Zillow has launched an iPhone app that gives real time mortgage rates, lets you estimate your mortgage payments, and calculate how much home you can afford. Click HERE if you can not see the embedded video above.

Imagine stepping through the door of that perfect home for sale – it’s easy to get caught up in how to decorate and arrange the furniture. Meanwhile, affordability concerns and financing options end up on the back burner.  But, with the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace App literally in your hand, you can put your home purchase options up front and in context with your overall financial situation. The app can help you decide how much house you would feel comfortable buying, plus it can calculate how much income you’ll have left over after paying your mortgage. via Zillow

When you launch the app, you’ll see a chart showing the performance of the 30-year fixed rate and links to several calculators, Payment Calculator, Affordability Calculator, and Refinance Calculator.

The iPhone app also lets you anonymously get personalized loan quotes through their Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, lock in a rate, and get pre-approved.

The Bottom Line

The app was easy to use and gave rates and calculations quickly. There is a slid bar you can drag to set values like purchase price or income. The bar is very short and it was much easier to tap the value and type in the amount rather than using the slide bar.

Overall it is worth checking out if you are in the market for a new home and want to calculate your payments quickly using the latest interest rates.

The app is Free and available only for the iPhone: iTunes Link.

Equifax Mobile lets you view the level of debt, average mortgage payments and even levels of debt fraud in your community.

Equifax released an iPhone app last year that let customers track their personal credit score. The app has now been upgraded and includes a Fraud Index and Credit Rankings. The app is free and available for Android phones and iPhones.

Equifax Places on your iPhone utilizes your GPS location to show you:
- Fraud Index: The frequency of identity fraud in your area
- Credit Rankings: How your credit measures up to others in your area

via iTunes

Hands On With Equifax Mobile

When you launch the app, you will see two buttons, Equifax Places and a Members Area. Equifax Places is free to view and allows you to see the frequency of identity fraud in your area and how your credit measures up to others in your area. You will need an account with Equifax to log in as a member and view your credit reports and alerts.

We will take a look at Equifax Places since it is free and you don’t need an account to view the information.

Equifax Places

You have two options when you click on Equifax Places. You can view credit rankings and the fraud index.

Credit Rankings

When you click on Credit Rankings, your phone will use its GPS to find your location and show a map with the Average Total Debt in your area.

Click on “Change” at the bottom of the screen to select what information is displayed on the map. You can view information such as Credit Card Debt, Average Mortgage Payment, Average Mortgage Balance, and Average Auto Payment.

It is interesting to see what other people are paying for their mortgage in your area. Keep in mind that these numbers are an aggregate of everything in the area. So the average mortgage payment information includes everything from new custom built homes to older homes.

Equifax Fraud Index

The Equifax Fraud Index will show the fraud statistics in your area. You are also able to drill down by demographic (age, gender, income, etc.).

Bottom Line

You can view the credit rankings and fraud index for any city in the United States. It’s interesting and a little scary to see how much private information you can view.

What does the Credit Health of an area tell you about a community?

If you are looking for a new house or a place to rent, would a community with a poor credit ranking stop you from buying a house in the area? Do people with poor credit have a more difficult time paying their mortgage or taxes? Would this be an indication that an ares will have more foreclosures?

The app is free for both the iPhone (iTunes Link) and Android Phones (Android Market Link). Check it out and let me know what you think about it!

Vidiolicious is a free iPhone and iPad app that helps anyone create great looking videos in three easy steps.

The app works by letting the user select photos from their iPhone, record a short video (up to 50 seconds long), and add music. Videolicious automatically puts it all together and creates a video that can be shared via YouTube, Facebook, and email.

Based on patent-pending technology used by some of the world’s largest brands, Videolicious is revolutionizing how video is created.
via Videolicious

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

How to create a video with Videolicious

Step 1. Select photos for videos from your iPhone’s camera roll. Select photos in the order they need to appear in the video.

Step 2. Shoot a short video of yourself. The video can be up to 50 seconds long.

