John's Blog

Tech Review - BlackBerry Storm

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:27:19 -0600

Since I see to have a fetish with new cell phone techonology, and since I seem to be bound to stay with VZW forever it was time for me to get the Black Berry Storm. I must say as far as form factor I couldn't be happier. It is sleek, with a bright screen, and feels good in my hand. The clickable screen at first is weird, but once you have played with it for about an hour it will seem like old hat, and actually make a lot of sense.

The phone ships with firmware .75 which is much more stable than the original release of .65. However if you search the net you can find the OS updates that make the phone run almost like it should. BB seems to be turning these out quite frequently and although not official they certainly help. (Although technically you aren't supposed to put them on your phone as it may void your warranty, and the tech help wont support it if you call). Note to self dont call tech support!

With the updates the accelerometer works great! The camera is much improved, and the battery life is really good.

You'll have to trade in your ekey if you are using it on your palm as BB doesn't supprt the infrared but who care when you have such a sleek phone in your pocket. If it is cold where you are, be aware that you won't be able to use the phone with a glove on. It needs your finger to complete the circuit.

MMS, SMS, and email is fast, and for those coming from a pull device requiring setup like WinMo, the BB works immediately. I was actually surprised at how well it worked. I just typed in my godaddy email address, and password and away we went. I didn't have to tell it what socket to look for or configure mail servers.

I miss not be able to bluetooth sync my device with my outlook but that is coming, and I guess it wouldn't hurt me to slow down and tether the thing up to sync.

Oh yeah, it comes with an 8Gig memory card and works great as a MP3 player. Just load up your playlist and go!

I wouldn't recommend this phone to someone that does not want to learn new technology and is used to a physical keyboard. The touchscreen with the click seems to be fairly accurate but it does take some getting used to. The current operating system (.75) is stable but not super fast and you may find yourself getting frustrated.

I would recommend this phone to someone who is looking for a great convergence device. It is getting better with each OS leak and is shaping up to be really awesome. It is a great planner, email machine, and has a lot of stuff to play with now that there is a host of 3rd party apps, and themes. If you are into new technology and fast learner and want a beautiful phone this one is for you.

It seems BB has another convert....Now WinMo will have to work hard to win me back.

Working buyers.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:04:40 -0500

I completed my ABR course along with the elective and have the required transaction but I am yet to hear from REBAC about actually getting the right to use the letters. I thought this would happen much faster. Have any of the ABR's out their found the referral network to be a profitable an acitve group?

Don't get short with me! Okay you can I can certainly handle it.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:19:20 -0500

I thought I would take a moment and talk a little bit about a nightmare that we as Real Estate pros. are running into out there. As one of the more popular workout strategies in the banks bag of tricks is the time consuming short sale. Short does not referr to the time it takes to get one of these things done. I have taken part in a few of these and I have become quite adept at securing an offer on these properties submitting the short sale package, and closing. I have done two in the last 3 months as a matter of fact, and am just starting a new one.

For those of you who don't know short sale is a procedure where the bank allows a seller to sell for less then they owe, Typically you also try to get their expenses covered too,. For instance a seller owes 100,000.00 but market conditions dictate that the most they could get for their home is 90K. You would present that offer less your commission, taxes, and attorneys fees to the bank. You also have to submit a hardship letter stating why the seller is having a hard time paying their bills as well as a wealth of financial info.

This is where it gets difficult because each lender has different and specific requirement and it is usually at least 25 pages of material. Once that is complete you fax it to the bank they have 60 days in which to approve the offer, and it seems to take at least the full 60. At which point you can then sign contracts. The trick is they usually give approval for 2 weeks at a time. You then have to request extensions until the actual closing date. Which we know in NY can be 45-60 days away from the contract date.

If it goes through your seller client will be happy that this burden has been removed from their shoulders (check with your accountant because I think there is a special tax break on the forgiven portion of the debt). Your buyer client might have gotten a great deal on a home. You as the Realtor might be the only one who gets beat.

