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RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE for APPLE MAC DESKTOPS and LAPTOPS
Below is a list of software that is either required or recommended for use by Keller Williams Realty Elite agents. Some software is simply recommended (such as Firefox) because the staff and agents have found less problems/more compatibility with it. Required software (such as Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight) is necessary for some Keller Williams technology to function. Some software (such as Google Picasa, Dropbox, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Apple Keynote) is required for certain training sessions (branded listing photos, for one).
In any case, agents who use Keller Williams recommended software will likely run into less problems, and support from the Technology Coordinator (and other staff members) will be quicker, and less of a headache for everyone involved. |
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Mozilla Firefox web browser
Mozilla Firefox is a non-profit, extensible, customizable web browser. Although it is the 3rd most-used browser behind Microsoft Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, Firefox is the most-trusted web browser among computer security professionals. We recommend it at Keller Williams Realty Elite because we see the least amount of problems with it. It is not 100% problem-free, but no browser is. Firefox is used by the KW Elite staff, installed on all office computers, and it is highly encouraged (if not practically required) for any technology training held at the Market Center. Agents should also have Google Chrome installed as a backup browser in case Firefox has issues. Although not terrible, Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari are not recommended, but may also be used backup browsers. It is perfectly fine to have multiple browsers installed on a computer. In fact, PC users should have Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer installed. Mac users should have Firefox, Chrome, and Safari installed.
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Adblock Plus browser extension
Adblock Plus is an ad-blocking extension for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Although ads are extremely important to keeping your favorite websites funded, ads have been known to deliver malicious software. Web ads can also be distracting (sometimes obscuring the content you need to be productive). At Keller Williams Realty Elite, we recommend blocking ads on webpages using Adblock Plus for your own online security and productivity.
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Adobe Flash Player browser plugin
Adobe Flash Player is a browser plugin that is necessary for Keller Williams Realty Elite agents since OKCMAR's Fusion MLS is built on Flash. Without Adobe's Flash Player plugin installed in your web browser, Fusion will not load on your computer. Additionally, Flash does not run on iOS devices (and Flash is no longer officially supported on Android devices). Adobe's Flash Player is also what makes YouTube's video playback work.
NOTE: Adobe Flash player, like many browser plugins, increases your computer's vulnerability to malicious attacks. Due to expiration of support from Microsoft for Windows XP, Windows XP users should take extra precaution to keep Flash Player up to date, or uninstall (or do not install) Flash Player altogether. |
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Dropbox online file storage & sync
Dropbox is a cloud storage service. Cloud storage allows you to save files online for access from any computer, phone, or tablet. Dropbox is the most popular among cloud storage services, and extremely reliable. However, a FREE Dropbox account provides the least amount of storage among all cloud storage services at a paltry 2 GB. Free accounts can be expanded up to 16 GB through referrals, and enabling some features (such as automatic photo uploading). Dropbox's paid accounts are also more expensive than other services. Up to 100 GB of storage can be purchased for $10 per month. Compare this to Google Drive which provides the same 100 GB for only $2 per month, or for $10 per month you get 1 TB or storage (10 times more space than 100 GB).
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Google Drive online file storage & sync
Google Drive is another cloud storage service such as Dropbox. Google Drive is the second most popular cloud storage option, but provides much more storage for free accounts at 15 GB. As a part of their Google-powered KW.com email, Keller Williams agents also get Google Drive, and 2 times the space of regular, free Gmail accounts—that's 30 GB of FREE space through your KW.com account. Google Drive also includes Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides—Google's free, online version of Microsoft Office. Google Drive is somewhat less reliable than Dropbox. You may tend to see more synchronization conflicts and/or delayed synchronization with Google Drive.
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Microsoft Office for Mac Home & Student 2011 productivity suite
Microsoft Office for Mac Home & Student 2011 is Microsoft's Office software designed for use on Mac computers. Like the Windows Home & Student edition, this edition includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (OneNote can be downloaded separately from the Mac App Store for FREE). Also like the Windows Home & Student edition, the Mac version does not come with Outlook (although it does come with the Business edition). Outlook is not recommended anyway, since all Macs come with Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Reminder apps built-in. Although Apple's iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) can open, edit, and save Microsoft Office documents, Mac users may want to purchase Microsoft Office for Mac anyway in case any compatibility issues arise between Apple's iWork apps and Microsoft Office documents. Microsoft Office for Mac Home & Student 2011 can be purchased from Amazon.com for about $100.