Step 3. Pick some music to make your video rock. The app comes with 6 tracks you can use or you can select music that is already on your iPhone or iPad.

That is it! Videolicious will automatically edit and layer the clips and photos to create a video.

You can email your video or share it with Facebook or YouTube.

How the real estate industry use Videolicious

Real estate appraisers can tell a little about their company and services they provide and use photos of homes they have appraised. Videolisious will put it all together into a professional looking video.

Real Estate agents can use the app to make video tours of homes they have listed for sale. They can give a tour of the house and show photos of each area of the house.

Real estate professionals can make short videos about local restaurants or attractions.

Bottom Line

The app has several downsides. You can not use a video that has previously been recorded on your iPhone. For example, if you create a video and decide you want to include different photos, not only do you have to select new photos you also have to record a new video. You also don’t have the option to set how long the photos appear in the video.

However, the app is really easy to use and does a great job of combining the video and photos into a professional looking video. It is well worth trying out if you need to make good looking videos quickly and easily.

The app is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation), or iPad 2.

Cost: Free

Download and try the Vidiolicious app for yourself, iTunes Link.

Photosynth is an amazing tool that lets you transform your photos into one big interactive 3D world that you can virtually explore. Click the link above to view an example of an interactive image created with the Photosynth iPhone app.

Photosynth for the iPhone is a free panorama photography app. Take a bunch of photos of the same scene, in any direction, and the app will automatically stitch them together creating a panoramic photo.

You can share your photos on Facebook, publish on Bing Maps, or upload to Photosynth.net.

Hands On With The Photosynth iPhone App

Click HERE if you can not see video above.

How to create a panoramic photo with Photosynth

Step 1. Download the app.

The app is free in the app store. iTunes Link.

Step 2. Tap the screen to start taking photos.

Step 3. Start to take photos.

The app features an interactive capture system that lets you see your progress during capture.  You can see what photos you have taken and the outline of what will be photographed next.

The app will automatically take photos if you line up the green dot in the center of the screen with the edge of a photo that has already been taken. You can also tap the screen to manually take another photo. You can take photos in any direction to create a full 360-degree image.

Step 4. Press finish.

When you are done taking photos, press Finish and the app will begin to stitch the images together.

Step 5. Share you photo.

You can view the photo on your iPhone, share on Facebook, publish on Bing Maps, or upload to Photosynth.net.

If you upload the image to Photosynth.net you can edit its properties before you upload. You can set a thumbnail, add a name, and link to a business.

The flattened image is also saved to your iPhone’s camera roll.

How to embed an Photosynth image on your blog

Once you create a 360-degree image, you can embed that image on your blog or website.

Step 1. Log into Windows Live or create an account if you don’t already have one.

You can create one here: Windows Live. You can also create one within the app.

Step 2. Select Upload to Photosynth.net.

Step 3. Go to http://photosynth.net/ on your desktop and log in.

Select My Photosynths from the top menu.

Step 4. Select the image you want to embed.

Click on Embed in the bottom right corner.

Step 5. Copy the code an paste it in your blog or website.

If you run WordPress, make sure you are in HTML mode and not visual mode when pasting the code.

That is it!

Below is another example of an image I created with the Photosynth app. Click the image to view it and use your mouse to scroll around in any direction.

How can the real estate industry use Photosynth?

• Create an image for a house that you have listed for sale and embed it in a blog. The image is interactive so the view can rotate it in any direction.
• Create an image for a subdivision. Show your expertise in a local area by showing what a subdivision looks like, its entrance, the homes, and any common areas like a clubhouse or playground.
• Create an image and instantly share it on Facebook.
• Embed your images on Bing Maps so anyone searching Bing will find your photos.
• Photosynth would be a great way to show that a house has a spectacular view or a custom feature.

Bottom Line

The app is a great way to create 3-dimensional photos. I took me about two minutes to create a panoramic image. The app is fun to use and is going to be very useful for any real estate professional.