How you get paid:
The commissions are pre-approved by the bank however if there is not enough money to pay you because of fees or fines the attorneys at the closing will start to look for money to pay the rest of the bills. Title insurance, title closer, agents, attorney and so on. Beware that the first pocket they dip into will be yours because you are getting the largest pay out at the table. We all know how much work we do to get them there and it stings even worse when you have spent hours dealing with a faceless bank that has employees all around the world.

You should have a plan of action to protect yourself already worked out with your client. Will they cover the shortage, will you and the other agent split the difference, will you split the shortage proportionally or equally around the table.
You should also notate your listing that the commission, and sale price are subject to 3rd party approval.

I have been meaning to get back to you.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:36:04 -0500

No seriously I know we haven't spoken in awhile but it is not because I dont love you that I haven't written. I could go through a list of excuses but I guess none of them are that good. I am working alot. I am married now, and have a family, I commute 2 hours a day, the olympics are on....Okay that last one doesn't really count since they only started a little over a week ago.

I know, that in the past I have promised you more frequent updates, I even added mobile access to the blog so that I could fill you in from the road and I let you down. Although some of the pictures I have sent you have been awesome.

For all of these things I apologize, and I hope that you forgive me. I know you heard around town that I have been playing around with facebook and updating daily there...But to be honest that is because I have someone to talk to there...Where people engage me, and where my friends already hang out. Anyway I didn't want to upset you I just wanted to let you konw whats up.

In the past you have been just for fun and I have kept you seperate from my others. But it would seem that my professional life, and my personal life are coming closer and closer together and it might be time that we all exsist as one...Now I am not suggesting that our all night benders and personal thoughts are right for every audience but my professional musings could often be of use to you. You might need to know what a short sale is or what the ID theft coverage on your insurance policy actually covers.

I am sure that you also want to see pics. of my two little kids, and how awesome they are. You might even want to laugh at me. I have plenty of ridiculos things that happen and you deserve to know about those as well. So here I am back at it. Stay tuned for a professional post a bit later from another blog that I have and maybe some more fun stuff.

Its been a few weeks.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:11:41 -0500

Since I last wrote and in the mean time a lot has happened. Both proffesionally and personally.

I wanted to write a little bit about a Darryl Davis Seminar I atteneded yesterday. It was put on by my office Keller Williams Central Valley. Vinny Rommano our Team Leader at the market center is a world class Real Estate Trainer, and I have been working very closely with him over the last few months.

Through some career coaching he has helped me grow my business from non exsistant to healthy, and then doubled it. Now with another baby on the way I am looking to take my career to the next level. I think this Darryl Davis seminar ( I am attending one in Newark, NJ next week) is just what I need to reenergize and refocus my efforts.

Do any of your have any experience with these Seminars? How did you like them? What did you get out of it?

I have taken the listing machine program, and have read Darryls books.

2 Family In Beacon NY, Price Improved Ready To Sell

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:52:25 -0500

John Luongo | Keller Williams | 845 527 5129

43 Falconer, Beacon, NY

Great 2 Family or use as a mother daughter, seperate gas and electric. Plenty of off street parking.

3 Bdrm Multi-Family, 2 units

offered at $230,000

Year Built	1900
Sq Footage	1,300
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	2
Parking	3 Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	.03 acres
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

PRIDE IN THIS 2 FAMILY SHOWS. DREAMED OF OWNING YOUR OWN HOME, BUT THE PAYMENTS WERE ALWAYS TOO MUCH? COME SEE THIS GREAT 2 FAMILY IN BEACON. LIVE IN ONE UNIT AND RENT THE OTHER TO HELP PAY THE BILLS. SEPARATE UTILITIES FOR EACH UNIT MAKE IT A SNAP. THERE IS LOTS OF STORAGE ROOM IN THE BASEMENT WHICH HAS A PARTIALLY FINISHED FLOOR.COME BE A PART OF THE RENAISSANCE OF THE HUDSON VALLEY. THRIVING ARTIST COMMUNITY NEAR BY.CLOSE BUT NOT TOO,TO TRAIN.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Tile floor	Living room	Dishwasher
Refrigerator	Stove/Oven	Basement
Washer	Dryer	Laundry area - inside
Balcony, Deck, or Patio

