Using a tablet PC in the field?

[Garret Roberts]

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, what I hoping to do is my inspection reports during inspection and thought of possibly using a tablet, because of the touch screen. I would also like it to have a build-in camera so that I would not have to download from separate camera and with a minimum of 2GB processor because I would like to also have available my Dragon Speak. Any thoughts, I don’t want to jump the gun to buy just anything.

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Garret, forgot about the built in camera. They don't have zoom and very few have a decent flash. Check out the CTL2Go Classmate, Acer W500 and the Viewsonic Viewpad 10.

[Jeffrey R. Knight]

Originally Posted by Garret Roberts

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, what I hoping to do is my inspection reports during inspection and thought of possibly using a tablet, because of the touch screen. I would also like it to have a build-in camera so that I would not have to download from separate camera and with a minimum of 2GB processor because I would like to also have available my Dragon Speak. Any thoughts, I don’t want to jump the gun to buy just anything.

Garret,
Where are you located ? Hardware has become a hot subject lately since the field of portable devices has exploded over the last year. I still recommend a device that can fit easily in your pocket, can read it in direct sunlight, has handwriting recognition on it and is durable.

[Timothy J. Smith]

Will home inspector pro work on the Acer W500? I can only find suppliers for the CTL 2go online. I would love to look at one inperson before order. Is there any retailers in Canada that sell the CTL 2go?

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Hi TJ,

Sears, Walmart & Target sell the CTL2Go under the name Mirus. You can ask them to ship it to the store for you to check out first.

Yes, Home Inspector Pro will work on the Acer W500. The only thing is that it's a capacitive screen like the iPad and requires you to use the virtual keyboard (with 2 hands). You could use a capacitive stylus for handwriting recognition but I didn't have time to test that when I had my hands on the W500. You can install Home Inspector Pro to a thumb drive so you can test it on any computer/tablet you come across that you like easily without installing it on the machine.

[Russell J. Hensel]

I use a pocket PC such as a IPAQ and a digital camera and it works well for me. There is a windows 7 system and 3D Inspection is coming out with an Android system to be launched at the Florida conference next month.

Dom has awesome customer service and is a great guy. If he has something that will work then use him, if not then try 3D or Jefferey Knights software....All good systems, I think all of them have trial versions, use those first and see which you prefer.

[Greg W. Mathias, CCHI]

Also check out the HP elitebook 2730p. I love mine and is not heavy or bulky. I like the idea of the flip screen so I can type in some material. The stylus is the same size as a pen so that it feels right inyour hand. If this one crashes I will be buying a new one. The only down side is the price. I paid 1800.00

[Jeffrey R. Knight]

Originally Posted by gmathias1

Also check out the HP elitebook 2730p. I love mine and is not heavy or bulky. I like the idea of the flip screen so I can type in some material. The stylus is the same size as a pen so that it feels right inyour hand. If this one crashes I will be buying a new one. The only down side is the price. I paid 1800.00

Greg...can you read this device outside in the sunlight ?

[Greg W. Mathias, CCHI]

Originally Posted by jknight

Greg...can you read this device outside in the sunlight ?

in really bright sunlight it fades a little but I have never had an issue.