The best thing about the app is that you don’t need any special equipment to create an image. You can create an image, upload it to Photosynth.net or Facebook in just a few minutes.

There is also a free Photosynth viewer app for the iPhone called iSynth. The app brings the funcationality of Photosynth.net to the iPhone. You can use it to view the images you created and explore the images created by other users. iTunes link.

Check out Photosynth.net and see the cool interactive images that have been created. You can also download the free Photosynth app in the app store. iTunes Link.

Have you ever needed to quickly create a website optimized for whatever device you are using? Is so, Zapd is your solution. Zapd lets you instantly make a website optimized for PCs, smartphones, and tablets right from your iPhone, all for free.

Zapd is a super simple and fun app that lets you create high quality, themed websites straight from your iPhone. No design experience or code writing is required. Just select a theme and then add photos, text or links. You’re done. via Zapd

How To Create A Website With Zapd

Step 1. Download Zapd on your iPhone. The app is free.  iTunes Link

Step 2. Select a theme.

Currently there are 20 themes to choose from.

Step 3. Add Content.

You can add photos, text, and links to any websites or social networks.

Step 4. Sign up or sign in to preview and publish your site.

If you don’t like the site your created you can easily change it or select another theme clicking Settings in the edit mode.

Step 5. Publish your site.

When you finish editing and adding content, you can publish your site with one click. Zapd will create a shortened URL that you can share and link to.

Create as many websites as you want. In the main menu area, press the “+” sign to create another website.

I created two websites in just a few minutes. One for my appraisal company in Georgia and another for my iPhone photos. You can view them here, Appraisal Website and iPhoneography Website

How Can Real Estate Professionals use Zapd?

Zapd would be a great way to quickly create a mobile website to show a new listing. Real estate agents could instantly create a mobile website for any home they list for sale. Just take a few photos of the property, add a little information, and publish the site within a few minutes.

Create a mobile website for you business with all of your contact information.

Appraisers and home inspectors could create a mobile website that shows types of properties they have appraised or inspected.

Real estate agents could create a website showcasing some of the properties they have sold.

Create a a mobile website that has links to all of your social networks. You can use it like a landing page similar to About.me or Flavors.me.

Bottom Line

Zapd is a super easy way to create a website quickly. You can easily update it, add content at any time, or delete it when you are done with it. The service does lack the ability to embed videos on websites and you do have to manually update the content, it doesn’t support RSS feeds.  But overall it is easy to use and best of all it’s free. Download it and try it out for yourself, iTunes Link.

With the explosion of smartphones, more and more real estate businesses are moving beyond websites and social media and creating smartphone apps.

But creating a native iPhone or Android app can seem like a complicated task. You will need to find a reputable developer, create a mockup, supplying data and social media links, test the app, get the app approved by Apple, publish, track, and update it. And don’t forget about the cost, a custom smartphone app can costs thousands of dollars.

Fortunately, there are numerous tools available that make creating an app easy and affordable.

Below are 14 tools for creating iPhone and Android apps. Most have a web based interface that makes it easy for both creating and updating your app with new content.

14 Tools For Creating Your Own Real Estate iPhone & Android App

Smarter Agent gives real estate agents their own branded MLS search app. Their mobile real estate application allows consumers to view all MLS listings anytime, anywhere from the convenience of any standard cell phone or smartphone.

Platforms: iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm.

Features:

• A mobile phone application, fully branded with your name and logo
• An application downloader to put on your website
• A custom text code to give to your clients to get your application on their phone
• Access to all listings in your MLS(s), not just your own
• Call routing, so all “Calls To See” come directly to you, regardless of who has the listing!

Cost: One year paid in full costs $5393.95 or you can pay monthly for $49.95 with a two month minimum. There is also a Broker price option. The costs depends on the number of agents.

Smarter Agent recently announced that is will build a free branded mobile app for any MLS. The app is branded with the MLS’s name and logo, is free for consumers to download and search all listings, and offers a one-touch call and one-touch email feature to connect the consumer with the listing agent. Real the announcement for more information.

