Coming in April: DaVinci for Android™

Dale Spoonemore, Product Manager
labs@alamode.com

Can you guess which mobile phone operating system is the most popular? You may think it's Apple's iOS, after all the iPhone is constantly making headlines, or even BlackBerry since it's been around forever, but you'd be wrong on both counts. Recently, Android™ overtook BlackBerry as the most popular operating system for mobile phones with over 31% of the market. This may come as a shock since the iPhone gets the most news coverage, but Android has quietly taken over.

We've been closely watching the mobile market for a long time, so it's no coincidence that we're releasing our Android solution just after Android took over the market. We've been working hard to develop our DaVinci for Android app and get it in your hands as soon as possible. We expect to have something available in the labs within the next month. DaVinci for Android will be much like its iPhone and iPad counterparts, with data gathering available first and sketching to come later.

We introduced our revolutionary data-gathering tools DaVinci for iPhone and iPad last year and are now proud to be releasing it for Android phones and tablets. DaVinci's data gathering is game changing; you'll save a ton of time. You can literally fill out an entire 1004 from the field by simply tapping on the screen. Create QuickLists in DaVinci or sync them over from WinTOTAL, then just tap the field (e.g. flooring, walls, bath, etc.) and choose the type from your list (wood, drywall, good condition, etc.) Easily type in comments or use Android's "talk to type" feature to fill out the report using your voice. You can also take photos from within DaVinci and sort them by subject property and comparables. Then, when you get back to the office, all of your data will flow wirelessly into your WinTOTAL or TOTAL 2011 reports.

Some of you may be disappointed to learn that sketching won't be available right away. The truth is there isn't a converter that just ports code over from our iOS versions. We have to re-write it from the ground up, and that takes time. Rather than putting it off any longer, we wanted to get you the time-saving data collection features now. We expect to have a sketcher ready to try later on this year.

Android has a lot to offer. Here are some of the coolest features in Android that may not necessarily be available in other platforms. We will incorporate some of these features directly into DaVinci.

Talk-to-type into any text field
Android has a "voice input" button on the keyboard that allows you to use your voice to enter data into a field. This means that you can fill out the entire 1004 using your voice.
Free turn-by-turn, voice-activated navigation provided within the OS
Turn-by-turn voice navigation is provided within the Android OS at no additional charge. Use it as a GPS to get to each comparable property.
More devices and carriers to choose from
There are many different Android phones or tablets to choose from so there will be an Android device available to you no matter your carrier.
Configurable hardware
Most Android devices offer the ability to remove/replace the battery and add additional storage space.
Flash support
You can load websites that are built with Flash and watch Flash videos embedded on websites.
Android is fully customizable
Nearly everything in Android is customizable. You can change the keyboard, add live "widgets" to the home screen, live backgrounds, and many other options to personalize your device and customize your experience.
Android is an open platform
The open platform of Android means that we should be able to incorporate features like DISTO's Bluetooth capabilities that we aren't able to integrate into the iOS versions of DaVinci.

We think you'll be pleased with DaVinci for Android, whether you're a long-time Android user or a newcomer to the platform. And, like its predecessors, it's completely free. We'll give you more updates as we get closer to releasing it in the Labs.

Screenshots:


File Cabinet	Order View


Data Screens	Room Analysis


Adding a Comparable	Photos


Voice-to-text Input	Voice Notes