Techie Toys?

[woodsthing]

Who has electronic gadgets that make things easier? Who bought one and eventually left it at home or tucked away?

While I've always gone for tools/accessories that make things easier/faster/safer on the job (i.e. big shot, lightweight bars, eight different kinds of caribiners, ten types of wedges, etc), I find myself temped to justify a couple of Electronic Gadgets this spring... As a self-employed tree guy, I've only bought what I really needed or could justify in one direct manner or other- The Laptop and iPhone were recent stretches of my justification, but now am grasping at straws with my newest techie "crushes".

First and almost conventional is a Helmet Cam in the form of a GoPro Hero2, I get short vids and okay pics with my iPhone, but on the coolest jobs, it feels like I have the least time to walk around and take pics- and the in-tree vids i've seen are pretty cool... This is purely a toy purchase, but it kinda ties in with my other gadget.

Next, would be a tablet, like an iPad... I don't need or want one at home, but a buddy who does a bit of spelunking and a lot of para-sailing shows off his awesome helmet cam vids on his tablet and makes me jealous of all the free time he has... This has got me thinking: Would this combo be useful (and more importantly) cost beneficial, to use to show potential customers past work?

Any thoughts on this? The combined cost for these two would cost me the equivalent of a month or so of fuel, a quarter of my yearly advertising, a fully equipped 460, a few good ropes, or any number of other expenses I already have...

 

[formationrx]

....

pardon me.... would you have any grey poupon?

 

[superjunior]

I bought one of those palm pilots a while back, stored all my contacts, phone #s, write down notes in it ect.. but I always found the old pen and paper to be more efficient for me. the first time the battery died when I needed some info from it was cause for it to get lost in my office somewhere. Then I bought a lap top with pretty much the same intentions, that just collected dust in the truck till the wife stole it. Thought about maybe getting one of those smart phones but eh I donno, I like the small phones that fit in the pocket and can take a beating. Maybe I'll pick up a tablet one day to have internet access on the job but it would more then likely meet the same fate as my other gadgets

 

[2treeornot2tree]

I am going to be getting me a go pro camera or a contour roam. I havent decided which one I want. The go pro is almost 2 x the price.

I think a tablet would be cool for showing customers prior work photos or even for a proposal. I dont know if I would use it too much on the tree side of things unless maybe I had them sign a contract on it for the job. It would be great if you had a landscape proposal on it and you could show the customer the plant layout and what each plant looks like.

Is that alot of tree work in Alaska? I want so bad to move there.

 

[tree md]

I had to buy a laptop last Summer while on the road to replace my other one that crapped the bed last year. Just spent $150 at the pawn shop for an old road warrior to use in the hotels as I was working on the road doing storm work. It was invaluable to me on the road and being that I only paid $150 for it, it wouldn't have broke my heart if it had been stolen out of a room or the truck.

I got a Contour Roam helmet cam over Christmas and now see the need for a newer laptop or I-pad to be able to process the video efficiently. It would be nice to be able to have contracts signed electronically. Plus this would eliminate the need to carry hard copies around with me.


I can see where I am going to have to do something to be able to access my files and email in the field. I got a request for an estimate through email a few days ago and was literally right next door to the house that the request came from. Had I have had access to my email, I could have saved a lot of time and gas. Then yesterday, I forgot to print that email and had to call in to have someone access my email on my desktop computer to give me the phone number and address. Something has got to give there. I need to be able to access files in the field and I am like SJ, I don't like smart phones. I like little tough phones as well. I'll probably get a better laptop or I-pad in the coming months.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

I have a droid 3 and its a pretty tough phone. I can check/ send emails, take credit cards payments on my phone. gps a address. It stays in my pocket most of the time and comes out full of saw dust alot. I just blow it off and it keeps ticking. I have a otter case on it. I like to be able to check the weather during the day if it looks like a storm is coming in.

 

[tree md]

...

Problem with that is I have already sent two cell phones through a chipper in years past... I would be sick if I sent a $400 phone through a chipper or tore it up...

 

[superjunior]

One of my guys has a smart phone and its nice to be able to check current weather radar and wood weight charts and such. Guess if he didn't have that on a job I'd be more prone to picking up a gadget.

You contour - go pro guys, are those things water/dust/shockproof? Wife got me a compact digital camera made for outdoor abuse. Its nice but not very practical to mount to a hard hat. I still wear it around my neck to take vids up in a tree.

 

[superjunior]

...

Problem with that is I have already sent two cell phones through a chipper in years past... I would be sick if I sent a $400 phone through a chipper or tore it up...

I dropped my little "tough" phone out of the bucket from about 40 ft a few years ago, smacked one of my groundies right in the head and sent him to the ground (no hard hat). Phone was fine

 

[tree md]

The roam camera is waterproof to one meter out of the box. I believe you have to buy a special waterproof case for the go pro.

