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[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by lcapaul

It's not the resolution that's the problem, it's that you can't choose between landscape and portrait. I use my Ipaq as a checklist, what's easy to select I use in Mobile, otherwise it goes on my recorder, my libraries are getting better which makes Mobile easier to use, my main complaint though is still the excessive time it takes to review or print your report, which includes editing the layout of the summary and narrative reports.

I did two old crappy duplex inspections Sunday, when I did the reports I used two computers, these old ratty places take more time to write up and a little tweaking, I don't like to divide a paragraph between two pages etc. so I usually need to review the report a couple of times, the changes only take a minute or so, but seeing them in the review seems to take longer each time.

I can pull up 720 Page PDF in seconds, but it takes forever to pull up even a summary review that contains only a few pages

I also cannot upload my contract and have the graphics display, and I can't upload my PDF WDO Inspection Form, not biggies but irritating in $1000 software.

I'd like to see the format you use that you mentioned awhile ago, it sounds pretty slick.

I've only played around with HG, it probably has it's own set of irritating features

Overall I like InspectVue, is it the Best, I don't know, I've only played with the others

I am telling you that hand held POS is part of the problem Lew. My Dell AXIM sits on the desk at home, it took more time loading the file in the pocket PC and then tapping on that tiny screen , then loading it back on a computer, then it takes me to do two reports.

[wforsyth]

ReportHost is looking better and better the more I read. It has none of the listed problems and has the WDO reports readily accessible. Not bad at all.
HiSpecPro is awesome. Very affordable and no issues so far. The new version allows you three photos per concern as well.

[jlerch]

Once again, the world's foremost authority...

[tneumann]

I remember RH having other problems....down servers......if you are internet based reporting...and the server goes down at a bad time....oopsie.

Perhaps they got that figured out and it will never happen again.

[dbush]

Unfortunately, I use Satellite Internet through Hughes.net because where I live, there are no other choices. Besides being expensive ($60.00/mo); I am also VERY weather dependent. If the weather is bad; I could not update my reports. With IV, which I like ALOT, I can print it off if need be. Brian, I sure like to be able to do the reports on my Axim while I am walking around.

[ntoll]

Odd how every one of Justin sales posts turns into a bash Inspectvue thread. I think all of the different programs have their own unique problems. One program may be almost perfect for me but a horrible experience for you.

Question for those that are complaining about the long transfer time for the hand held computers. How are they connected to the computer? If it is by USB cable, do you have an older computer that has the older 1.1 version of USB? I don't remember the exact numbers but there is a huge difference in speed between 1.1 and 2.0.

PS When I bought Inspectvue over a year ago, they told me the new version was due out "in the spring". I was naive enough to think that they meant last spring.

[lcapaul]

Who's bashing InspectVue? Overall I like it, the transfer times and especially the Preview and Print times are bugs, as has been said on this thread, every software out there has bugs, I don't compare InspectVue to other software because all I have done is play with their demos, I like HG from what I saw on the demo, but I didn't have time to really work with it, I do know you can preview your report a hell of a lot faster.

I'm using a 3.8 ghz PC, an on board card reader, and San Disk Extreme III flash card, it takes just over an hour to download a Library to the card, which is almost 3 times faster than my older Ultra II flash card, I can live with the hour because I don't update my libraries on the card unless I'm sitting around with nothing to do.

The delays that effect me are the preview and print times, I like to preview my reports and fix little glitches like sentences and paragraphs being split between two pages, and other things that may effect the appearance of the report, plus I keep tweaking the formats of the summary and narratives to make my reports, the preview slowness costs me a lot of time, and the busier I get the more time it costs me.

It's not bashing to point out bugs in the software, like I said I can adapt to the bugs, as long as they are fast bugs. Hopefully Ver5 will fix these, it's good software that could be better, just like everything out there

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by dbush

Unfortunately, I use Satellite Internet through Hughes.net because where I live, there are no other choices. Besides being expensive ($60.00/mo); I am also VERY weather dependent. If the weather is bad; I could not update my reports. With IV, which I like ALOT, I can print it off if need be. Brian, I sure like to be able to do the reports on my Axim while I am walking around.

I thought I would like the hand held too Dave, but it is more bother to me than it is worth. It is just easier for me to look at whatever I am inspecting and walk back to the computer and enter it. This works especially well if you have many of the narrratives pre selected for different areas of the house.