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

John Luongo

Keller Williams

845 527 5129

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Aug 18, 2007, 9:45am PDT

Sick of a long commute? This condo is close to everything and easy to maintain.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:18:41 -0500

John Luongo | Keller Williams

lexington hills, Harriman, NY

Cathedral ceiling and dramatic views. Top Floor end unit. Windows on 3 sides. New Carpet. Like new appliances.

5 Bdrm Condo

offered at $235,000

Year Built	1985
Sq Footage	926
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	1
Parking	1 Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$300 per month

DESCRIPTION

Sought after top floor end unit that can't be beat.New roof and sky lights. Lots of windows, lots of light. Catherdral ceiling and crown molding provide you with a dramtic feeling hard to find in condos. New Carpeting thoughout is a pleasure to walk on. Newer appliances including; HotWater Heater, 1AC, Range, Fridge,Dishwasher,Counter tops, sink and LG Extra Large Washer Dryer. Come see the mountain views from your private balcony. A great place to call home.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Fireplace	High/Vaulted ceiling	Walk-in closet
Living room	Dining room	Dishwasher
Refrigerator	Stove/Oven	Attic
Washer	Dryer	Balcony, Deck, or Patio
Swimming pool

COMMUNITY FEATURES

Guest parking	Clubhouse	Swimming pool(s)
Tennis court(s)

ADDITIONAL LINKS

Map of property

Mortgage calculator

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

John Luongo

Keller Williams

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jun 13, 2007, 12:02pm PDT

Tech Know File: Look at that Vista.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:47:05 -0500

What an awesome weekend it was here in the Hudson Valley. I had 2 great open houses in Beacon and the other in New Windsor. Thank God there was no rain this weekend I couldn't take any more dreary days.
So on this beautiful weekend I decided I would spend my Friday night working on the computer so I could work on teh weekend and enjoy the weather with my family It was time to upgrade my XP sp2 (working perfectly) Toshiba Laptop to Windows Vista.
I like to play around with Tech so I was excited when my Vista upgrade package came in the mail...I installed the disk and was ready to rock and roll...The first thing the upgrade wizard does is install a bunch of stuff that Vista will need once it takes over as the OS. This takes about 50 mins. Then it removes a bunch of drivers and software that it doesn't need or is not compatible with when Vista is the OS. This take about an 1.15 hours.
Then it loads Vista. Vista starts about 1 hour. Then it begins the process of opening and installing the drivers and software that it downloaded in XP...First road-block, it was looking for a Toshiba Registration.mis file. It rebooted a bunch of times and couldn't get past this file.
I called tech support they advised me to insert my Recovery Disk and install back to original out of box condition. I must have removed that program when I realized I didn't need it sucking up space when I bought the computer. Which means an hour or so to get back to XP...
Done.
XP- uninstall virus protection and firewall so it will stop asking me every time it wants to download the new drivers.
3 hours later Vista is back on the Machine.
Now it has a problem with the Intel Media Graphics Accelerated Driver. Guess what, it is time to wash rinse and repeat...
Back to XP- another hour or 3...remove the virus protection and firewall- install the wizard, the drivers on and off back to Vista.
Now this time Vista Installs and is running. Great but where is the Wizard that will install the 34 drivers and programs I need to run the computer...Ah, oh yeah I ran the wizard from the internet last time I forgot to save it to the desk top. I try running the wizard off the disk, but that disk won't run on Vista...So guess what?
Back to XP 4 hours or so later, Vista is up and running nice.
I had to download the Windows Mobile Device Center to work with Moto Q, activesync doesn't work on Vista, and now I still have to migrate back all my data...
My review of Vista is forth coming...
At least the weather and the open houses were nice.
*Becareful when updating and make sure your data is backed up...Vista has a new way of saving files so it wipe MyDocs and everything in it... If you are using a wizard from Toshiba or anyone else for that matter you will need an internet connection and a few hours at least. Good Luck.

