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Bluebeam Revu Tips for iPad: Add Audio, Video and Perform Field Measurements September 18, 2013

Posted by carolhagen in Bluebeam Revu, Construction Industry - Software.
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Bluebeam Revu iPad is available on iTunes and can help field workers access plans and perform the punch process visually. The audio and video markups were added in Revu iPad version 1.4 and field measurements in 2.1

Typing on an iPad is rather awkward when holding the iPad in your hand. So why not annotate with an audio recording, video clip or photo. Here’s how to insert them all onto your PDF:

Field Measurements are not as accurate as using the desktop version of Bluebeam Revu (which has a snap to content option), but having the ability to do quick spot checks on the project site is a timesaver.

Watch this video to see Field Measurements in action:

If you don’t own an iPad, that’s ok as Bluebeam Revu desktop also works well on tablet PCs like the Surface Pro, Lenovo Yoga and other convertible laptops. Need to learn more about Bluebeam Revu or want a 30 day free trial of Bluebeam Revu for your laptop? Just visit our website, www.hagenbusiness.com

Subscribe to this blog for weekly Bluebeam Tips and please share this with your fellow team members.

Construction Industry Steps to the Cloud and Mobile Devices July 13, 2012

Posted by carolhagen in Construction Industry - Software, data loss prevention.
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The Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) had an interesting panel discussion at their conference last month entitled, “Cloud and Mobile Computing Technology for the Construction Industry”. Definitions and software tech firms all agreed that a hybrid approach will be necessary and that the main players are working hard at delivering something that controllers and risk managers can embrace. There were surveys taken about what were the popular devices but I couldn’t help but wonder how much is changing and what impact the new tablets will have on the AEC industry. Much of what happens on a construction site involves a high degree of collaboration so smartphone screens will likely not suffice for visual project management teams.

The Deloitte CIO Journal Tech Trends 2012 and this Cloud Surveys article written by Ben Kepes actually recaps some of the discussion.

What Cloud Solutions Are Easy to Implement?

1. Cloud Backup & Archiving

The first item, if you haven’t already done it is backing up your data to the cloud. There are many choices but recently I found that small firms may be just fine with Backupify for your PC (recently Symantec invested) or for up to 5TB you could use Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3) which scales to the enterprise. There are many more enterprise solutions you may want to consider. Many are mentioned in this article: 10 Enterprise Cloud Storage Solutions

2. File sharing solutions. It seemed that the iPad users liked Dropbox but few were sharing files they felt needed to be highly secure. Every cloud solution must take into account a mix of security and risk management. While the panel was specifically directed to avoid mentioning products (as many panelists were competitors of each other) I found myself wanting to scream out a solution that I showcased during the CFMA Chapter Summit a day earlier, Box. [Just this past week I became a Box Referral partner as it has integrated with Bluebeam, my favorite PDF markup and collaboration solution for contractors.]

What makes Box a great fit? It’s already designed for mobility, it integrates with MS-Office and Google Docs, it truly is a Software as a Service and it has addressed security so your IT department doesn’t have another layer of headaches.

Cloud and Mobile go together so call me to get your construction business started down the path. Once you have these two tasks tackled, we can help you with more.

Construction Project Managers Go Mobile September 1, 2010

Posted by carolhagen in communication, Construction Industry - Software, iPhone, Payroll Time Collection, project management software.
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Update September 27, 2010: Project Manager views Job Alerts on iPad using Corecon Mobile

Update: Project Manager uses iPhone to access construction documentation

Construction Project Managers main line of communication is their mobile device. Whether it’s texts, emails or phone calls your smartphone has become the primary tool of the trade. What’s missing? Applications designed to improve collaboration that you can navigate efficiently on your cell phone or iPad. Today I want to introduce you to what I suspect will be a best friend to homebuilders, architects, engineers, and commercial contractors and subcontractors. The Corecon Mobile solution. This is part one in a series of 5 posts on what construction project managers want access or update on a job when they are out of the office.

To be clear, Corecon is something that my firm markets to the construction industry and I believe that they’ve hit the nail on the head. First it won’t matter which smartphone you have. Corecon Mobile will work on all these devices:

* Apple – iPhone
* Apple – iPad
* Blackberry
* Google – Android
* Microsoft – Windows Mobile
* Palm – Palm OS

Wait, you did read that correctly…the iPad too. Corecon is a web-based estimating, project management and scheduling system that has managed to roll-out mobile apps at no cost to the Corecon client. No need for virtual servers, or IT staff to keep Corecon running. They believe in value and have delivered. So what areas of the Corecon system have they included in their first Mobile deployment? The list is impressive:

Construction project management on iPhone with Corecon Mobile

iPhone 3G Project Menu

Contact Management

* Companies
* Contacts

Project Leads

* Leads Listing
* Lead Directory
* Bid Calendar

Projects

* Project Directory
* Alerts
* Documentation
o Checklists
o Daily Log
o Meetings
o Owner Items
o Permits
o Punchlists
o Safety Accidents
* Correspondence
o Comply Notices
o Journals
o RFIs
o Submittals
o Transmittals
o Work Orders
* Time Entry
* Schedules
o Tasks
* Financials

All this with no need to install anything extra on your device. Just access to the internet and a subscription to Corecon. The mobile portion is free. In essence Corecon delivers value to their customers and their smartphones. Here’s a Comply Notice screenshot to wet your whistle.