Checkout Smarter Agent for more information.

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IDXBroker creates brandable myAgent IDX iPhone and iPad apps for real estate agents, offices, and teams.

Platforms: iPhone and iPad.

Some of the features include:

• Easy to add MLS Search – Simply add IDX links to your website(s).
• WordPress plugin.
• iPad MLS search App – included with each account. Branded with your information!
• Simplified Map Search – Fast map search pages that aren’t cluttered.
• Powerful lead capture – With dozens of teaser options.

See the full list of features on their website, IDXBrokers.

Cost: One time setup fee of $99. Agents pays a monthly fee of $39.99/ month, office plans start at $78.99/ month, and team plans start at $10 / month. See all of the prices options here.

Checkout IDXBroker for more information.

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AgentnTouch allows you to create a personalized Mobile Real Estate App that runs on your client’s smartphone.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry.

Features:

• Map your office location
• Connect to your web site and IDX listings
• Map your listings or open houses
• Include links to neighborhood sites your clients might be interested in
• YouTube video support
• RSS blog feed integration

AgentnTouch provides real estate related content for buyers and sellers. They also provide mortgage rates, calculators, and real estate terms.

Cost: There is a $200 one-time setup fee plus a $99 per year subscription fee.

AgentnTouch does have native iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps and it is tailored to each real estate agent. However, there is not a separate app for each real estate agent. The user downloads the one AgentnTouch app and installs it on their device. When the app is opened for the first time, it asks for the Agent Id and the user inputs the real estate agent’s cell phone.

Check out AgentnTouch for more information.

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AppBreeder is an online App Builder. You can create an app easily without needing to know how to program.  They have several templates available including one tailored to the real estate industry.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry.

Features:

• RSS blog feed Integration
• Info page
• Events
• Dictionary
• Contact form
• Users can send photos and comments / questions
• YouTube videos
• MLS import
• Get Open House Notifications
• Get Open House Directions

Cost: $39 / Month and you can publish to the iPhone, Blackberry or Android App Store. You can also add a customized gadget. Prices for gadget start at $199.

Check out AppBreeder for more information.

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MobileAppLoader is an online app builder with templates avaialable for many industries including one for real estate.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Features:

• RSS blog feed Integration
• Includes two web lines for info or about pages
• Social network integration (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube)
• Custom button function (call, email, text, directions)
• Calculator
• News
• Testimonials

Cost:

There is an Economy, Silver, and Gold packages. There is a charge for each app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android phones or you can buy a bundle package.

Economy package iPhone package is $29.99 setup fee + $4.99 per month or pay $149.99 for 3 years.

An iPhone and Android app costs $239.99 setup fee + $19.99 per month or pay $801.99 for 3 years.

See the MobileAppLoader pricing for more details.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out MobileAppLoader for more information.

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MobileRealtyApps creates branded MLS home search apps for real estate agencies.

Platforms: iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.

Features For Agents:

• Get leads from interested home buyers when they request a showing or save their favorite homes for later
• Differentiate your agency with a unique app that provides map search, GPS integration, and access to MLS listings
• Integrate with one or more regional MLS services, allowing your agents to show interested home buyers any property through broker reciprocity
• Maintain your agencies’ branding with a matching custom design for your app
• Automatically assign new leads to available agents

Features For Home Buyers:

• Browse properties in the area you are interested in with map search
• Locate properties near your current location with a unique GPS search capability
• View photos of properties
• Save your favorite properties for later
• Request a showing of your favorite properties through one of our partner real estate agencies

Cost: Their fees are not listed on their website. You have to request a quote from the company.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out MobileRealtyApps.com for more information.

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SeattleClouds is an online application that allows anyone to create an iPhone or Android app. They have numerous templates including one for Real Estate. You can even preview your app on your iPhone or Android phone.

Platforms: iPhone & Android.

