Primary marketIs It The Right Time For PDA/Cell Phone Combos?
It seems that the "hot technology" item for this year might just be
the new cell phones that also have the Palm-based operating system
(Palm O/S) built right in.
The attraction of this technology is that rather than having to carry
both a cell phone and a Personal Digital Assistant, (PDA) you now
may be able to carry one device that functions as both.
The three such hybrid Cell Phone PDA (CP-PDA) units that are commonly
discussed are the:
Handspring Treo 180 (http://www.handspring.com)
Kyocera QCP-6035 (http://www.kyocera.com)
Samsung SPH-I300 (http://www.samsungusa.com)
Each of these units has a unique set of features that would likely
appeal to different users. The soon to be released Handspring is a
PDA first, and a cell phone second. The Kyocera seems to be more functional
as a cell phone and the Samsung is somewhere between the two.
Because both availability and pricing for these devices depends on
the cellular phone companies that service your market, there isn"t
much need to discuss the models in great detail because you may not
have a choice.
The more pressing issue is whether you should consider any of these
Cell Phone PDA combination units at all.While opinions vary on whether the CP-PDA represents a good example
of what I call "efficiency through convergence" the technology in
general is being applauded by many, yet shunned by others at the same
time.
Is this Right For You?
Whether you"re better off carrying two separate devices or just one
CP-PDA is not really technology decision at all, but a personal one,
instead.
The technology behind these new units works, the question at hand
is whether or not they work in a manner that makes sense for you.
Since we don"t all use technology the same way, there is no one simple
answer.
If you"re the type of person who carries a notebook computer during
business hours, and you use it frequently at various locations throughout
the day, then a CP-PDA is likely to be a great choice for you personally.
Odds are that you"ll continue to use your notebook for most of your
portable computing needs, but can use a CP-PDA when you simply need
"quick access" to basic information - phone numbers, addresses, appointments,
etc. and waiting for your notebook to "boot up" really isn"t desirable,
or necessary.
In this case, carrying just one piece of hardware instead of two separate
devices will be a very welcome change that will simplify your life
while lightening your load.
On the other hand, if you don"t own a notebook (or seldom use it "in
the field") then you will likely prefer to carry a cell phone and
a separate PDA, but not a combined CP-PDA unit.
The difference in this particular situation is that if you don"t carry
a notebook, then the PDA will then be your primary access to portable
information in the field, and needs to more fully functional than
what these new CP-PDA hybrid units can currently offer.
What Are Your Expectations?
In making the decision to carry a CP-PDA you should also carefully
consider your expectations.
If your goal is simply to carry less hardware with you, and to occasionally
send and receive e-mail or browse the web, then a CP-PDA will probably
meet your expectations quite well.
However, if you are planning on accessing the Internet and e-mail extensively
using one of these units, then you"re probably setting your sights
too high.
While any of these CP-PDAs will suffice for online interaction on
an occasional basis, slow bandwidth, spotty cell coverage and small
screens will likely leave you dissatisfied if your expectations are
set too high.
Further, if your primary interest in a CP-PDA is to access your local
MLS database of listings, then your very next call should be to your
MLS support department.
Not all MLS systems are compatible with such cellular solutions, and
many may very well support other options that are not only superior
in functionality, but that may not require a cellular phone connection
at all. For instance, the current offerings from both Supra
and Pocket Real Estate are prime
examples of mobile MLS solutions that do not require such cellular
access.
The bottom line is that many agents will find these new CP-PDAs to
be just the solution they have been looking for. At the same time,
many others will not be very enthusiastic about the technology, and
for good reasons that are based on the way that they personally use
the technologies they already have.
Regardless of which side of the fence you ultimately end up on, the
one thing that I believe everyone can agree on is that the CP-PDA
will be one of the most talked about technologies of the year.