wanting a full (or mostly full?) Windows experience for daily inspection type work. I still love my SG2 but, of course, there are newer units on the horizon and I believe the ones I have my eyes on are a better all-around device for most folks here. I will give you my thought on same once I take delivery and put it through a typical regimen of inspection-type activities. One, in particular, may surprise you - more to come.

In the interim, I hope you and yours are healthy and safe. I can tell you that, despite some misgivings about events surrounding us, we are still blessed to have the lifestyle that most of us enjoy in the USA/Canada, especially compared to things abroad I'm personally seeing over the last 3 months. Even in the spots most describe as a dream location, in many cases it appears to be a thin veneer...


-Randall Garrett-
(currently in/around "Polynesia")
/end/
 
I noted that MS has released a more modestly appointed model of the SG3 with 4G LTE for $499. That price sure beats the price for the "business model" that some of us bought a while back, The issue you'd want to consider is that is a model with the Pentium 6500Y CPU, only 4GB of RAM and just 64GB eMMC storage vs. the business model with Core i3 + 8 GB RAM and a 128 GB SSD, For MY needs, the $550 version with Pentium 6500Y, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD is the better buy since I have no problem using my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot and I'm not doing any "heavy lifting" with my Surface Go devices. Some of you may still be "tethered" to the old, bloated "full suite" software so the Core i3 is probably more appealing and the right choice for $730...

Here is a link to s short summary article showing the available models: https://liliputing.com/2022/03/microsoft-surface-go-3-with-4g-lte-now-available-for-730.html

As I mentioned earlier, I will be investigating some alternatives to the SG3 after my return to TX the first week of April. And, unlike in times past, I have no inside info on any upcoming changes to next Surface models.

Hope this is helpful!


+Randall Garrett+
/end/
 
PassnThru said:
Hey Randall. Just checking if you guys sold Apex? https://apexwin.com/appraiser/apexsketchvx/index.html
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late reply. I am on my way back to San Diego following a r/t cruise to Polynesia, and sometimes our internet connection is spotty, especially in the Southern Hemisphere where this particular ship has been routing through Australian Servers, so the ping times are bad and the bandwidth is compromised. We're just now getting more typical performance and I'm able to respond without too much difficulty. Things will predictably get much better by tomorrow morning.

With regard to your question about selling Apex - Yes, I mentioned this back around October of 2021. And as for the new product "AvX", I added a post touching on it here: https://appraisersforum.com/forums/threads/new-apex-sketcher.232098/#post-3145781

AvX is the realization of forthcoming products I mentioned starting a few years ago. Basically, Apex has taken that product which was originally destined first for our "enterprise" market, improved it and added a "Sketch Portal" which lets you securely upload and download your sketches and thus helping use AvX on a phone or iPad/Android tablet in the field and then use existing integration with your appraisal software to get the sketch into your report(s.) The link you provided includes a short intro video into the basic operations, etc. The video is a preliminary look at how the Portal portion lets a regular fee appraiser or other non-CAMA type use AxX outside of the mass appraisal market it was originally intended to service first. Keep in mind that the video is a preliminary look and not a flashy demo. I know that Brian was anxious to get it uploaded since he's been pushing for a long time for Apex to pay more attention to the fee appraiser market. I'm positive that he will be looking forward to getting your constructive feedback :)

Regards,


-Randall Garrett-
/end/
 
Randall Garrett said:
Sorry for the late reply. I am on my way back to San Diego following a r/t cruise to Polynesia, and sometimes our internet connection is spotty, especially in the Southern Hemisphere where this particular ship has been routing through Australian Servers, so the ping times are bad and the bandwidth is compromised. We're just now getting more typical performance and I'm able to respond without too much difficulty. Things will predictably get much better by tomorrow morning.