Features:

• RSS feeds support
• Mobile page support. View any web page (Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, etc) in the app
• InApp Facebook Connect
• InApp SMS
• Advertise with iAds or AdMob
• Feedback form with GPS geolocation
• Interactive Google Maps

Cost:

SeattleClouds has 4 pricing options, Basic – $9.99 / month, Premium – $49.99 / month, Business –  $99.99 / month, and Publisher – $299.99 / month.  There is also a $99.99 Setup fee and you can also submit the app yourself using your Apple Developer Account.  An individual Apple Developer Account costs $99.00 per year.

View all of the pricing details on their website, http://seattleclouds.com/prices.aspx.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out SeattleClouds for more information.

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AppMakr provides a free and easy-to-use platform to make mobile apps for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7. Anyone can develop an engaging and customizable mobile experience-with no coding required.

Platforms: iPhone, Android, and Windows.

Features:

• RSS & Atom Integration. Includes Twitter, FLickr, YouTube, Posterous, Tumblr, and other social network feed integration.
• Flickr & Picasa support
• Video & Audio Podcasts
• Analytics
• Push notifications
• Geo-Location
• Twitter & Facebook sharing
• In-App Subscriptions
• Monetize with ads or charge for the app
• Customize Your App’s Styling to Match Your Brand

Cost:

AppMakr has a free option if you have an Apple Developer Account. And if you are publishing to the iTunes AppStore, Apple’s Application Uploader requires a MAC computer. An individual Apple Developer Account costs $99.00 per year.

If you don’t have an Apple Developer Account it will cost you $999.00.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out AppMakr for more information.

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BiznessApps is a do-it-yourself iPhone app platform that allows small businesses to easily create, edit, and manage an iPhone app online without any programming knowledge needed.

Platform: iPhone.

Features:

• RSS & Atom Integration
• Photo Gallery
• Facebook
• Flickr
• Twitter
• Directions
• Coupons
• Allow your users to checkin to your business with FourSquare
• In app messaging
• Contact pages

Cost:

The iPhone app costs $39 / month and there is no setup fee.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out BiznessApps for more information.

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Swebapps is a simple, inexpensive way to build, track and update a native mobile application for your business or organization. You can update your content in real time (at any time) via swebapps.com.

Platforms: iPhone & Android.

Features:

• RSS & Atom Integration
• Photo Gallery
• Audio gallery and audio stream
• Calculator
• Contact form
• Custom form with up to 5 questions
• Location and maps
• Display any URL inside and embedded web browser
• Client sign up form

Cost:

$399 One Time fee + $29 / month for hosting. Includes one platform (iOS or Android).

$499 One Time fee + $39 / month for hosting. Includes two platforms (iOS or Android).

$49 / Month for a native Android App and Native iPhone app

There is also a more expensive Pro version. See their pricing for full details.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out Swebapps for more information.

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Shoutem turns your website into a full-featured mobile app in minutes! Add your existing RSS feeds, YouTube videos, podcasts and more to have all your content available in a single app. No knowledge of coding or design required.

Platforms: iPhone &Android.

Features:

• RSS & Atom Integration
• Photos
• Allow users to checkin to your locations with FourSquare
• Events
• Cummunity feature that allows users to register/login, message each other, and search.

Cost:

There are four pricing options, Basic, Advanced, Pro, and Enterprise. The Basic plan is $29.90 per month for 12 month and allows 999 downloads. Each additional download is $0.01 each per month.

See their pricing plans for more details: http://www.shoutem.com/pricing

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out Shoutem for more details.

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iSites is an online platform where you can create and self-manage iPhone, Android & iPad apps from one place. Their app management system allows you to easily build and modify your apps without any coding.

Platforms: iPhone & Android.

