Laptops or Tablets?
As tablets grow in size and capability, it stands to reason they could replace laptops as the tech-on-the-go option for busy agents. Andrew Herrmann analyses the practicality of a tablet versus the features of a laptop, and which would best suit your lifestyle.
It’s that time of year when we find ourselves looking at what we can do to improve our output and productivity moving into the new year, or maybe we are thinking of getting ourselves a Christmas present. Either way, it’s a good excuse to look at some nice bright and shiny toys.
One of the main questions we are asked in the technology world at the moment is ‘Should I be using a laptop or a tablet, or both?’ There really is no correct answer as it is based on the individual and budget; however, there are some key points to note prior to making a decision.
The tablet is becoming increasingly popular due to its ease of use, portability and the ability to use a wide range of applications. But the question remains for the busy agent as to whether they should move to the tablet wholly and solely, or if the laptop is still a better option.
Laptops are also becoming increasingly smaller and slimmer, with products like the MacBook Air and the Microsoft Surface laptops leading the way. They still offer much more processing power than the tablet, giving them the ability to handle larger documents and applications.
Before you jump at what looks best under your arm, here are a few key things to keep in mind.
Size
This is mainly important when it comes to travel. The tablet offers the flexibility to fit in small compendiums and, most importantly, can be used during take-off and landing in planes – unlike your laptop.
"The tablet is becoming increasingly popular due to its ease of use, portability and the ability to use a wide range of applications."
Battery life
For agents, this is super-important. Before considering what is best for you, ask yourself what your day consists of. If you are constantly in and out of the office and cars, the battery life of a tablet will last you longer as the device isn’t processing as hard as a laptop. However, if you do find yourself at your desk working hard on pushing out prospecting material and mail merges, the laptop is the device for you.
Apps
If you are looking at using both tablet and laptop, keep in mind the applications you will be using and how these can sync between devices. If you can stay on-brand with both devices the applications will run much smoother and sync much easier.
Storage
Another important area to note, depending again on the applications you are running. If you are using cloud-based applications like Dropbox this won’t matter, as all your data will be in the cloud. However, if you are storing locally the laptop will give you much more storage capacity.
If budget isn’t an option, I would be looking at using both a tablet and laptop for agents as long as you can run them in tandem. This is what we recommend to all our agents, giving them options around bundling both devices together with applications that allow them to work from the road, desk or at home without missing a listing or sale