Samsung Q1 Ultra - Handheld Computer for Construction and Building Inspections

MobileDataforce is working on a construction and building inspection software project in China. The handheld device chosen by our customer is a Samsung Q1 Ultra. It is a two-handed handheld computer. The Qwerty keyboard is split half on one side and half on the other side of the screen. The mouse is on the left side and a navigation button on the right.

This device will be used for inspections and quality assurance audits.

It is a good looking device, but a two-handed handheld will take some getting used to.

MobileDataforce and HVAC Service Software on Handheld PDAs

MobileDataforce supports mobile software applications for many different kinds of service technicians and handheld PDAs. This time of year (summer 2007 and hot weather) has us working with many HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning) companies.

A recent report from Aberdeen Group says that field service automation can lead to an 18% increase in service revenues and 9% reduction in Mean Time to Repair. The typical conversation with the owner of an HVAC company goes as follows:

"I am getting buried in paper work orders! Is there a way to have an electronic work order on a handheld PDA or Smart Phone that wirelessly synchronizes directly to my accounting software? Can work orders be dispatched from my office to a handheld computer? I would like my service technicians to enter their time, parts used, work status and get a digital signature on a handheld computer. Can that be done cost effectively for my 18 service technicians?"

My answer - "Yes sir...we deploy integrated mobile work order solutions weekly."

Click the image on the right to enlarge.

Here are some common features:

• Dispatch of service tickets/work orders


• Reassignment, Cancellation handling, Emergency calls


• Routing and event status, Maps and routing information sent with jobs


• Status of jobs


• Job data and description


• Customer data


• Technical Data


• Equipment data


• Parts and part orders


• Inventory checks


• Locating parts


• Parts orders


• Shipping status


• Invoicing


• Customer signatures


• Mobile invoice printing


• Sales and Mobile CRM


• Up selling products and service packages


• Warranties and renewals


• Job estimating


• Customer Survey


• Inspections

If you would like to discuss mobile software applications for handheld PDAs in detail please contact MobileDataforce, or click here to request a personal demonstration.

Additional articles on mobile handheld computer solutions - click here.

Additional mobile Work Order related articles

Muffled Voices in Your Mobile Handheld PDA

We are working on a large inspection software project in the UK for a water utility that uses handheld PDAs. In the course of supporting this effort one of the inspectors sent a problematic handheld PDA in for service. Seems it had run out of memory. Upon closer inspection we found a 30 minute voice memo of the inside of his pocket. For the curious - not much of interest in the recording.

Voice memos? These are useful when you need to record your findings while keeping your hands free (dangling from a 40 story building, climbing a ladder, crawling through a pipe). These voice memos can be wirelessly synchronized to a database and someone back at the office can type them into the database if needed.

MobileDataforce's PointSync Mobility Platform enables you to attach voice memos to a database on the device and to have this voice memo synchronized with the enterprise database application in the office.

Wal-Mart and Mobile Handheld PDA Solutions - Symbol MC50

I was shopping at Wal-Mart last night. OK!!! I needed food and it was there. As I am prone to do...I stopped a Wal-Mart employee who was walking by with a Symbol MC50 handheld and asked how she was using it. She said their new system allows her to approve or disapprove any issues at the cash register while working anywhere in the building. She simply punches in here ID on the transaction in question and selects here options to approve or disapprove. It saves management the time and exercise of running from the back room to the front cash register all day long. I wonder how this anti-exercise technology effects the manager in question?

The process described above does have some interesting lessons. How often do field service technicians have questions, or need approval to purchase items for a project? Perhaps they need a part, filter, tool etc. How much time is wasted trying to track down the operations manager on the golf course just to get a simple approval. Wal-Mart provides another useful process that involves handheld computers.

MobileDataforce provides a mobile software development platform and development services for mobilizing all kinds of business processes that are deployed to handhelds, smartphones and PDAs.

Appforge Users - What are the Choices?

MobileDataforce has had dozens of calls from Appforge users looking for new and different options for mobile application development. We generally present them with the following options:

1. Use .NET to develop mobile applications and a mobile application platform


2. Use a "rapid application development solution for mobile environments" like MobileDataforce's PointSync Mobility Platform.

MobileDataforce® PointSync is a complete mobility platform, used to rapidly design, develop and deploy business critical mobile applications to the field force. The PointSync® Mobility Platform is an enterprise class solution architected to provide database centric applications with full bi-directional synchronization and security for use on handheld computers, Smart Phones, Tablet PCs and Laptops.

It really depends on if your interest is a cool IT development project, or if you simply want the mobile application done so you deploy and start using it. If your interest is really the completed project, not the development experience, then using the PointSync Mobility Platform is likely going to get you deployed in the field in a fraction of the time and with a lot less cost and effort.

If you would like a personal demonstration of the PointSync Mobility Platform click here.