Let’s define a few things

“Tablets” used to be based on PC operating systems and had all the capability of a laptop. I carried the first real Tablet all around the country in 2005 and literally stunned audiences. New “Post PC” Tablet (aka Slate) devices are based on mobile operating systems (like Apple iOS and Google Android). We could explore all the nuances of Pre and Post PC Tablets technologies but I rather consider why this new wave of computing makes really exciting  tools for business.

I’ll reference  just two models – the Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. (by the way a new study suggest the iPad is expected to dominate the market until 2015).

Unlike a laptop/notebook PC, new Tablets offer business users some major advantages and I believe there are advantages that justify a fundamental shift in mobile computing.

Seven Reasons

• Weight – they are light and effortless to carry around (approx. 20 oz)
• Portability – the overall dimensions fit in even the smallest attaché (approx. 10”x7”)
• Visuals – high resolution backlit LCDs generate superb eye candy (132+ pixels-per-inch)
• Touch – forget the stylus, multi-touch is natural and efficient (more fingers are better)
• Fast OS – instant on access and no “lag” (1 GHz Dual-Core Processors)
• Power – the latest batteries can last 8 to 12 hours (I use mine for several days)
• User Interface – if my mom can navigate with ease, anyone can (love you Mom!)

The “not to be ignored” bonuses include; front and rear cameras, Bluetooth, GPS, mapping, social networking, heck – mobile web browsing is still unbelievable!

Really Untethered

I guess the most important enabler of all Tablets is wireless connectivity. Wifi has been around forever and most business users have relied on mobile wireless (3G) access for many years now. The new crop of Tablets all include 4G LTE wireless (expected with iPad 3 this year). This 4^th generation network allows for speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second. I know lots of serious business operations that don’t have anything near that bandwidth!  Plus the nearly unlimited power of “The Cloud” (more in a future post), and these simple devices are true “game changers” for business computing.

The Apps

But to truly unleash the potential of this powerful, sexy hardware a critical component has to be added – software.

The quantity and quality of the third-party applications from both the Apple and Google (iOS and Android) app stores is staggering. Granted most of these are mindless games but there is an increasing volume of serious business software emerging. This includes a plethora of alternatives for the entire desktop office suite (word processing, spreadsheets, etc.), communication tools, file sharing and much more. Ultimately, the greatest potential for Tablet software is to leverage advantages of being mobile along with the real time data of back office systems.

The new legal pad

Simply because a Tablet is a larger device than say… your mobile phone,  you can effectively use this tool to “present” ideas to another person. That’s the key for business! Sharing ideas, explaining problems, selling something! Forget all the analog print materials. Keep PowerPoint slides hidden in your laptop. Engage your decision maker face to face and let the Tablet become your new collateral.

At BrightDoor, we have been focused on the convergence of all these factors for the past year. To really empower our customers, a Tablet solution has to be completely integrated into a CRM database. Incidentally, we released our first iPad application – BrightBase Explorer this week.

Make it your own

When you combine the paradigm shifting power of this hardware, the interactive benefits of great software, wireless connectivity from almost anywhere and intelligence of a Cloud based CRM, you have concocted a recipe sure to change the world!

Go buy a Tablet today and embrace your future:)

With iCRM, you can unify your sales and marketing under a common platform. Launch email marketing campaigns. Entice web visitors to register through interactive site plan exploration. Schedule community tours. Provide online follow-up through personal web portals. Track and manage the complete customer experience. All from a single Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. What makes BrightDoor’s iCRM more compelling than ever? The answer is as close as your newspaper or TV.

With the global market in crisis mode, change is undeniable. Real estate buyers will be forever transformed – using the internet as THE key method of analysis and decision-making. They’ll be scrutinizing every purchase. Why would real estate be any different? It won’t be. As a builder or developer, it is imperative that they embrace the change and seek out new tools to restore their ability to effectively market and sell their communities.

We believe BrightDoor iCRM provides a compelling and cost effective way from which to rebuild your sales and marketing approach. I encourage you to learn more at Brightdoor.com and start a conversation with us.

When Deven and I started BrightDoor in 2005, we believed that an integrated approach to real estate sales and marketing was a natural evolution from the analog, fragmented communications that ruled the day. In the early days, developers categorized us as “nice to have” technology that provided a “wow” factor in sales centers. Today, customers view us as an essential solution, enabling lead generation and daily business management. Developers all over the globe are now digesting the reality that CRM is important but only if it’s integrated with all key sales and marketing efforts.

As I write this, I am on the final leg of a return trip from Dubai. I’ve just spent a week with developers of some of the most grand scale commercial and residential projects in the world. Guess what? They are dealing with many of the same challenges as our U.S. customers. At the heart of it all is providing sales efficiency at all levels – from moving web leads into the sale process more quickly to giving agents better tools for matching buyers with ideal products to improving the ability to track and measure sales progress.

Regardless of where I’ve traveled recently, one theme has been clear – the adoption of a fully integrated CRM solution is the most urgent need in optimizing sales efficiency and improving sales velocity.

At BrightDoor, we look forward to servicing the industry during this important transition.

This update includes a description of the BrightBase Web Services API changes that we plan in our upcoming release, planned for Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at 11:59pm ET pending certification by our Quality Assurance group. This update summarizes enhancements to that release only. If you are not the implementer of the BrightBase Web Services API, please forward this to the appropriate person.

FindObjects Update
We have enhanced the FindObjects (and, as a result, the FindObject) Web method to return partial objects. Many of you commented on how you often just need bits of data and not the entire object, which can be a heavy payload. Full object retrieval is still fully supported and no code changes are needed. But now, the BrightDoor Query Language supports a syntax that looks like the following:

Please note, that in the above example a entity object is still returned. So for values that you do not explicitly select they are defaulted to their natural state. This may mean you have an object with seemingly invalid data, especially with dates and Booleans. So keep this in mind. However, the advantage is a much smaller XML payload and this should be a big benefit to those who just needs slices of data for your other business needs.

Notification Technology
Our last update mentioned the concept of notifications when objects are created and/or updated. We have selected the Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) which will allow developers to subscribe to messages based on a set of business rules defined within BrightBase. This enhancement will roll out later this year and we welcome your input on how to best make use of this technology and this concept. If you are unfamiliar with SQS, please check out http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Queue-Service-home-page/b?ie=UTF8&node=13584001.