WWWB?

WHAT WOULD WES BUY?

Recommended Technology for Real Estate Professionals
...and products Wes would actually buy if he had the money.

LAPTOPS

Apple MacBook Air 13”

WES’ HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION
$750 - $900

Dell Inspiron 13 5000 Series 2-in-1

GREAT VALUE & FEATURES
$550 - $600

Dell XPS 13

HIGH QUALITY, THIN & SMALL
$850 - $1100

Laptop Accessories

Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Bluetooth Mouse

Topcase MacBook Air 13” Hard Case Cover

Uppercase MacBook Air 13" Keyboard Cover

MiCoolker 15" Denim Laptop Bag

Asus Wireless-AC Router

Features to Look For...

Solid-State Drive (SSD)
Only buy laptops with an SSD! It's the #1 feature you should look for in a laptop. SSDs provide huge speed increases, and less chance of hard drive failure and data loss. Laptops with SSDs typically come with less storage space (128 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB) than computers with old HDDs (up to 1 TB), but the speed and reliability advantages of SSDs are worth it.

Core i5 Processor
Intel Core i5 processor is best for most people. Core i3 is acceptable, but not recommended. Core i7 is designed for power users (video editors, gamers, etc.), and adds additional cost to the computer for power you probably won't take advantage of. Gigahertz doesn’t matter too much, so long as the processor itself is Core i5.

8 GB RAM
RAM determines how many apps you can have running at one time, how large of files you can edit (particularly important for image editing with Photoshop), and how many websites you can have open at once without slowing down your computer. Cheap laptops might have 4 GB, and high-end laptops will have 16 GB. 8 GB is a happy medium that is just right for most users.

Laptop Tips...

Look for computers installed with Windows Signature Edition. This version of Windows 10 comes with NO junk software pre-installed from the manufacturer—resulting in a faster, cleaner, less annoying Windows experience.

Don't buy laptops touchscreen displays. Unless the laptop converts into a tablet mode, touchscreens on standard laptops are gimmicky, and add unnecessary cost to the computer. Look to spend that money on an SSD, Core i5 processor, or 8 GB of RAM instead.

Look for a high-quality trackpad.
There are no better trackpads than those on Apple devices. They smoothly, accurately register multi-touch gestures. If you choose to get a Windows laptop, compare the trackpad to an Apple’ MacBook, and choose the laptop that comes closest to the experience of a MacBook.

Don't buy HP, Toshiba, Sony, or Lenovo laptops. These brands come pre-installed with the most junk software that slow down your computer before you even take it out of the box, and will annoy you. Dell does this less than other brands, and Apple laptops have no junkware at all.

Don't buy Google Chromebooks. Chromebooks do not run a full-featured operating system. They only run ChromeOS, which is basically the Google Chrome browser that runs web-based "apps". You will not be able to print to the office printers using a Google Chromebook.

Don't buy laptops running Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, or Windows RT. Windows 10 is the most up-to-date operating system from Microsoft. If you buy a laptop with Windows 7 or 8, perform the free update to Windows 10 as soon as you take it out of the box. Look for Windows tablets that run full Windows. Windows RT is not "real" Windows. You will not be able to update it to Windows 10, nor will you be able to print to the office printers.

Don't buy the Apple MacBook 12" with Retina Display. It's a nice laptop, but it is currently overpriced, and under-powered. Wait for a drastic price drop, or possibly the next hardware update.

DESKTOPS

Windows

Dell Inspiron One 5348 23"

View Price on Amazon

Processor: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 1 TB HDD
Graphics: Intel Integrated
Screen Size: 23"
Screen Resolution: 1920x1080

Mac

Apple iMac 21"

View Price on Amazon

Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5
RAM: 4 GB
Storage: 128 GB SSD (up to 256 GB)
Graphics: Intel Integrated
Screen Size: 21"
Screen Resolution: 1920x1080

Features to Look For...