It was a warm summer day

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:16:51 -0500

I was out showing homes last summer. The sky was bue, the birds chirping and you could hear kids playing in the Street. I was showing an aggressive investor a building in a neighborhood that was on the rebound. The city of Newburgh is undergoing some great revitalization and my investor was excited to see some areas that are on the up-swing.

We had viewed a listing which could easily be consider the "worst place to live in the entire world" and were standing outside in the sun, trying to burn the bugs off of ourselves. There had been a young lady standing next to us for a while whom seemed to be a little out of place. She was dressed in a provocative manner and had been staring at the 3 of us for some time, always keeping her eye out for the gentleman on the corner who in turn was keeping an eye on her.

All of a sudden in the middle of going over the purchase paper work the doors of the car in front of us fly open and men storm out onto the streets. With no warning at all half dressed women were running and screaming in all directions one even did a "dukes of hazard" type of slide across the hood of my car. Police were screaming and threatening the use of mace and girls were running down the street in their underwear. Unbeknownst to me and the other agent the downstairs apartment was being used as a "House of Ill-repute".

The police had chosen that day to crack down on crime in that area. The other agent and my investor didn't seem to mind the going's on, but I said "I am getting the hell out of here". "My face is on my business card and this is the last thing in the world I want to be in the paper for." I will see you later. That deal never made it to the table.

Suffice to say I was the hit of the team meeting the following Tuesday as I provided the warning - Know the area you are showing.

The Internet

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:38:01 -0500

What a strange place. It's assimilation into our everyday lives is amazing. We use it for everything. Need a phone number, do you want to know who won American Idol, or are you searching for a home. How about buying clothes, or looking at pictures, or even designing a rooms layout and color after you move. You can do it all on the web.

There are some key items that your web page should have especially if you are in Real Estate. You should keep it simple. A button to search for homes and a button to get a Free Highest Price Analysis on your home.

It should also have a way for the people who are searching for you to contact you. A big CONTACT ME button works just fine. Lots of pictures is also an essential item... It keeps the reader coming back. Virtual Tours are cool too, although don't forget to turn down the music, it can be annoying, especially if you are shopping in the middle of the night...Remember its open 24/7.

Choosing the Q- Tech Know File.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:30:12 -0500

When choosing a smart phone you need to decide what your needs actually are...Then you need to play with the phones. Here is my review of the Q vs. Treo- I liked them both but overall the price of the Q could not be passed up.

Here is what I found was best for me and my needs.

I guess the first issue you have to determine is what the best service is around your area. Here in NY or at least the Hudson Valley VZ seems to have the best coverage.

Then you have to decide what you need the phone to primarily do...After all all a phone really needs to just ring for it to be a phone.

I checked out the treo's all the iterations of them 700P and WX... Bottom line they come up $200.00. The Q comes up free.

Winner Q

Treo is a PDA first not a phone so call quality was not as nice, nor does it have voice dial capabilities which I really like, and the blue tooth is kind of funky.

Winner Q

Battery Life- Treo Winner but it is also much large.

Side Note:

Motorola released a software fix for the Q which has dramatically increased the battery time on my phone. It is called the MOL2 and it is not installed on the new phones as far as I can tell...You can find the update on Motrola.com The Q now with email being checked every 1/2 hour, and handling several phone calls, as well as me playing around with it, it lasted at least all day.

Form Factor - Winner Q..Small, sleek, sexy.

