Posts Tagged ‘iphone’

Take a drive in downtown Toronto and you’re guaranteed to see two things: cranes and sandwich boards for condos!  Problem is, neither really tell you much about the projects they’re promoting.  Alas, a solution is here!

Homebuyers.com has just rolled out it’s user friendly iPhone and iPad app!  I downloaded the app today and took it for a test run to see how well it works.

The download from the app store was quick, seemless and took seconds to load!  The first step is to either sign-in under your Facebook or Email account.  I started by skipping, but I’d highly suggest doing so as more features are available once logged in.

After asking for your location, a “Google map” based screen loads up with your current location and near by pre construction projects! With a pinch or pull of the screen the user can zoom in or out from the given area. Pink and blue pins represent the different condos.  Each pin has a starting price of remaining units.

Clicking on a pin will take you to the individual listing of the building. It’s a very clean and simple layout that features a rendering of the building, starting price, mortgage caluculator, favorite button, priority registration, info, models (some contain floorplans and some renderings), current promotions, notes and contact button.

When the user clicks the star button the building get’s added to your “favourite list”.  The pin on the main screen is changed to yellow, this helps keep track of what you’ve seen and to narrow down the process.

The mortgage button is a handy addition to the app that gives the user 5 financing scenarios.  You can go into each option and customize the scenario.  Once done, you can email the results!  In future updates, a deposit calculator would also be helpful.

The descriptions of the buildings are short and concise, skipping all the normal broker babble and cutting straight to the goods!

The “models” and “promotions” tabs still require a lot of updating (at time of writting this). For some buildings, the “promotions” tab shows model suites and in others – floorplans.  A tab just for floorplans would be incredibly powerful.  Most promo tabs don’t have any specials listed, but as more builders take note of the app, I could see that changing.

The “My Notes” section does exactly what the name describes!  Users can take and store notes for each building.  You’ll need to have an email account activated in order to use this part of the app.

Lastly is the “contact” tab… users can email the developer directly from the app! The address and (sometimes) phone numbers are also listed under this section.

For an even quicker search you can narrow the criteria by a ton of variables such as location, price, type, bedrooms, square footage, status (coming soon, under construction, move-in now etc) and developer!

I was most impressed with how fast the app loaded.  Typically with map based apps there’s an annoying lag before the user can even start the search.  With the homebuyers.com app, you’re up and running right away! I love that the individual listing pages are so easily shareable through other social media sites like twitter and facebook.  In a time where developers are still creating incredibly hard to navigate websites, this app saves a ton of time getting you the info you want.  There’s even the option to sign up for priority registration… this will notify you when new projects open up to the public!

The only criticism I could offer about the app is that I didn’t really see the point of having a “regular” vs “featured listing” option but hopefully there’s a bigger plan for it down the road. Also, a few of the smaller builders were missing from the list and a couple of projects were not yet available. My small comments aside, For it’s first version I give the app 4 high-rises out of 5!

Download the app here: http://app.homebuyers.com/

 

 

Have I got a treat for you today… in no particular order, I present to you 5 apps that will ensure you never miss a bus again, show you what the City looked like before a 50+ story condo towered over it, tell you if it’s safe to take a tip in the lake, how to order a cab without even dialing and how much time you have left in the parking meter before you get ticketed!

Rocket Man TTC Streetcar Bus Schedule app was the first Toronto based app I downloaded for the iPhone.  The app is crazy cool for it ability to to show the locations of TTC vehicles in REAL TIME! It let’s users know how long they’ll be waiting for the next bus. I’ve tested the accuracy of this app several times over and each time my bus arrived within 5 seconds of the estimated time! In the winter the app allows you those vital extra minutes indoors before stepping out in the cold and waiting for the bus.  In the summer, you can plan your escape from the patio just in time to catch your ride home.  No matter the season of the year, the Rocket Man app come highly recommend for it’s incredible accuracy and ease of use!

If you follow my photo blog, you probably have a pretty good idea of what the City looks like now… but what was on that corner before the sparkling glass tower was erected?  In the past, a trip down to the Toronto archives would be the only way to know, but thanks to the Zeitag TO app users can pull up pics from where they are of what the area looked like many years ago. I’ve tried it in different parts of the city and for now it typically works best in the downtown core.  They currently have over 500 photos from the 1900′s to 1980 with more being added over time! Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a loyal reader to the blog, chances are you’ve noticed I missed this weeks MustHaveMonday post…but don’t fret, it’s Friday and I’m packing both themed days into one!

Excuses aside, I present to you…The POPA!

It’s a nifty little attachement for the iPhone 4.  It’s purpose is to make your smartphone less of a phone and more of a camera! Though I haven’t actually used it my self, I have done a lot of reading up on it (hint hint wink wink Christmas is coming).  Twist the POPAs barrel to connect to your iphone, and kaboooooom you’re ready to go.  The big read button at the top of the POPA makes your iphone picture ready in seconds. I quick push of the big red button and you’re snapping away.  It retails for about $75 and can be ordered online!

Watch it in action below:

Now that we’ve got the MustHaveMonday part of the post out of the way… let’s move on to some PHOTOFRIDAY pics:

Shot from atop CASA condos, I took this photo looking down at their outdoor pool!

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re like me, chances are you have more remotes in your living room than you do devices!  You’ve got a TV remote, a Rogers box remote, and PlayStation remote, a DVD remote…and the list goes on.

Worry no more iPhone friends, a solution is here!

The VooMote Zapper is the only device you’ll ever need.  The small device attaches with ease to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch no different than a standard Apple charger. The remote can be synced up to a pretty much any entertainment device you’d find in a home.  Imagine being able to turn all of your devices from ONE control. With the VooMote Zapper you can!

The add-on should retail for about $70 and works with a free download from the app store.  Once installed, the user can put in their postal code and get information on local programming/show times right from their Apple device.  No need for TV guides ever again!

See it in action below:

 

The Gotham Vintage lofts, located at 781 King Street West, has something quite different that your average Downtown condo…forget about virtual golf simulators or bowling allies, this loft has it’s own app! Created by Christopher King of MOBILE HOME™, the app is the first of it’s kind in Toronto (at least to my knowledge).

According to it’s press release:  The app allows residents to view the current building notice, contact property management and building services, manage a list of neighbor contacts from their address book, and view the building’s location and track their own location with a fully functional Google map.

I was really attracted to the “Building and User” tab feature!  With few taps on the screen users can see exactly where they are, where the building is, how to get themselves home, and how to explore the neighbourhood!

The app also helps bridge the communication gap between suite owner and property manager.  I often get calls from clients looking for the “front desk number” and other building contacts.  There’s a tab that has all that info posted at your finger tips! Even investors who don’t physically live in the building can benefit from the app as notices from the building can be read right from your phone.

I visited Christopher’s site to learn more about the app because I think it’s a brillllllliant idea!  For $1000 (plus tax), MOBILE HOME™ can build your condo it’s very own app too!  It also mentions that versions of the app for the Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile platforms are in the works.

My only concern with the app is that everyone and anyone can download it.  Meaning any notices or communications meant for residents can be read by any user who has the app on their phone.  In the interest of full disclosure…I’m currently using a BlackBerry (though that might be changing soon) and haven’t physically tried the MOBILE HOME™ app.  If any readers have, please let me know your thoughts and experience by leaving a comment below!

In the mean time, check out some screenshots or download it for FREE from the AppStore!…hopefully more condo’s follow!