Another Smart Phone question
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I have a droid phone (the Motorola Cliq). I do not attempt to enter in shop reports on it. Sometimes I search for shops on it. And I certainly use it to send and receive email and as a GPS. I also take notes on it a lot. I also post on Facebook a lot (just being honest) with it.
But enter in reports - never even tried it. Most of my reports are pretty narrative intensive anyway. I can see how it might work with a shopmetric site. I just tested it out and while you CAN touch the screen for the radio buttons and the options - it is really small and hard to do and control. It might be easier if one had a stylus (like the old Treo phones)...
I know with TMobile, you can go get the phone and use it for 7 days and if you don't like it/it does not work for you - you can take it back and exchange it free of obligation.
But enter in reports - never even tried it. Most of my reports are pretty narrative intensive anyway. I can see how it might work with a shopmetric site. I just tested it out and while you CAN touch the screen for the radio buttons and the options - it is really small and hard to do and control. It might be easier if one had a stylus (like the old Treo phones)...
I know with TMobile, you can go get the phone and use it for 7 days and if you don't like it/it does not work for you - you can take it back and exchange it free of obligation.
I can say to stay away from an iPhone if you want to use the phone for shopmetrics.
The iphone will work well with data entry on Sassie sites. It will allow you to look and apply for jobs on just about any software, and has certainly paid for itself that way.
The iphone will work well with data entry on Sassie sites. It will allow you to look and apply for jobs on just about any software, and has certainly paid for itself that way.
Aren't iphones pretty similar to Droids as far as the touch screen? I had thought about just getting a blackberry but was told by many blackberry owners that the Droid is better. Its confusing! What I was thinking of doing was just clicking all the yes/nos as soon as I leave the store and then filling in only what is atypical, and not worrying about typing things like "The associate smiled when greeting me" and then fill that in on my computer at home. What I've been doing thus far is just dictating everything into my voice recorder and then reviewing it and typing in the notes at home. It seems like this is rather tedious, moreso than it needs to be because I also record the actual shop and have to relisten to that too to make sure all my quotes and everything are right. I guess I am just looking for ways to make my life a little easier!
I think most of the cell phone folks have a return policy within a week or so.
I remember when the blackberry first came out and the keyboards were so small folks figured they would never catch on and you had a little pen type device to push the keys for you. I liked the notion when they came out with a keyboard of more standard dimensions you could plug into the thing.
I have been amazed to watch folks texting with their thumbs. Some really get pretty fast at it. I personally would view the tiny keyboard as an emergency solution only.
With my DVR I may or may not record the entire shop, but I can upload the file to my computer and skim through it quickly for what I need. I can certainly remember most of the y/n type things without listening to the whole shop and quoting specific greetings, etc. is pretty easy to hop around on the slide bar the computer shows with the file to get the needed info. Most of the time I just listen to the front and back of the recording as that includes my time in and time out and the description of the associate(s) with whom I interacted.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2010 05:51PM by Flash.
I remember when the blackberry first came out and the keyboards were so small folks figured they would never catch on and you had a little pen type device to push the keys for you. I liked the notion when they came out with a keyboard of more standard dimensions you could plug into the thing.
I have been amazed to watch folks texting with their thumbs. Some really get pretty fast at it. I personally would view the tiny keyboard as an emergency solution only.
With my DVR I may or may not record the entire shop, but I can upload the file to my computer and skim through it quickly for what I need. I can certainly remember most of the y/n type things without listening to the whole shop and quoting specific greetings, etc. is pretty easy to hop around on the slide bar the computer shows with the file to get the needed info. Most of the time I just listen to the front and back of the recording as that includes my time in and time out and the description of the associate(s) with whom I interacted.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2010 05:51PM by Flash.
Flash you have confirmed what I've been thinking about lately... that I need a new voice recorder! I have one that doesn't plug into the computer so I have to sit there and fast forward and rewind on the actual recorder. Its a pain in the butt! Maybe I'll give mine to my husband since he's doing a little shopping now. The reason I'm thinking it would be easier to enter my shops as I go is because I do very long routes when I go out and sometimes after doing so many I forget little details. For example, if I shop X store and the associate had blonde hair and then go to Y store and that associate had brown and for some reason I forgot to dictate what colors of hair one or the other had, then I get confused.. because I probably did 10 other shops that I'm thinking about. Seems like there's got to be a way to efficiently enter in shops as soon as I leave the store. The reports can be such a buggar when I get home and have 15 of them waiting to be entered.