Touch Screen- Winner Treo- The Q doesn't have one but then again the treos only use theirs for navigation no graffiti program as far as I could tell. The Q does take some getting used to with its navigation but it is not that bad.

Calendar and Tasks- Well out of the box the treo 's are much better at this...They are in fact PDA's with a phone, where as the Q is the opposite Winner Treo

The Q's home screen only shows one appointment and no tasks on the home screen. However with a few easy upgrades the Home Screen can show more then one appointment as well as the tasks. Which make it super easy to time block when Syncing with your OutLook. With the add on's the functionality is awesome.

I chose the Q after all my tests. I installed a few extra add-ons, a calendar program, a home-screen add on, and a few others for my uses. Works great. MLS, email, calendar, Blue Tooth, VoiceDial Phone. I can even tether it to my laptop.

Tech Know File

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:14:13 -0500

After exhausting the smartphone knowledge of my local VZW reps, as well as on the phone I came to a conclusion. Moto Q. I have used the phone for two days, and with a few upgrades, 1 to the OS of the phone and 1 for the DST change the phone performs awesome. Allowing the lead to come in from www.johnluongo.com which has kept me in touch and browsing the web while driving. :0 Awesome...

I even got a program that allows me to tether the phone as a modem when I need the laptop and there is no wifi around. Not so bad...Are you ready for the downside.

Aside from the phone being a little glitchy I have another problem. http://org.mlxchange.com which is the Greater Hudson Valley MLS, the MLS of Orange County NY, of which I am a member won't display. The page says I need browser IE 5.5 or higher, the browser on the phone is 4.0 or some other variation. I can't peruse the MLS while on the road over the phone.

My www.midhudsonmls.com, works but it displays as a regular webpage, with some scrolling but it works.

I check with Moto, and VZW, they have no idea when they are going to update the internet browser on the Q, and I am currently checking to see if there is another browser that can be used on the phone. I might be headed back into the store for a Treo, although I would really miss the size of this phone.

www.johnluongo.com

This two family is in Beacon. I am headed back to all my listings for new pictures after the snow melts.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:51:03 -0500

Front of Home

Image 1 of 8.

Click to Visit Virtual Tour

Listing #:

252298

Number of Units:

2

County:

DUT

Sub-Type:

MF

Post Office:

BEACON

New Construction:

Township:

Beacon

Year Built:

1900

Zip Code:

12508-

Above Grnd SF:

1375

Complex Name:

NONE

Below Grnd SF:

687

Finished SF:

1375

School Dist:

BEACON CITY

Unfinished SF:

687

- High Sch:

BEACON HIGH SCHOOL

Total Square Feet:

2062

- Middle Sch:

ROMBOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL

Square Ft Source:

Approximate

- Elem Sch:

J.V. FORRESTAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Foundation Dim:

- Other Sch:

# Of Elevators:

# Of Stories:

Property Id #:

13020000605400393276660000

Directions

Map Page:

Mapping:

Unit Information

Unit

Total

# of

# Full

# Part

Sq.

Mo.

Leased

Occupied

Appliances Included

Rooms

Bdrms

Feet

Rent

925

Range, Refrigerator

450

Range

Features

Acceptable Fin:

Conventional

Exterior:

Vinyl

Construction:

Frame

Amenities:

Playground

Cooling:

Ceiling Fan, Window Units(s)

Heating:

Gas, Natural Gas Available, Oil

Electricity:

Other

Miscellaneous:

Roof:

Fiberglass Shingles

Other:

Listed in Another MLS

Foundation:

Parking / Garage:

3+ Cars, Off Street

Basement:

Concrete floor, Dirt floor, Walk-out

Units Beyond 4:

Owner Pays:

Exterior Feat:

Landscaped, Porch

Interior Feat:

Electric dryer connection, Gas stove connection, Washer connection

Appliances:

Flooring:

Laminate

Equipment:

Cable Available

Lot Information

Lot Dim:

View Desc:

City Lights

Acres:

0.06

Waterfront:

Fence:

Chain Link

Zoning:

RD3

Water/Sewer:

City Sewer, City Water

Handicap Mod:

Near or In Ag Dist:

N

Lot Desc:

Level

Income & Expenses

Insurance Expense:

Electric Expense:

Maintenance Expense:

Fuel Expense:

Other Expense Name:

Other Expense:

Water/Sewer Expense:

Gross Income (GOI):

Management Expense:

Operating Exp (AOE):

Vacancy Factor:

Net Income (NOI):

Remarks

PRIDE IN THIS 2 FAMILY SHOWS. DREAMED OF OWNING YOUR OWN HOME, BUT THE PAYMENTS WERE ALWAYS TOO MUCH? COME SEE THIS GREAT 2 FAMILY IN BEACON. LIVE IN ONE UNIT AND RENT THE OTHER TO HELP PAY THE BILLS. SEPARATE UTILITIES FOR EACH UNIT MAKE IT A SNAP. THERE IS LOTS OF STORAGE ROOM IN THE BASEMENT WHICH HAS A PARTIALLY FINISHED FLOOR.COME BE A PART OF THE RENAISSANCE OF THE HUDSON VALLEY. THRIVING ARTIST COMMUNITY NEAR BY.CLOSE BUT NOT TOO,TO TRAIN.

Check out the new listings.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:45:40 -0500

GHV MLS - Single Family Residential ML# 415796 County: Orange County Tax ID#: 334800.047.000-0001-047.000/0000 Zone: Area: 620 Location: Status: ACT Zip: 12553 Cross St: Sect#: 047.000 Blk#: Lot#: 047.000 Acres: 0.500 Post Office: New.Windsor Lease: N Rd Front: 109.000 Zoning: Irregular: Depth: 200.000 St Surface: Paved St Type: Public Subdivision: Wtr Access: N Lot Descrip: http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?sk=29&t=930263 New Windsor Town GENERAL INFORMATION Style: Bilevel/High Ranch Appearance: Very Good #Rms: 9 #Bedrs: 3/4 #Baths: 2 /0 Construc: Frame Side: Vinyl YrBuilt: 1967/Estimated YrRenov: Basement: N/Walk Out Attic: Scuttle Dining: Living/Dining Room Combination Garg Desc: Garage/Attached #Gar: 2 Drive: Blacktop # Fireplaces: 3 Est. Annual Taxes: $ 7,308 Monthly HOA Fee: INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR INFORMATION Equipment: Interior: Hardwood Floors Existing, Pantry, Walk In Closet Exterior: Workshop Rooms: Excluded: Lower 1st 2nd 3rd Other UTILITIES INFORMATION Heat: Base Fuel: Oil Above Ground # Heat Zones: 2 Elec: Circuit Breaker Water: Municipal Sewer: Municipal # A/C Units: A/C: Ducts, Central Provided By: John Luongo Keller Williams Realty Greater Hudson Valley MLS Copyright GHVMLS 2004. All rights reserved. --- INFORMATION DEEMED RELIABLE BUT NOT GUARANTEED --- 03/26/07 0001 Suffx#: 0000 SCHOOLS Rge Pricing: SchDist: Newburgh Begin Price: Element: Magnet List Price: $ 340,000 Jr/Mid: Magnet High: Nfa FinishSqFt: 2,542 House Frontage: HouseDpth: Look no more. Immaculate bilevel in a fabulous neighborhood. This large bilevel boasts pristine oak hard wood floors throughout the first level. 3 fireplaces makes almost any room in the perfect cozy setting. Spring is right around the corner you can enjoy your large private back yard. The downstairs den is perfect for entertaining. His/her closets in the master bedroom! Do you need a place to store your stuff? There is a large storage space under the house. Living Dining Kitch Den/Ofc Fam MBed Bed Bath Lav Add. Rm Lndry SqFt 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

I thought I would kick this off.