Intel Core i5 processor
Full SSD (solid-state drive) or hybrid SSD+HDD drive (called Fusion Drive on iMacs)
7200 RPM hard drive (HDD)
4 – 8 GB RAM
Wireless keyboard & mouse included
HDMI or DisplayPort video output
USB 3.0 ports
Wireless-N or AC
Ethernet port
Windows 10
Mac OS X El Capitan

Desktop Tips...

Don't buy HP, Toshiba, Sony, or Lenovo laptops. These brands come pre-installed with junk software that slow down your computer before you even take it out of the box, and will annoy you. Dell does this less than other brands, and Apple products do not do this at all.
Look for at least 1920x1080 screen resolution. This is standard HD resolution, and is the minimum you should find on screens 20 to 24 inches.

Don't by less than an Intel Core i3 processor. Intel's Core i3, i5, and i7 processors are best. Core i5 is great for most people. Core i3 is acceptable. Core i7 is designed for power users, and adds additional cost to the computer for power you probably won't take advantage of.
Don't buy the Apple 27" iMac with 5K Retina Display. Currently, the graphics chip is having difficulty pushing so many pixels in the display. Users are complaining of poor (laggy/stuttering) video performance. Wait for the next hardware update, or consider the new 21" iMac with 4K Retina Display.
Look for at least 1920x1080 screen resolution. This is standard HD resolution, and is the minimum you should find on screens 20 to 24 inches.
Don't buy desktops touchscreen displays. Touchscreens on desktops are gimmicky, and add unnecessary cost to the computer. Look to spend that money on an SSD, Core i5 processor, or 8 GB of RAM instead.
Don't buy desktops running Windows XP or tablets running Windows RT. Windows 10 is the most up-to-date operating system from Microsoft. If you buy a desktop with Windows 7 or 8, perform the free update to Windows 10 as soon as you take it out of the box.

Desktop Accessories

Apple Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Apple Magic Trackpad 2

Logitech
MX Master Wireless Bluetooth Mouse

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1 TB Portable External Hard Drive

APC 550VA Battery Backup + Surge Protector

Anker USB 3.0 4-Port Aluminum Hub

PRINTERS

Inkjet

Epson Workforce WF-3640

View Price on Amazon

Capabilities: Print, Copy, Scan, Fax
Color Capabilities: Color, B&W
Screen: 3.5" Color touchscreen
Paper Capacity: 500 sheets (dual-trays)
2-Sided Printing: Yes
2-Sided Copy/Scan: Yes
Auto Document Feeder (ADF): Yes
Networking Capabilities: Wireless & wired connections
Mobile Printing: Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
Scan to Cloud: Yes. Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Evernote
Cartridge Yield: Up to 1100 pages

Laser

Brother HL-L2340DW

View Price on Amazon

Capabilities: Print only
Color Capabilities: B&W only
Screen: 1-line B&W non-touchscreen
Paper Capacity: 250 sheets (single-tray)
2-Sided Printing: Yes
2-Sided Copy/Scan: No scan capabilities
Auto Document Feeder (ADF): No
Networking Capabilities: Wireless only
Mobile Printing: Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
Scan to Cloud: No scan capabilities
Cartridge Yield: Up to 2600 pages

Features to Look For...

Two-sided print & scan (duplexing)
Dual paper trays with extendability to legal size paper
All-in-one capability: print, copy, and scan (fax optional)
Auto document feeder (ADF) on all-in-one models
Scan to PDF capability
Touchscreen
Wireless AND wired ethernet connection
Scan to cloud services (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
Individual ink cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black)
High-capacity black cartridge option
Apple AirPrint and/or Google Cloud Print

Printer Tips...

Don't buy HP printers. Their software installs annoying junk on your computer, and wireless troubleshooting is very difficult with them. If you do buy one, consider the HP OfficeJet Pro 8620.

TABLETS

10-inch

iPad Air 2

View Price on Amazon

Processor: A8X 64-bit
RAM: 2 GB
Storage: 16 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB non-expandable
Avg. Battery Life: 10 hours
Screen Size: 9.7"
Screen Resolution: 2048 x 1536
Camera: 8 MP rear, 1.2 MP front

8-inch

iPad mini 4

View Price on Amazon

Processor: A8 64-bit
RAM: 2 GB
Storage: 16 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB non-expandable
Avg. Battery Life: 9 hours
Screen Size: 7.9"
Screen Resolution: 2048 x 1536
Camera: 8 MP rear, 1.2 MP front

Features to Look For...