With regard to your question about selling Apex - Yes, I mentioned this back around October of 2021. And as for the new product "AvX", I added a post touching on it here: https://appraisersforum.com/forums/threads/new-apex-sketcher.232098/#post-3145781

AvX is the realization of forthcoming products I mentioned starting a few years ago. Basically, Apex has taken that product which was originally destined first for our "enterprise" market, improved it and added a "Sketch Portal" which lets you securely upload and download your sketches and thus helping use AvX on a phone or iPad/Android tablet in the field and then use existing integration with your appraisal software to get the sketch into your report(s.) The link you provided includes a short intro video into the basic operations, etc. The video is a preliminary look at how the Portal portion lets a regular fee appraiser or other non-CAMA type use AxX outside of the mass appraisal market it was originally intended to service first. Keep in mind that the video is a preliminary look and not a flashy demo. I know that Brian was anxious to get it uploaded since he's been pushing for a long time for Apex to pay more attention to the fee appraiser market. I'm positive that he will be looking forward to getting your constructive feedback :)

Regards,


-Randall Garrett-
/end/
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the update! Apex has been a top notch product through the years. Thank you for all you have done to provide such a great tool.
 
FWIW, I noted that Microsoft has posted discounted pricing on Certified Refurbished SG2 models ranging in price from $242.19 to $412.00
As in the past, I only recommend units with 8GB of RAM and the 128GB SSD since most of you may want to run one of your typical appraisal suites now and then.
I see them listed for the prices below - use the link and select the configuration you are most interested in. The $242.19 model is sold out, but that's OK in my book since it had 4$G of RAM and only 64GB of eMMC storage - really too underpowered for most of you IMHO.
  • $339.39 – Intel Pentium 4425Y, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD - WiFi only
  • $387.99 – Intel Core M3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD - WiFi only
  • $412.00 – Intel Core M3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD - LTE + WiFi


FWIW, I think that the best bank for the buck is the $412 model. I prefer the Core M3 models and, while you may not really need LTE, I think it would be prudent to get it since it is only a $24.01 increase.
I also noted that they were estimating delivery (to my area, anyway) in as soon as 2 days. I'd not be overly concerned by these models having "only" 128 GB of SSD - this is supposed to be a companion device. FWIW, while my personal SG2 has a 256 GB SSD, that unit is really (comparatively) expensive, and I've never had the SSD over 1/4th full. Also, I always recommend installing a beefy micro SD card in it for "emergencies" anyway - they are really inexpensive these days. Just be sure to get a name brand like SanDisk or Samsung - they run from about $16 (128 GB) to $28 (256GB)...

Hope this helps!


-Randall Garrett-
(Temporarily back in TX)
/end/
 
Saw these listings on-line today. I do not own one of these models but have used one for a couple of weeks while traveling and found it to be OK for the price at the time. With these lower prices, they are obviously a better deal. FWIW, I believe the 8GB of RAM is sufficient for a field-oriented companion device, but that said, I'd probably go for the one with 16GB of RAM since many would reasonably believe they could expect decent performance, even when doing some "moderately heavy" lifting... ;-)


Hope this helps!


-Randall Garrett-
/end/
 
Saw this today and thought I would pass it along. Like the author, I have not used this item, but I'll be interested to read their review. For now, though, it appears to be a suitable replacement for the MS pen and I can only hope that they used a stronger magnet since the one on regular Surface Pens is adequate but not particularly reliable when manhandling the tablet while climbing fences, crawling through an attic space, etc. ;-) People complain about that all the time, but to be fair, Lenovo and even the (ahem...) mighty iPad suffer the same level of "inadequate design." You would think that if Lenovo or Apple were going to continue to blatantly copy the feeble MS method of attachment, they would at least beef it up. OK ending my rant now, LOL. FWIW, the way the newer pen for the MS Surface Laptop Studio ("SLS")is a much better design as it has het to get knocked off in routine backpack transports and field work. Again, I find the SLS too bulky/heavy for any serious ("more than occasional") field work...

www.windowscentral.com

Check out this new $40 Surface Pen alternative from Adonit

Adonit has a budget-friendly alternative to Microsoft's Surface Pen.
www.windowscentral.com www.windowscentral.com

Hope this is helpful!


-Randall Garrett-
(Back in TX)
/end/
 
Missed this last week as I was on a personal "day trip", but I thought some of you might be interested in reading their take on the new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 Tablet vs. the MS Surface Pro 8 Tablet. Interesting numbers - enough to make me want to try one for myself. Of course, I already own way too many tablets, so maybe I will unload some of them first in a weak attempt to make another new purchase be unnoticed by my wife, LOL. Anyway, hope this is of interest to some of you. If anyone has one (or gets one), please let me know your thoughts.



-Randall Garrett-
/end/
 
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