Although seemingly unrelated from the outset, smartphones play an integral role in your job as a realtor and in real estate web design. Considering that smartphones are now mini computers of sorts, it's important to have a phone that keeps you connected to clients and your business at all times.
Today's smartphones tend to run one of three leading operating systems: Android, Blackberry and iOS. The first one is by Google and can be found on a number of phones by various manufacturers while iOS is the system running on the iPhone. More recently, Microsoft released Windows Phone 7 but it's still behind in market share so we'll focus on the three most professionals are using. Which of these platforms is right for you as a realtor?
There is no denying the robust email and messaging capabilities of Blackberry; there is a good reason why it's preferred and remains popular among business users. However, Android and iOS are evolving rapidly and have rapidly eroded Blackberry's market share due to the latter's comparably slow innovation.
If you use services like Gmail, Google Docs or Google Calendar, Android works seamlessly with these services since it is developed by Google. Android offers lots of freedom in terms of customizing your phone but it lacks the visual polish of iOS, the number of apps found in iOS and may require a little extra time to learn how to use it properly.
The iPhone is the only phone on which you'll find iOS. It's very user friendly, has the visual polish and has the largest selection of apps of any smartphone operating system. Compared to Android, iOS is significantly tied down. You must use apps provided solely by Apple's App Store, you must use iTunes to manage your phone and visual customization as of this writing is limited mostly to what background picture or ringtone you'd like to use.
Pretty much any of three major operating systems will give you the same end result but you may find that you prefer one experience more than the other.
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