Masonry Magazine December 2007 Page. 26
INDUSTRY SOFTWARE
Really
'Smart'
Phones
Foundation for Windows is written specifically for the
construction industry to cover union reciprocity, payroll,
state and local tax issues, and job costs, he says. The soft-
ware tracks equipment and labor in the field to compute
payroll, workers' compensation and job history.
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Masonry contractors don't need to stay in the
office to stay connected. Smart phones like the
Palm Centro from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Palm
Inc., offer text, instant messaging and email capabilities from a small
touch-screen complete with keyboard. The phone lets users dial from
their address book, set up three-way calls, and talk hands-free.
A built-in Google Maps application provides directions to jobsites
and traffic updates, says Rob Katcher, product manager for Palm.
"There are thousands of applications available to personalize your
device for work," says Katcher. "For example, The Tradesman for Palm
OS is a client diary, invoice management, and time-tracking applica
tion that allows mobile workers to log each visit to clients. For any
client, you can see what you did, when, and how much you charged,
and it's as easy to use as a punch card. The Tradesman also calcu-
lates the appropriate cost or charge of each visit for you. Then, send
your data back to your PC in a spreadsheet format via Tradesman
XChange."
Katcher says contractors can use the camera feature to take
photos on the jobsite and immediately send image updates back to
the office.
doesn't sub out the work," Ode says. "They have workers
and equipment."
Eliminating multiple data entry
WHEN A USER ENTERS DATA into an accounting soft-
ware program, the data should automatically post everywhere
necessary so that it only has to be entered once, rather than
entered on several spreadsheets, experts say.
"If you're using a spreadsheet, you're handling the same
information multiple times," Meidl says. "You will never key the
same number twice with Tut, thus eliminating the opportuni-
ty for a mistake."