HTC EVO 4G screen shot of Comply Notice using Corecon Mobile

Comply Notice on the HTC EVO 4G


Tune in tomorrow for more. Over the next few days we’ll be showcasing more than screen shots with actual video of just how easy it is to access, create, update and share these documents from the device of your choice. We’d like to hear what you think about the evolution of technology for managers in the field and on the go.

Update: Blackberry used by Project Manager to access contact directory in Corecon Mobile V7:

I should also mention that Corecon has a fabulous integration to Quickbooks, SAP and Simply Accounting so contractors won’t need to rekey the data and worry about transposing errors. Smaller firms can have all their accounting, estimating, project managmeent and scheudling in the Cloud so the overhead for fancy PCs, backups and loading updates is over. The future has arrived!

What has your construction firm been using your smartphone for other than email and phone calls? Leave comments and share this with others.

IPhone Apps I Wish were All Available on Blackberry September 25, 2009

Posted by carolhagen in Construction Industry - Software, Construction Industry Hardware, Document Imaging, iPhone, scanner, twitter.
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My Friend Tom Davanaugh is more enthusiastic about his iPhone than any other tech gadget he’s ever had.  That’s significant since Tom has lived and breathed IT for decades and is dedicated to educating the construction industry on ECM solutions.  Whenever we chat he mentions new apps he’s using.  The latest excitement has come from JotNot and Evernote since document imaging and mobility are required in the construction business today.

Want to capture expenses easily … so easy an executive will do it himself?  Jotnot turns your iPhone into a scanner and with the Evernote integration you start cooking!  Categorizing your text notes, voice recordings, and snapshots, you can organize notes into notebooks, add tags, search and more.  You can capture text, webpages, voice recordings and your tweets too.   There’s more coming per their blog with the beta 3.5 new release.  Things like auto spell checking, faster searches, map views are on their way.  The combination of these two apps usurps an earlier blog entry I made on iPhone scanner apps.

Here are Tom’s favorite iPhone apps, not in any specific order… if you are getting hooked yourself and some of these apps are available on blackberry (BB): 

Tom Tom             GPS !!!

Google                 Which has every google app all on one screen (BB)

Vlingo                   Amazing voice commands to search the web, get map directions and or voice dial. (BB)

Appbox                A utility set 

Camera                Depending on the application required I have several, most of them zoom and or improve native camera functions…  camerabag, genius, izoom, photogene, colorsplash, picture safe…  all of these either do some amazing things to make the camera more usefull or allow you to manipulate and or modify the photos…

 Tidegraph            I am a fisherman

 Navionics             Is specialized GPS and more (waypoints etc) for the water…    I am a fisherman

 Glaurung             Chess  I am a chess player also

Koi pond              The longest living creature on the planet… and a way to have a virtual koi pond    Which I also have in the entry of my home only it’s a real one

DocScanner        Take a pic and voila you have just virtually scanned!

Zen Garden        Nice to burn up some free time

Urbanspoon       A way to find a restaurant like you were a local

Stars                      I am a student of the universe

Planets                 because I am both a fisherman and see above

Dollar Origami    No way…   yep!

Stanza                   a Kindle like app with access to the Gutenberg project…

Ultimate quote machine               because there were many other well spoken people before me

PM sayings         cause I used to be one and they are so appropriate still today

Ocarina                 A musical instrument that also broadcasts what is being played on it all over the world in real time

Backgrounds      Amazing photos

NoteVault           The same one for the construction industry…

Just having the internet in my hand and being connected even at 36000 ft is pretty powerful.  The search ability of the stuff in the phone itself is awesome like a google appliance

JotNot and evernote.com – It is cheaper than Docscanner (3 instead of 9 dollars)… saves in more formats… and is integrated with evernote.com …   this one wins so far… it also does more than paper.

Some great games for those that love em and have the time…

Shazam … it samples recorded music and comes back with the title and artist and YouTube video and suggestions of songs like it. (BB)

Might as well add my stock app also… there is one for each of the common and popular systems out there.

If you are still reading, Tom has his Blackberry strapped to his waist while he waits for corporate to allow call forwarding to his iPhone.  And I was lazy looking up all the links for all these apps…just go get your iPhone now and you can thank Tom.  He’s out there!