 

[TreeAce]

I leave my phone in the truck when I am working but that I4s is now considered an important tool IMO. I was a pen n paper guy myself but thats a changing. To much to keep up on and I want to create a detailed customer data base for referance. I also want to be able to print bids in my truck. I have some pans on the fire now so I really gotta watch the funds and how I am spending them but it WILL happen. Not 100% if I want an Ipad or a laptop...... I def want a helmet cam though. Gotta get those videos on the web site There was a thread called "technology age' (i think) that slvrmaple started recently. There was some good info in it.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

...

Problem with that is I have already sent two cell phones through a chipper in years past... I would be sick if I sent a $400 phone through a chipper or tore it up...

I got the insurance on mine, so it cost me $8 a month, and a $80 deductable. Maybe you should sew up those holes in your pocket. The otter cover i have is kinda like a sticky rubber, holds in the pocket too good sometimes.

 

[tree md]

I got the insurance on mine, so it cost me $8 a month, and a $80 deductable. Maybe you should sew up those holes in your pocket. The otter cover i have is kinda like a sticky rubber, holds in the pocket too good sometimes.

I used to carry my phone clipped into a belt loop with a caribiner. To tell the truth, I haven't sent one through a chipper since the bag phone days but I have dropped one out of the tree and cracked the screen in the past few years.

I have been carrying the Rugby II for the past couple of years. It's a pretty tough phone in it's own right but I carry it in a crush proof otterbox while aloft.

 

[tbow388]

My 2 cents

I think a Ipad could and would be beneficial.

A couple reason for this would be the ability to show people previous work and maybe a video.

You can also easily type out a email to a customer. I believe the Ipad 2's have a camera. You could take a pic and type notes while you are giving someone a estimate.

I Love my Ipad (actually my wifes) and use it a bunch along with my Iphone.

All of this is from a Techie that thinks everyone should have a Iphone and Ipad.

 

[woodsthing]

I leave my phone in the truck when I am working but that I4s is now considered an important tool IMO. I was a pen n paper guy myself but thats a changing. To much to keep up on and I want to create a detailed customer data base for referance. I also want to be able to print bids in my truck. I have some pans on the fire now so I really gotta watch the funds and how I am spending them but it WILL happen. Not 100% if I want an Ipad or a laptop...... I def want a helmet cam though. Gotta get those videos on the web site There was a thread called "technology age' (i think) that slvrmaple started recently. There was some good info in it.

Printing invoices is a practical idea, my hand writing is good, but some people seem to complain even about that... I do email pdfs of my invoices to some customers who request them in the evening, but a sending an invoice seems to lead some customers to believe that they have a few weeks to get a check in the mail, despite what it says at the bottom. So for this, an immediate print invoice would be great.

 

[TreeAce]

Printing invoices is a practical idea, my hand writing is good, but some people seem to complain even about that... I do email pdfs of my invoices to some customers who request them in the evening, but a sending an invoice seems to lead some customers to believe that they have a few weeks to get a check in the mail, despite what it says at the bottom. So for this, an immediate print invoice would be great.

The ability to hand someone a bid in person at the time of the estimate is 100% manditory IMO. Sometimes I scan and email bids to people when it has been arranged. A good example for that is a couple of landlords i do some work for. They dont even live in Ohio so everything is via phone/internet. But 99% of the time I look a HO in the eye and hand them a bid.

 

[superjunior]

The ability to hand someone a bid in person at the time of the estimate is 100% manditory IMO. Sometimes I scan and email bids to people when it has been arranged. A good example for that is a couple of landlords i do some work for. They dont even live in Ohio so everything is via phone/internet. But 99% of the time I look a HO in the eye and hand them a bid.

My hand writing sometimes is borderline unreadable, and I've been known to misspell a word or two..need to work on that lol. But I do the same, the bid gets written up and handed to them on the spot

 

[woodsthing]

I handwrite bids on site as well, but its the invoices that some people are funny about. And I've had to establish a "Statement" system to let people know that the paying the bill isn't optional- More paperwork. If theres a good Application for managing all the different aspects of small business then one of those little tablets may very well, come in handy- as it is, is kinda just a toy to show off my work to customers at this point if I were to spend the money on one.

 

[husabud]

I put an IPad2 into the fleet last summer and so glad I did. I show pics vids and can instantly email a customer an invoice or estimate with it. I track sales can print out anything and use it with google earth to find an out of the way address. Best money I've spent yet. Makes all the time with the family Family time.

 

[swyman]

I put an IPad2 into the fleet last summer and so glad I did. I show pics vids and can instantly email a customer an invoice or estimate with it. I track sales can print out anything and use it with google earth to find an out of the way address. Best money I've spent yet. Makes all the time with the family Family time.

Husabud, I was also thinking of getting an iPad, how does the connection work? Do you have to pay a monthly fee to be able to access internet, email ect.....? I have a EVO 4g with Sprint for a phone and wanted to try and incorporate it to do what your'e doing but is just to hard to type. I live the idea of the ipad, tell me more!