So the idea of an office in your pocket appeals to you? Great! Now, we need to move the Treo 650 from a basic device to something that would make you want to “write home” – or e-mail, or IM, or text message or phone.

Real estate agents are all about communication and service. If clients can’t find you, and get the answers they need quickly – they move on. So, let’s get you up and running with a few “add-on” programs that help to keep you in touch and on top.

Communication Boosters

• SnapperMail Premier Edition
  After test-driving the “as packaged” programs for both the Treo 600 and the 650, I tried the demo of SnapperMail and bought it within a few hours. Yeah, it’s that much better for those of us who need to manipulate large numbers of e-mail attachments while on the road. SnapperMail is a slick little program. It’s clean and, for me, has offered bullet-proof functionality.
  
  If you your e-mail style is a bit less demanding, the VersaMail program that comes standard with the 650 will meet your needs without costing any additional cash. SnapperMail isn’t cheap -- it runs $49.95. It does “play nice” with Docs to Go from DataViz for file attachment manipulation on the fly. The company offers less expensive “light” and more expensive “enterprise” versions to meet individual need.
  
  The Premiere Edition I bought had SplashPhoto4 as a bonus. I love SplashPhoto, and use it (complete with MP3 musical accompaniment) for slideshow-style animated photo albums. SnapperMail Premier comes with a couple other programs. (I tried them, but wasn’t terribly impressed.)
   

• Mundu Interoperable Messenger V3
  Want an Instant Messenger (IM) program that crosses platforms, performs beautifully and doesn’t incur a monthly fee or an annual subscription? Mundu is it.
  
  I searched and searched and tried many mobile IM-type programs before finding this one – my own “perfect fit” mobile IM. It covers MSN, AIM, ICQ, YIM, and their own Mundu IM. I find it smooth, functional and have noticed that I can often use the IM to communicate even when the cell signal is too low to carry a decent phone conversation. It’s a quick and easy setup, has an appealing look and just plain performs!
  
  Unlike competitors, it doesn’t use the SMS or MMS text function to send the messages. So, you won’t have any nasty surprises on your bill if you have a limited text-messaging plan. (Just be sure your Internet package is unlimited or properly sized for your needs.) You can use Mundu to “conference in” peers and clients across all the IM platforms into one group chat. You can send files via this IM and it will run in the background, remaining available for incoming messages, while you do other things on your Treo. Personally, I love it. (It set me back $29.95.)
   

• TAKEphONE
  This improves the functionality of the phone search enough to buy it, even if there weren’t any cool skins (there are more skins for the Treo 600 than the 650 at the moment) and even if you couldn’t tap a phone number on a website to automatically dial it. TAKEphONE will add $19.95 to the price of your Treo.
  
  It also adds quick access to a redial list, a history list and a favorites list, and full five-way button support making one-handed operation of your Treo easy. The search fields can be user-customized. When you begin typing a name (or the contents of any custom field), it automatically offers you options, while decreasing and narrowing with every letter you tap on the screen’s keypad or the thumboard. There are a number of more advanced options, but the basics listed above make it a sweet little “value-added” program that should come standard with a Treo, but doesn’t.

These products, along side the factory delivered software will make your tiny Treo a full-sized personal communications center for coordinating the details of your real estate career and meshing them beautifully with the demands of your personal life.

Your Vote Determines Next Month’s Topic

Now we have covered the basics about the Treo 650 and the expanded communications options offered by some add-on programs. I will dedicate one more column to Treo topics and I’ll write that column next month.

What it contains is up to you. Do you want to know more about productivity tools, accessories, or entertainment options? Cast your vote now to determine what I write for November.

Angela A. Parker is our TECH and WORD MAGIC columnist. She is a writer and marketing consultant based in Dunnville, Kentucky serving real estate clients and entrepreneurs world wide through Wicked Wordcraft.com. She recently launched WickedTreo.com to help real estate professionals learn more about pocket-sized mobility, and she blogs about topics ranging from writing and marketing to society and life on WickedBlog.com. You can contact her via e-mail at angela@vacentral.com