Add more mobility and use a Pocket PC

HomeGauge runs on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Mobile 5/6 (Pocket PC). You can download a free trial of our Pocket HG software.

The Pocket HG is easy to understand and this minature version follows the main HG version better than any other Pocket software in the market. Use the PDA as an input device (rather than a note pad). Why scribble notes on a notepad when you could enter info one time? Or, if you are in a hurry you can talk your way through the inspection by clicking on the microphone at each inspection item. Or each time you take a picture with your camera, you can click on the camera icon at the inspection item it belongs to in the Pocket HG and it will know that the picture you just took with your camera belongs at that inspection item and will take you to that item when you use that picture. The Pocket HG is great for merging multiple reports together if you have an inspection team or decide to input at your laptop and use the PDA while inspecting.

see screenshots below

Advantages of the Pocket PC over a Tablet PC

First is cost — a Pocket PC and a Laptop can be purchased together for around a thousand dollars, while a tablet can cost from $1500 and up.

Second, the PPC is even more mobile than the Tablet PC. It affords the inspector quicker data entry because the PPC instantly turns on and instantly turns off, at the push of a button, rather than the typical 8 second ramp up from stand-by mode you see with a tablet or laptop. A common occurrence is that many times, immediately after entering information on the tablet and then putting it on stand-by, something else is remembered and the inspector has to repeat the stand-by process. The PPC doesn’t penalize you for that as it turns on as fast as pushing the button, and turning it off is the same. As far as functional ability, the Pocket HG software design allows for quick entry on the PPC, even allowing for the smaller screen size. Outdoors, the PPC screen is easily readable, which encourages immediate entry of findings and reduces the time spent putting the report together at the end of the inspection. Carrying a tablet around outside, on a roof, or in a crawlspace, is usually not a good idea. With the size of the Pocket PC, it encourages immediate entry of findings no matter where you are!

Two popular features of the Pocket HG software include a voice recording capability for each inspection item and automatic picture placement.

The voice recording feature is not for everyone, but for those that use it, substantial time savings can be realized. At each inspection item, you can tap the microphone icon and describe the problem. When you sync to the main version of HG there will be an audio byte at each item where you recorded that comment. Simply click on “Find First Voice Recording ... Find Next” and it will take you to the item that has the specific comment. This will come in handy if you are in a hurry to get out of the home, or if you plan to prepare a detailed explanation back at the office and want to quickly add verbal notes. This is great for the inspector who hands his report to his office person to complete. Now they will know the appropriate amount of significance to describe based on your voice notes.

The extra cool feature that can cut your picture insertion time in half is our new auto picture insertion. As you inspect and find a problem, simply take a picture, go to the PPC, and click on the camera icon at that inspection item. Continue doing this as you inspect. When you are finished, sync up to the full version and load your pictures. You will notice a “Jump” button at each picture in the filmstrip. Simply click the jump button and wham, your inspection item for that picture appears and is ready to go. Drop that picture in, hit the jump button on the next picture, and you'll quickly discover that Pocket HG will navigate to each inspection item for you instantly. For best results, you have to make sure that your camera, PPC, and computer clocks are synchronized. Your picture insertion time can be cut by as much as half.

Summary of benefits in using the Pocket HG

For the inspector who takes notes and then hands his/her report to their office staff to complete: hands down, the Pocket HG is best. All he/she has to do is take pictures along the way, and at each inspection item he/she can hit the microphone icon and record the comment. When the report is transferred, his/her staff can hit the "Find First Voice Recording ... Find Next Voice Recording" and it will take them staff to the inspection item. They can listen and type.
Another optional feature is each time you take a picture, you can go to that inspection item and hit the camera icon. When the report is transferred to the desktop and the pictures load as a film strip, the inspector can hit the "Jump" button at each picture and it will take him/her directly to the inspection item in the report.
The Pocket HG looks just like the desktop version, so once the inspector learns the desktop, the Pocket HG is easy to understand.
The Pocket HG is intended to be an input device. It does not print and you don't load pictures in the Pocket HG. Those tasks are left for the desktop, as those tasks would be cumbersome on the PPC.

What are the hardware requirements?

Pocket HG will run on any Pocket PC that has Windows Mobile 5 or Windows Mobile 6 and a 240x320 (QVGA) screen. Any new Pocket PC that is running Windows Mobile 5 or 6 will have enough storage and memory to run Pocket HG. You may want to consider getting the models with more memory and storage for convenience or if you plan on using it for other tasks. Also, getting one that has wireless network abilities can be useful if you have a wireless network in your home.

Only use a Pocket PC phone model if it has a 240x320 (QVGA) resolution screen and is not labelled as a smart phone! Smart phones do not have touch sensitive screens and will not run Pocket HG. Also, the phones with the smaller screens will not run Pocket HG well.

Several Pocket PC models are available. A couple of suggestions are available on our hardware recommendations page.

Screenshots of our Pocket HG software


Startup screen	Template selection

Section navigation	Customer info

Report info section	General report info

Inspection items	Styles/Materials

Invoice	Contact list

Select auto comments	CYA

Sentence builder	Summary preview window gives you a quick overview of the items in your report that are going to the summary.

Info for the inspector only	Download HomeGauge PPC Theme
To install the HomeGauge PPC theme: Save the theme file to your Pocket PC in its "My Device\Windows" folder. You can copy the file there using ActiveSync under "Tools -> Explore Pocket PC". (On Vista, go to "Computer", then explore your mobile device.) Note that the "My Device\Windows" folder may be hidden from view on your PC, if it is, go to the menu on the explorer window on your PC "Tools -> Folder Options", choose the "View" tab, and select the option to "Show hidden files and folders". Once the file is copied to the "My Device\Windows" folder on your Pocket PC, click on the Windows icon in the upper left corner of your Pocket PC, select "Settings" from the drop down menu, and click on the "Today" icon found in the "Personal" tab. Select the HomeGauge theme and click "ok".