What is the Next Killer App for Cell Phones & PDA’s?
Posted in Real Estate Trends By Stefan Swanepoel, Monday, September 1, 2008.Over and above the obvious, what will make cell phone or a PDA indispensible?
• Maybe to manage their contacts, or
• To receive and send emails, or
• Text message, maybe
• To download music or
• To take photos
There is no argument that cell phones have clearly changed the world – in more ways than one. They started by removing the need for street corner pay phones, then raised being “in-touch” to a whole new level. The added feature sets noted above have changed the devices into multi-facetted tools or maybe toys.
But what feature will actually completely revolutionize the phone?
I think there is a real solid killer app that is going to completely change the behavioral patterns of consumers and totally reshape the common use for cell phones and PDA’s …Navigation.
Turning cell phones and PDA’s into navigational devices is going to make it a breeze to locate a place we’ve never been to before, keep us from getting totally lost in our own town and allow us all to find and enjoy the hidden “oasis” around the corner we never knew existed.
GPS and satellites have been around for a long time, but prior to 2000 they were basically the property of the government and the military. Today, with 31 commercially accessible GPS satellites circling the globe and blanketing every inch of the earth, cell phones and PDAs have become paperless maps.
Add to that the names and details of streets, neighborhoods, garages, hotels, restaurants, movie houses etc. and you instantly have an accurate, intelligent, electronic map and directional guide ... at your fingertips.
Already some 150 million cell phones and PDA devices are GPS or navigation enabled – more than any other item or product in the history of man.
Maybe now, men will never have to ask for directions...what do you think?
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Submitted by Jay Groccia on September 1, 2008 - 7:49pm.
It's already on the way...stay tuned.
Jay Groccia, Principal Photographer
OnSite Studios
http://www.OnSiteStudios.com
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com
Submitted by Carmen Multhauf on September 1, 2008 - 11:27pm.
We just got our new iPhones and are just learning all the bells and whistles. The GPS function really caught our eye since we will be driving in Europe and need the guidance.We wonder if we can type in "restaurant" and have them flagged on the screen.Ah, perhaps it will be a language issue.
Carmen Multhauf
www.GenerationalHousingSpecialist.com
Submitted by Scott Hoen on September 2, 2008 - 8:18am.
I heard that consumers get a new cell phone, on average, every 17 months. The rapid change in technology will keep new functionality coming. GPS will be an important one for real estate but those applications that "push" information to one's cell phone will become more important. Make it easy for consumers to receive your information rather than having them work at it to go get it.
Submitted by Mike on September 2, 2008 - 12:49pm.
I agree with your comment Scott, which is how we came up with HItxt.com. Navigation is indeed a PDA/mobile device killer app for the real estate market however is still very much in it's infancy in terms of user adoption. The iPhone is certainly helping but is only scratching the service in terms of the total US mobile market.
For this reason specifically we launched with an SMS/text messaging product that pushes property information to mobile devices. SMS has been around a while and is used by a much broader market base. As consumers learn and adopt more cutting edge applications for mobile we will also evolve to meet the growing demand.
It's great to keep an eye on where the market is going but you also have to ask yourself 'how can I reach the maximum amount of consumers today through this channel?'
Mike Ouellette
Founder, HItxt
http://www.hitxt.com
SMS real estate listings
Submitted by Jeff Bernheisel on September 2, 2008 - 7:30pm.
Navigation is great, if you're lost.
Biometrics are coming. But don't have much of an effect on the business side of cell phones in Real Estate.
What I'm really looking forward to is the implementation of pico-projectors. The ability to project pictures, slide shows, and even video will no doubt change the way they (cell phones) are used in the Real Estate world.
-Jeff
Submitted by Dawn Rickabaugh on September 2, 2008 - 8:23pm.
What would make the most difference for me is an application that showed me the active listings meeting my criteria within a radius of my current location. That way, when I'm out with buyer clients, we can see what and where the properties are that we should take a look at, and I have all the information I need about those listings, right on my iPhone.