Availability of recommended apps in app store (e.g., DotLoop is iOS-only as of December 2015)
Fingerprint reader
Multitasking capability
2+ GB RAM
Operating system support & updates
Handwriting/stylus capability & accuracy
Keyboard compatibility
Retina/hi-resolution display (260 PPI minimum)
32 GB internal storage minimum
Expandable storage capability

Tablet Tips...

For real estate, iPads are the best. Google tablets have not faired well (but Android phones are great!), and iPads are the only tablets where you will find the DotLoop mobile app.
Don't get hung up on stylus support for signing contacts. Digital signatures now mean your client just types their name, then enters their password. The new iPad Pro with a stylus is really designed for artists, not contract signing.

Tablet Accessories

Khomo Smart Case & Stand for iPad Air 2

MobilePal 360° Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2

Khomo Smart Case & Stand for iPad mini 4

Dumvoin 360° Keyboard Case for iPad mini 4

HooToo External Battery & Travel Router

Adonit Jot Dash Stylus

SMARTPHONES

Android

Huawei Nexus 6P

Processor: 2 GHz 64-bit 8-core
RAM: 3 GB
Storage: 32 GB, 64 GB
Screen Size: 5.7"
Screen Resolution: 1440x2560 (518 PPI)
Camera: 12 MP no Optical Image Stabilization
Other Features: Fingerprint sensor

LG Nexus 5X

Processor: 1.8 GHz 64-bit 6-core
RAM: 2 GB
Storage: 32 GB (16 GB not recommended)
Screen Size: 5.2"
Screen Resolution: 1920x1080 (424 PPI)
Camera: 12 MP no Optical Image Stabilization
Other Features: Fingerprint sensor

Apple

iPhone 6S Plus

Processor: 1.85 GHz 64-bit 2-core
RAM: 2 GB
Storage: 64 GB (16 GB not recommended)
Screen Size: 5.5"
Screen Resolution: 1920x1080 (401 PPI)
Camera: 12 MP with Optical Image Stabilization
Other Features: Fingerprint sensor, 3D Touch

iPhone 6S

Processor: 1.85 GHz 64-bit 2-core
RAM: 2 GB
Storage: 64 GB (16 GB not recommended)
Screen Size: 4.7"
Screen Resolution: 1334x750 (326 PPI)
Camera: 12 MP no Optical Image Stabilization
Other Features: Fingerprint sensor, 3D Touch

Features to Look For...

32 GB minimum storage
2 GB minimum RAM
8 MP minimum camera
Camera lens OIS (optical image stabilization, not digital stabilization)
Fingerprint sensor
Retina/high-resolution display (320 PPI minimum)
Manufacturer operating system update support
"Pure" Android OS (Android phones)
3D Touch (Apple iPhones)

Smartphone Tips...

The short explanation of difference between iOS and Android is: iOS is designed for people who just want to use their phone, and has the largest App Store (see DotLoop app). Android is for tinkerers—people who want the greatest amount of customizability and control of their phone. In other words, where iOS might have 10 settings, Android might have 20 or more.
The Google Nexus line of smartphones is recommended for a pure Android experience. Nexus phones offer "pure" Android OS, which means the operating system is unmodified by the manufacturer (no junk apps, and closest to Google's intent for best experience).
If you want a phone with stylus (pen) input, get the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Samsung smartphones are not "pure" Android, but they have the best stylus implementations.
Don't get caught up in specs. Android phones tend to have larger amounts of RAM, higher processor speeds with more processor cores, and larger batteries than Apple iPhones. But since both the iPhone's OS & hardware are designed by Apple, Apple utilizes lower specs more efficiently than Android phones where only the operating system is made by Google, but the phones are manufactured by a variety of companies.