[Brian E. Kelly]

An hour Lew, man that is a long time. I think my AXIM took about 10 minutes of so.

As for previewing the report it comes up in about 15 or 20 seconds for me. I believe you may be able to send your forms to Lorne and he could insert them into your report, call him and ask.

And stop worring about sentences being on two pages Lew, no one reads the entire report anyway, you are just wasting time.

[lcapaul]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

An hour Lew, man that is a long time. I think my AXIM took about 10 minutes of so.

As for previewing the report it comes up in about 15 or 20 seconds for me. I believe you may be able to send your forms to Lorne and he could insert them into your report, call him and ask.

And stop worring about sentences being on two pages Lew, no one reads the entire report anyway, you are just wasting time.

Brian,

You're right, I just timed previewing several of my reports, it's only around 50 seconds, although it sure seems longer when I'm working on a report, I've hit preview when working on a report, got up, got a cup of coffee, and came back and the preview still hadn't loaded, I know its just trying to trick me today.

I have my Summary in the front of my reports, that's where I don't like paragraphs and sentences split, in the Narrative it doesn't bother me, I also have my photo's with the related narrative in the summary, and I use the full narrative in place of the summary Narrative.

The buyers and realtors seem to like it, using that option it makes the summary longer but more informative and it stll only lists the "needs service" items.

I had one realtor show me a HG report a couple of months ago and tell me how much she liked the check box system in the summary, she said she could just look at that and not have to read the report, now she says she likes my summary better, because it's still pretty quick and yet it provides more information. and she likes the pictures.

That's why I like InsectVue, it's tweakable, just a lot of work, a constant work in progress, I swear when I'm really working on a report it takes ten times longer to Preview, I'm going to time it tonight when I'm doing my report from this afternoon's inspection, in the damned snow again. I'm tired of winter.

[ntoll]

Originally Posted by lcapaul

The delays that effect me are the preview and print times, I like to preview my reports and fix little glitches like sentences and paragraphs being split between two pages, and other things that may effect the appearance of the report, plus I keep tweaking the formats of the summary and narratives to make my reports, the preview slowness costs me a lot of time, and the busier I get the more time it costs me.

I agree with you here. The delay is because it is "printing" to a pdf file. I would love for the program to format the report to a word file instead of a pdf. That way I can make changes directly to it instead of going back and forth. When it is complete, I can convert it to the more secure pdf format for the client. This would be extremely helpful for contracts, invoices and letters. I suggested it on the old PV forum but as I recall, there was no response.

[Christopher Currins]

I have been looking at several different ones too. I wanted to know if anyone has used either of these. www.InspectionReportCreator or the Borealis InspectNow. I like the InspectNow,but I havn't bought it yet.

[lcapaul]

Originally Posted by wforsyth

ReportHost is looking better and better the more I read. It has none of the listed problems and has the WDO reports readily accessible. Not bad at all.
HiSpecPro is awesome. Very affordable and no issues so far. The new version allows you three photos per concern as well.

I recommend ReportHost to new inspectors because of the 15 or so free reports and the pay per report feature, that's a great feature for someone starting out and not wanting to spend all the money for software,

The pay as you go Insurance that Nick announced will be a great help too. Allen Insurance was offering it at the ITA EXPO in Vegas, but it was only for the first year, I don't know what Nick's deal is but it would be nice for part timers if it weren't tied to their first year only, and I don't believe Allen's offer was for Occurance type E&O that would be needed in Washington as a substitute for the SPI Bond.

I took you off ignore to see if you were rambling on about your dislike for "Boiler Plate", you suprised me, try InspectVue and some of the others, you'll find that you can change the boiler plate to what ever you want, and edit it for individual Inspections and unique situations.

[wforsyth]

Thanks Lewis. Have you looked at HiSpec? It is similar in nature I think to Inspectvue and Homegauge. It has really nice features such as scheduling and all. I have a trial CD for Inspectvue as well as Homegauge and I have the full software for HiSpec.

LOL, I just saw how close I posted under you. Boy, that's making a liar out of me!

[rgardner]

O.K. Evryone. For the new kid on the block, following this thread, please share thoughts on InspectIT Office Pro. I like the formatting but would yield to the years of expertise you all bring. As well, it's hand held version seems to prevent possibly missing anything, (as I have yet to develope a process or rythm). It also has the option of "pay-as-you-go". Thoughts...?
Ron