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Apple Pages word processing
Apple's Pages is a word processor application (like Microsoft Word), and a part of Apple's iWork productivity suite of software (similar to Microsoft Office). iWork apps are typically MUCH easier to use, with a less complicated, cleaner user interface, at a loss of more obscure, advanced features found in Microsoft Office. Although Windows PCs cannot open or edit iWork documents, all iWork software can export documents as Microsoft Office-compatible documents for use on Windows PCs. iWork apps can also open and edit Microsoft Office documents, although some features may be lost in the conversion. Like Google Docs, below, the online version of Apple Pages can be used in the browser at www.icloud.com/#pages. All Apple iWork apps are FREE with new Apple hardware purchases, but can be purchased individually for $20 each from the Mac App Store built-in to OS X...considerably cheaper than Microsoft Office.
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Apple Numbers spreadsheets
Apple's Numbers is a spreadsheet application (like Microsoft Excel), and a part of Apple's iWork productivity suite of software (similar to Microsoft Office). iWork apps are typically MUCH easier to use, with a less complicated, cleaner user interface, at a loss of more obscure, advanced features found in Microsoft Office. Although Windows PCs cannot open or edit iWork documents, all iWork software can export documents as Microsoft Office-compatible documents for use on Windows PCs. iWork apps can also open and edit Microsoft Office documents, although some features may be lost in the conversion. Like Google Sheets, below, the online version of Apple Numbers can be used in the browser at www.icloud.com/#numbers. All Apple iWork apps are FREE with new Apple hardware purchases, but can be purchased individually for $20 each from the Mac App Store built-in to OS X...considerably cheaper than Microsoft Office.
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Apple Keynote presentations
Apple's Keynote is a presentation application (like Microsoft PowerPoint), and a part of Apple's iWork productivity suite of software (similar to Microsoft Office). iWork apps are typically MUCH easier to use, with a less complicated, cleaner user interface, at a loss of more obscure, advanced features found in Microsoft Office. Although Windows PCs cannot open or edit iWork documents, all iWork software can export documents as Microsoft Office-compatible documents for use on Windows PCs. iWork apps can also open and edit Microsoft Office documents, although some features may be lost in the conversion. Like Google Slides, below, the online version of Apple Keynote can be used in the browser at www.icloud.com/#keynote. All Apple iWork apps are FREE with new Apple hardware purchases, but can be purchased individually for $20 each from the Mac App Store built-in to OS X...considerably cheaper than Microsoft Office.
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Google Docs online productivity suite
Google Docs is Google's suite of productivity software (like Microsoft Office). It includes Docs, Sheets, and Slides (like Microsoft's Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively), and the resulting files are saved in your Google Drive cloud storage. Unlike Microsoft Office or Apple iWork, these "apps" are online-only, so there is no software to be installed, and they run inside your internet browser (Firefox or Chrome, recommended). Collaboration is a big feature of Google Docs. Like the online version of Apple's iWork apps on iCloud, multiple users can work on the same document together, at the same time. The downside to Google Docs is that the apps have extremely limited features—even more so than Apple iWork apps. For users inexperienced with productivity software, Google Docs is a good place to start learning since they won't be overwhelmed with too many features they may not have a need for.
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VLC media player
VLC is software that allows users to play a wide range of audio and video formats (such as MPEG-4, AVI, MPEG, DVD, Real Media, and Flash) without having to download individual, proprietary players or codecs for each media type. Essentially, VLC is a one-stop audio/video playback utility. While it does support audio playback, you'll likely want to continue to use music software such as iTunes. VLC is best-suited for video, however. It outperforms the built-in video players on Mac (QuickTime) and Windows PCs (Windows Media Player). If VLC can't play it, then it's doubtful anything can. Set VLC as your default video player software, and you'll likely never see error messages about unsupported video formats again.
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LogMeIn remote support & computer access
LogMeIn, like TeamViewer, allows for remote support from Wes. The difference, however, is that LogMeIn provides a more permanent link to your computer. LogMeIn runs continuously in the background on a computer, allowing a connection to be made without interaction from the computer's owner. This is the preferred behavior for agents who require more support than others (for whom the ad hoc connections that TeamViewer provides may be better). Unauthorized access to a computer with LogMeIn installed depends on both the LogMeIn account password, and the user account password of the computer on which LogMeIn is installed. A computer can automatically be attached to the office's LogMeIn account by downloading and installing LogMeIn from the link provided below...
https://secure.logmein.com/i?l=en&c=01_4t37ux0pxq709aofh4p4c7l3927xq6rsb8pve |