Simple solution: Cut back on shopping. Of course I need the money so I need a way to handle my load more efficiently. I will definitely upgrade my voice recorder and hopefully if I get the Droid I can figure out how to make that work for me. I'm also a facebook user so I'm sure the droid will feed that addiction lol.
Simple solution: Cut back on shopping. Of course I need the money so I need a way to handle my load more efficiently. I will definitely upgrade my voice recorder and hopefully if I get the Droid I can figure out how to make that work for me. I'm also a facebook user so I'm sure the droid will feed that addiction lol.
There are some DVRs on the market now that plug directly into a USB port to upload information. Mine has a special USB cable that I just leave plugged into the USB hub and attach the DVR as needed. I find it useful because I can just copy the sound file into the same folder with the shop report and such if there is likely to be any future question about the shop. But I just create file after file as I go from shop to shop. Mine has a memory card that can also be shoved into it if I want to, and I got a card thinking that I might need that much space for hotel jobs etc. But I just upload files, save those of importance and clear the rest so the DVR is ready to go. And with an external microphone, the DVR is in my pants pocket so I can blindly turn it on, off or hit the pause to control it without needing a whole lot of 'dead air' time. A standard 1 hour restaurant shop is likely to be 10 min of recording time that includes everything the host and server said to us as well as specific timings. Memory prompts from the itemized bill are enough to remember plating and quality, so no need to record those. I may mention specific deficits, such as stained ceilings, that I might not be prompted for by the questionnaire itself.
I text notes to myself and the mode can be set to intuitive for speed, although that's not my preference.
While my wireless plan includes more than enough minutes and unlimited texting, the included media is practically nil. Sending one picture, for example, is about it for the month. Typical costs around here for unlimited media on a smartphone is $30/month. I just can't justify that for my shopping business, and don't need it personally.
While my wireless plan includes more than enough minutes and unlimited texting, the included media is practically nil. Sending one picture, for example, is about it for the month. Typical costs around here for unlimited media on a smartphone is $30/month. I just can't justify that for my shopping business, and don't need it personally.
My DVR plugs directly into the computer. I really hardly ever use it, as I use the iPhone all the time.
If you *pay* for Jott's services, you can dictate your shops and get the transcription over email. If can get a Google Voice account, you can dictate your shop and get a transcription, though my personal experience with the latter is that for my voice, it produces mostly garbage. Others have had a different experience. You can buy SW called MacScribe, that takes recordings and transcribes them. I am seriously considering this, as the sister product, MacDictate, is working really awesomely for me.
A to entering reports on the road, I wouldn't use my iPhone for that, though some people probably do. I use it to do almost everything else, but I don't like extensive typing at the scale of the phone.
A possible solution for you is a smartphone or regular cellphone with note recording, and a netbook or laptop or iPad. Then you can enter shops on the road. Find yourself a free wi-fi site, and off you go.
If you *pay* for Jott's services, you can dictate your shops and get the transcription over email. If can get a Google Voice account, you can dictate your shop and get a transcription, though my personal experience with the latter is that for my voice, it produces mostly garbage. Others have had a different experience. You can buy SW called MacScribe, that takes recordings and transcribes them. I am seriously considering this, as the sister product, MacDictate, is working really awesomely for me.
A to entering reports on the road, I wouldn't use my iPhone for that, though some people probably do. I use it to do almost everything else, but I don't like extensive typing at the scale of the phone.
A possible solution for you is a smartphone or regular cellphone with note recording, and a netbook or laptop or iPad. Then you can enter shops on the road. Find yourself a free wi-fi site, and off you go.
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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
Thanks for the advice everyone! I actually did have a netbook and didn't like it because it is hard to find a free Wifi spot when I'm on the go. I did my fair share of parking in restaurant parking lots and it seemed I always had issues with slow connectivity, etc.
MacScribe sounds intreaguing, but I don't know if I'm ready to shell out $200 for it. Of course if it helped me become that much faster, I could make that up simply by having more time to do jobs.
MacScribe sounds intreaguing, but I don't know if I'm ready to shell out $200 for it. Of course if it helped me become that much faster, I could make that up simply by having more time to do jobs.
My DVR plugs into the USB port, but it just works as a speaker. Is there software out that like the MacDictate for the PC, not a mac?
[www.e-speaking.com]
[www.nuance.com]
Have used dragon only on the iPhone, and it worked well for me.
[www.nuance.com]
Have used dragon only on the iPhone, and it worked well for me.
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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
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