Dawn Rickabaugh, Broker/Owner
Rickabaugh Realty - The Note Queen
http://www.NoteQueen.com
Submitted by Daniel Rothamel, Inman Community Manager on September 2, 2008 - 8:27pm.
I like Jeff's submission. A few months ago, I was reading about the technology that will enable cell phones to become projectors. Right now, though, the candlepower on them isn't that great. It would be awesome if it were possible, however, to present information from your phone as a projected show to a room full of folks.
Marrying GPS to real estate search is a big one. As Dawn pointed out, being able to know what listings are in your area is real time would be good for agents and buyers alike.
Bottom-line, though, is that it seems to me that most MLS vendors are behind when it comes to effective mobile search.
http://www.RealEstateZebra.com
Submitted by Jeff Bernheisel on September 3, 2008 - 9:03am.
Dawn,
I believe Realtor.com released an iPhone app that does what you're looking for. Of course, you'd need an iPhone, assuming you don't have one.
-Jeff
Submitted by Stefan Swanepoel on September 3, 2008 - 1:41pm.
Jeff
I think the largest benefit of GPS is not to help you when you are “lost” but rather to “connect” you to places you may have never been.
That aside, your comment about pico-projectors is intriguing. Would you be willing to write us a blog next week covering this exciting new product?
Stefan
Submitted by Justin Britt on September 3, 2008 - 3:20pm.
@Dawn - It's coming. And what about the ability to have your iPhone alert you if you are within a certain radius of a listing you have saved on a real estate website.
And what about an application from the MLS companies that allowed you to upload a listing directly from your phone, so you could do it from the actual property as you were taking photos and videos - all with the same device!
My iPhone changed my life. Now I can work from anywhere.
--
Justin Britt
Head-Web-Head
Hawaii Life Real Estate Services, LLC
Oahu homes for sale | Real Estate Website Marketing
Submitted by Jeff Manson on September 3, 2008 - 5:15pm.
It is really exciting to see how the new cell phones are changing our lives and how we can communicate. Now hopefully our boards will catch up. We all got new i-phones in our office and found out after the fact that we could not fully use them with our MLS as they do not support Safari. Can you believe that? Ridiculous in this day and age!
Jeff Manson
American Dream Realty
Oahu real estate
Hawaii real estate
Submitted by Michael Daly on September 3, 2008 - 8:12pm.
Stefan-
Intriguing comment about lost vs found re: GPS. That's 'glass half full' thinking at it's finest!
Michael Daly
The Hamptons Real Estate Blog
Submitted by Carmen Multhauf on September 4, 2008 - 10:23am.
Our San Diego MLS (Sandicor) also cannot be accessed on a MAC. They programmed it so that it only works on PC's.I had to buy a new laptop with a dual platform.
Carmen Multhauf
Generational Housing Council
Submitted by Lori Turoff on September 4, 2008 - 11:38am.
Our MLS only runs on IE and on a PC. We can't even use another browser! I can automatically email new listings to my Blackberry but they show up as a link that's so small when I open it it's very hard to read. As a realtor in a dense, urban market, I don't care much about what properties match my criteria in a certain location - there would probably be too many matches to be meaningful. What I do want to know is when the new properties hit and what they look like so I can get my buyers to them first!
My blackberry already works as a GPS. I use it for personal out-of-town trips all the time.
Lori Turoff
Realtor
Hoboken NJ
Submitted by Glenn Ginsburg on September 4, 2008 - 1:14pm.
Hi Lori,
The MLS here also runs only IE and a PC as well.
Can you filter what goes to your crackberry?
Glenn Ginsburg
Estero Florida | Vasari Golf and Country Club
Submitted by John Blogger on September 16, 2008 - 7:58am.
If you by killer app widely used by the general public, then I think you might be right. GPS is pretty powerful and has very wide application possibilities.
John