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:14:19 -0500

I didn't see a group that dealt with the Empire State for KW agents. I am part of the First KW in New York in Central Valley NY, so I might as well be part of the First Blogging group for KW agents. I hope this becomes an active place for us to share our local expertise.

Happy Blogging.

Tech Knows File

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:48:09 -0500

Does your cell phone ring all day and night? Do you triage email every time you are in front of your computer. Text and picture messaging, emails to jl3@johnluongo.com, and phone calls at 845 527 5129 are all a part of this business. Plus checking my internet lead capture system at www.johnluongo.com I wouldn't have have all these modes of contact if it wasn't important to be in touch.

My Palm TX is a great piece of tech that keeps everything in order. Emails, time block, ekey, PITI caculator, the web, all thanks to the wifi are at my fingertips with a touch of my stylus. The wifi is also its greatest liablility. It can't connect to the web without a wifi signal. In Orange and Dutchess county hotspots are few and far between.

There is also one other draw back.

Remembering to charge and carry all of my devices can be a hassle. Where is my laptop, my bluetooth, my phone, my palm pilot, my keys, my wallet. What has the most up to date calendar on it, which way do I sync these things. What did I do with my coffee cup? What shoes go with these pants? Can I wear cargo pants to work? Who hasn't done that search in the morning? Only to forget your sandwich at lunch.

So for me it is time for a convergence device. Treo,Q or Blackberry. Which way to go? I have given both phones some exhaustive research as well as which OS I like the best.

So what did I find out?

Blackberry- Great email device, great thumb wheel, decent phone, not that great mulitmedia experience.

700P- Is a pda with a phone attached, same software as my TX. It is a PDA first and a phone second. Call quality and voice dialing are not the main feature. I love my voice dialing.

700w- is the same as above but running a different OS which I guess make it completely different. :) It runs the clumsy Windows Mobile PC, but doesn't tether to the laptop (meaning the phone can't be attached and allow you to connect to the internet while on the road, or at a listing presentation.) Into the garbage can with this one.

Don't worry they released the 700wx that gives you the tether options and has some improvements to the WOS.

Moto Q runs Windows Mobile Smart Phone Edition. It is a phone first and PDA second but certainly an advanced data device. It runs a trimmed down version of the Mobile PC OS. It seems that you can get some third party apps. and some great hacks if you need more functionality. It searches the web, I think I can force my Ekey to it as it has IR and the calendar isn't too hard to use. It appears to have everything I need.

"But wait" you say "there is no touch screen, you will have to use the wheel they are hard to use"!

A wheel hard to use? It's not a big heavy stone wheel. After spending some time playing with the devices in the store the stylus on the Treo is pretty useless IMO. The beauty of my Palm TX is that the graffiti program is that it recognizes my sloppy handwriting and turns it into the digital characters. The Treos don't, they use the stylus for navigation only. What the benefit in that? I don't see one. I can wheel where I want to go, and then click the wheel to select the application.

Price- the Treos with VZ assorted credits like the NE2 and Advance device put the treo at $200.00 while the Q comes up free. Thats right in this business where we are constantly laying out money I think I found something free.

Can you guess which way I am going?

The Q seems to be the way I am going to go. I will use it for a few days and let you know how I make out. If you have an opinion on these devices or more info please share.

First Foray Into Professional Blooging

John Luongo (Keller Williams) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 09:27:40 -0500

Well look what the generation has done now. We have taken a device previously used to either bear our souls or rant on the internet and turned it into something productive. Go us!

So where should I begin, and who am I?

When my wife and I were dating totally outrageous things always seemed to come my way. I am talking about the strange and the unbelieveable. Once we were married this these started to come our way. Now in my professional life it seems to be every where I turn.

In an effort to provide new content relevant to our industry I will be commenting on my day to day adventures as well as the market and industries in which I interact. I will try to keep the private life on my private blog.

Thanks for reading.