How do you enter data on site?

[Jeff Knight]

You guys should check out this new product also... it is the same concept as Citrix but for a mobile handheld device instead. Could be a very interesting product. We are probably going to get one in-house and see how it works.

http://www.celiocorp.com/

Jeff Knight
Knights Software Solutions, Inc.
www.knightssoftware.com
"Leading handheld inspection software for 10 years."

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Interesting. You could just get an EEE PC though and carry it around for $299 and have a bit more processing power. Let me know how it works. Since it's running over bluetooth, there might be some lag, hard to tell.

[Jeff Knight]

Dominic,
You can run it through a direct USB connection also. Plus you can now copy files easily to your PocketPC through a thumbdrive. I am wondering if you can burn pictures to an external CD burner connected to the USB port also. This gives an inspector the flexibilty of carrying around a PocketPC sized device to do his data collection and then using the same processor to edit the document with this portable Citrix type device. In essence you can have your cake and eat it too.

[Hugo J. Villalobos]

Have you all seen HTC's line-up of portable devices. Interesting variations running Window Mobile 6.0/6.1 to Windows Vista and/or XP. Check them out by looking up the HTC X7501 or new HTC X7510 or the HTC Shift. Interesting machines in size, processing, and capablities. I know one person using the X7501...works like a phone (albeit a bit large) but awesome display and FAST. Has GPS too and very flexible with WIFI and Bluetooth. The newer X7510 is faster and has more memory but the price points are above a reasonable HP Laptop Convertible. The HP X2500 is around $1000 well equipped while these protable HTC machines range from $900 to about $1600 depending on where you buy them.

[Jeff Knight]

Yes...and the HTC Shift can actually run BOTH the Vista OS and the Windows Mobile OS (in a limited version) on the same machine.

[Lindsey Terry]

Bah!

I think everyone should use the things that make him comfortable and works for him

You can't ask my grandpa to carry a laptop to upload data... he will be basicaly disturbed and would not be able to do any sales at all.

[relliott]

Originally Posted by Lindsey Terry

Bah!

I think everyone should use the things that make him comfortable and works for him

You can't ask my grandpa to carry a laptop to upload data... he will be basicaly disturbed and would not be able to do any sales at all.

He also does not belong to the biggest Inspector association in the world.
So he may be making poor choices.

[zswieca]

I only use a camera and create the report with a computer back at the office.


Rockway Home Inspection
http://www.SanAntonioTexasHomeInspector.com
San Antonio Texas, San Antonio based home inspection company offering services throughout San Antonio and surrounding counties.

[kweiss]

I was a big PDA user for years. I was actually one of the "ones that got away" that Dom referred to because of that fact. The PDA with HG or similar was a very viable way to do things. If I was diligent on site I could have all of the commentary completed on the hand held when I left, between canned and custom comments. Then I would upload to the laptop, download pics, download IR, insert pics, and finish up. The process worked pretty well. However, there were some negatives to this method:

1. the possibility of the PDA dying - happened twice in 3 plus years. ( I used two different IPAQs in that time)

2. The template on the PDA had to be updated by the laptop. If you changed the template - ie added a custom comment to your library, it modified the template. Then the next report you did would not be able to modify the template. Since I normally do two per day, this would cause minor annoyance for me. And in general tended to make me not save things to the template - which in turn led to more time onsite entering custom comments on the PDA - doable but tedious and time consuming.

3. I never found that the "jump" feature on the HG software worked very well. Tried it a couple times and gave up.

At some point earlier this year, after my PDA battery died unexpectedly, I tried using a digital recorder and taking lots of pictures (which I did also with the PDA.)

I find this to be much much faster. I did not realize how much time I was spending entering things on the PDA, particularly the custom comments. Switching to simple voice notes has shaved 30 - 45 minutes off my onsite inspection time. It also warks better with closely following clients. I would always find it hard to keep up with entering information on the PDA when I had a follower and was talking a lot to them (which I don't really mind.) With the VR it is easier to keep up, once they understand what you are doing - the comment you make into the VR alerts them of what is up and you can expand after making your note.

The time I save in the actual inspection process actually gives me enough time that I can finish the report on my laptop onsite if I wish. Or I can do it back in the office or in the car if I do not wish to stay onsite. There is no real pressure here to deliver a report onsite. Either way I do it, I now completely finish the report and send it in the same time I used to spend onsite with the PDA.

If you do take notes in some form I would recommend trying some form of recorder. It is faster at the time. Most any software will be faster to enter information from an actual computer, wherever you chose to do it.

The biggest limiting factor I am still seeing, that I see no work around for at this time, is the pictures. No matter how I gather the data, I have to get the digital pics in and I have to process and load the IR pictures in to the report.

It has occurred to me lately that being on the phone with someone in front of a computer while inspecting might be a time saver. But it doesn't seem particularly feasible.

[Bob Elliott]

My question to anyone using pencil and paper or tape recorder is this.
WHY?
Since we all use a camera what would you need notes for as the camera records everything.

What does it not record that you guys feel would be left out ?

Trying to understand .

This is for guys doing at home (just in case).

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Because Bob if you go with a voice recorder, you get a digital voice recorder that allows you to download your notes directly into a document. Then you can just copy and paste them into your report. No transcribing!

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by dmaricic

Because Bob if you go with a voice recorder, you get a digital voice recorder that allows you to download your notes directly into a document. Then you can just copy and paste them into your report. No transcribing!

That is not the question Dom as what most of these are referring to is using voice records as their own personal notes to remember items in the inspection.
What software allows insertion of voice notes? and I sure would like to see that print out.
Related I tried Dragon on digital voice and it was not that great.

[kweiss]

Bob,

I take the voice notes for two reasons.

1. To create a record of the findings that compliments the pictures, describes the pictures, etc. I actually save the voice notes in the folder for each inspection. I have not tried any transcribing software - generally I make a short quick voice note that reminds me of what to write or what comment to pick - "toilet loose at floor - master bath" or "shower leaking - master." Then I have an appropriately fleshed out comment saved on the software or in my mind that I write when doing the report.

2. Because, while pictures are enough 75% of the time, there are situations where the picture does not show the problem because there is nothing to show or it does not show well in the picture. For example, the toilets are running in two of the 5 bathrooms and two of the 5 toilets are loose at the floor - no picture needed, but I need to make comments. If I make a quick voice note, I don't have to worry about remembering which bathrooms to note. Usually, I do the reports at the end of the day at the office, sometimes the two houses will run together a little. Having notes seems prudent.

Now that I have used this method for 6 months I find that I tend to fill out a large portion of the report by memory and from the pictures as I am in a certain section of the software. But I like the completeness of running through the voice notes to double check myself. Just like I scroll through all of the pictures to make sure I covered all of them, even if I failed to make the voice note about the problem.

[Michael Larson]

I no longer use voice notes or paper.

What can't be told with a photo?

I'm curious.

[rmaday]

Originally Posted by belliott

My question to anyone using pencil and paper or tape recorder is this.
WHY?
Since we all use a camera what would you need notes for as the camera records everything.

What does it not record that you guys feel would be left out ?

Trying to understand .

This is for guys doing at home (just in case).

Because it makes the data input faster.
(I've actually changed from putting in pics first to doing the written first.)

Notes are laid out exactly like the software and simple click to insert data.

No need to sort through pics first. Pictures take up the bulk of my report time.