The iPad 2; Is it a Necessary Tool for Today's Real Estate Professional?

As I aspire to become a Virtual Agent without the daily grind of the office, I decided to purchase an iPad 2 on the recommendations of my fellow Round-table Agents here in the Houston Market.  Well I must say I find the iPad 2 quite fascinating.  With all of the bells and whistles of my old laptop, I can now pass it to my client while on property tours and they are able to see properties vividly and even locate them without a problem while I drive.  The clients love the convenience and they think I am the bomb (:>).  Oh, how I love technology. I love the iPad ability to make complex tasks simple, useful, and more effective and I intend to make it a viable tool in my trade. I am told it is the perfect device for agents and soon it will be the only tool I need to carry.

Here is what i like about my iPad:

• Great Nightstand app – large illuminated numbers I can see without glasses in the middle of the night
• Pandora – create your own music stations based on artists of your choice
• iBooks – cheaper than hardcovers, variable size print, good backlighting. Love reading this way.
• Mail interface – grouping of conversations and related mails is sweet.
• Safari for web browsing works pretty well and instead of tabs you can flip between open sites.
• Crystal clear photo viewer.
• Wifi – I link to the web through a hotspot on my iPhone. Best feature of all.
• Apps that allow me to view files on my PC or share them such as DropBox and DocsToGo.

Here is what I need my iPad to do natively to make it a more useful business tool

• USB connect or SD card support. I take pictures with more cameras than my iPhone and would like to be able to add them instantly. Yes, there is an app that uses bluetooth to connect the iPhone and transfer the pic. I also want to be able to use a flash drive or other memory device. (This is what I am used to and have not converted totally)
• Printing – let me connect to printers via WiFi or bluetooth, not just the 8 HP printers Airprint works with.
• Play and connect outside your Apple sandbox – and do it easily without workarounds.

Lastly – I think the iPad 2 is a great listing presentation tool. The graphics are great, Keynote is great presentation software.  The screen is a little small but in the right position,  Mr & Mrs Seller and I could easily gather round to view the presentation. It is also a great tool for doing and/or viewing a video presentation of a property for Mr & Mrs Buyer and I to walk through interior pictures of houses being selected for showings.