We are very pleased to release an update to myRealPage Mobile Search which, among other things, includes support for the new device on the block: Apple’s® iPad™. The updated mobile search now sports:

• more polished user interface, with pin icons for better visibility, including number of listings on each pin
• list view of the found listings for better browsing
• criteria form that allows setting basic restrictions, such as price, property types, bedrooms, etc.
• better Virtual Office Website integration for regions that have VOW but don’t offer Reciprocity
• better integration with custom mobile websites, including customizable CSS and mobile icon
• support for iPad™

Now, if someone comes to your website via an iPad™ and navigates to the Google Map Search form, our system will automatically recognize that and, instead of showing the interactive Google Map Search, it will show a link to the iPad™-optimized IDX to give your visitor a better search experience. Your visitors can still continue to use traditional non Google Map forms to search for listings, if they wish.

If you would like to see this new update, simply navigate to: [yourdomain.com]/m or [yourdomain.com/ipad

We have gone to great lengths to make the user experience of viewing your listings on the iPad™ as enjoyable as possible: we have eliminated, where possible, references to Flash and made the listing page size fit best the iPad™ screen resolution. This product is still very much a “work in progress” but we are very pleased with the way it’s shaping out. 

The best way, of course, to experience how this product works on iPad™ is to try it yourself; if you don’t own one, why not try it at your local electronics retailer: simply enter your [yourdomain.com]/m URL into Safari and see what happens!

Do you have feedback for us? We want to hear your thoughts: leave your comments here or drop us a line to support@myrealpage.com

If you are wondering what a QR code is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code), don’t worry! QR codes are just a variety of barcodes, the kinds you find on things you buy; except they are especially easy to scan for smart phones. Almost any modern smart phone can have a Barcode Scanner application installed and capable of scanning the codes using the built-in phone camera. What’s interesting is that QR codes can make the smart phone do a bunch of interesting and useful things. For example, they can make the phone navigate to a web page, or they can automatically create a contact record and let the user save it; or create a calendar event. Now if you start thinking about it: QR codes provide an ideal connection between your printed materials and your leads equipped with smart phones: be it a property “FOR SALE” sign, or your business card, or a flyer. QR codes can even be scanned directly from a computer screen!

Here is a hypothetical scenario: imagine that someone is walking by your freshly planted “FOR SALE” sign for a property you have just listed. She notices the QR code with “SCAN THIS FOR LISTING DETAILS” caption nicely attached to the sign. Being a hip mobile savvy user, she pulls out her iPhone and scans the code; and within a few seconds she is looking at the full details web page of your listing, complete with all the photos, contact info, etc. She also notices your phone number and next to it another QR code that says: “SCAN THIS FOR MY CONTACT DETAILS”. She does just that and instantly sees the QR reader create a contact record with your details and ask her whether she wants to add it to her Contacts. All this has happened without your lead typing a single character into her phone.

Think about the possibilities now. You can print a QR code at the back of your business card, on your listing materials, anywhere where you can save your leads some typing and instantly increase your mobile coolness factor!

MyRealPage now gives you a way to create QR codes for each of your listings, as well as for your Contact Information. Just download the resulting image and incorporate it into any printed material or signage as you see fit.

Here is quick sketch of what happens when you scan a QR code that takes you to a web page (URL):

And a quick sketch of what happens when your Contact Details are scanned:

You can find your Listing QR code by simply clicking on the “More…” tab in your Listing editor in the Private Office:

And you can find your Contact Info QR codes in the Listing Options under the “Listings” tab in your Private Office:

Do you have comments or suggestions? Do you know of a creative idea to use a QR code? Let us know!

-- Brought to you by MyRealPage.com

• Automatically locate yourself via GPS and see all available listings for sale in up to 1km radius around you
• Have the application "follow" you by updating your position and nearby listings as you walk or drive
• Drag the map to pan around and see the nearby listings automatically searched for you
• Manually override your current location by entering the address of your choice
• Login into your Virtual Office Website (VOW) account to see and do more
• See full details of each individual listing, including all photos
• Email listings to family and friends
• Inquire about the listing with the agent/team/broker
• "Star" the listing for later review through the Virtual Office Website (VOW) account
• Sign up for a Virtual Office Website (VOW) account
• Make a phone call and/or send a SMS message directly from the contact forms

-- Brought to you by MyRealPage.com