Features:

• RSS & Atom Integration. Includes Twitter, FLickr, YouTube, Posterous, Tumblr, and other social network feed integration.
• Flickr & Picasa support
• Video & Audio Podcasts
• Bump N’ Share
• Real-Time Analytics
• Push notifications
• Geo-Location
• Twitter & Facebook sharing
• In-App Subscriptions
• Ad control with AdMob

Cost:

$25 / Month for a native Android app and HTML5 iPhone app

$49 / Month for a native Android App and Native iPhone app

There is also a $99 / Month pro version

See their pricing for full details.

Check out iSites for more information.

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MobileRoadie allows anyone to easily build and manage your own apps for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

Platforms: iPhone, Android and BlackBerry

Features:

• YouTube video support or host your own
• Flickr support or host your own
• Fan support. Let your fans upload photos
• Facebook and Twitter support
• RSS feed support
• Push notifications
• Stats

See the full list of features on their website.

Cost: There are 3 pricing levels, Core, Plus, and Pro. The core level has a setup fee of $499 and a $29 monthly fee. 1,000 installs are includes and each additional install costs $0.01 /each / month. See all of the pricing details on their website.

Checkout MobileRoadie for more information.

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Appanda is an easy-to-use technology that will allow you to create an app for smartphones.

Platforms: iPhone & Android

Features:

• YouTube video support or host your own
• Flickr support or host your own
• RSS feed support
• Podcast support
• Contact page

Cost: There is a one-time activation fee of $99 and a $29.99 monthly fee.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

Check out Appanda for more information.

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Additional Tools For Creating iPhone apps

There are a few more services to help you build your iPhone app. These look like easy ways build an iPhone app but did not appear to be a solution for anyone needing an iPhone app for their real estate business.

My App Builder costs $29 per month. You submit your content to them and they will bundle it into an app and submit it to the app store.

AppFlight costs $299 to create an app and there is a $10 a month charge after the first year. It is geared towards musicians, bars, and restaurants.

Kanchoo is an easy way to build an iPhone app but is geared more towards people that just to want to turn their blog into an iPhone app.

BuildanApp looked easy to use and has a $149 option that includes their branding. However, there wasn’t much information on their website and it looked like they don’t support RSS feeds, instead, you update your content on their website and it is pushed out to the apps.

SocialLight is a platform for creating local community based iPhone apps. It looks like it would be great for making an app for a city guide, tour guide, or anything for your local community.

Ebook App Maker is a service specifically designed to create iPhone apps from eBooks.

GameSalad is a downloadable tool for creating games without needing to know programming or scripting.

Bottom Line:

All of the services look easy to use. Most charge a monthly fee because they host the online platform where you can update your app with new content.

Picking a service to use comes down to your ambition level, what you are willing to spend, and who your target market is.

At a minimum, your real estate app needs to include:

• A version for both iPhones and Android phones.
• A contact page where users can easily email and/or call you.
• Social media links (Twitter, Linkedin, Facbook, etc)
• In-app video (YouTube) and/or photos (Flickr, Picasa, etc).
• RSS feed integration for your blog
• Office location map / driving directions

Some options that would be nice to have:

• Analytics
• IDX support for real estate agents/brokers
• User check-ins
• Podcast support
• In-App Subscriptions
• Monetize with ads or charge for the app

The least expensive option is AppMakr, it is free to use but you need to have a $99 Apple developer account. Real Estate agents that want a branded app that includes their MLS listings will want to look at Smarter Agent, IDXBroker, AgentnTouch, MobileRealtyApps, or AppBreeder. One of the most expensive is MobileRoadie but they also enable a great deal of customization and have the most social media features.

Have you ever tried to visualize what a room would like if you painted it a different color? You might have even purchased a few paint samples and painted a small section of a wall with different colors to help you decide what color would look best.

You don’t have to go to all of that trouble anymore because now there is an iPhone app that will paint your walls before you actual paint your walls.

sprout! has release Pixelate 2.0 iPhone app that makes it possible to see what a room would look like if painted a different color.

Pixelate! makes it easy to visualize how a color would look on your wall, without even lifting a paint brush. With the new functionality and upgraded UI of Pixelate! 2.0, you can not only paint your walls, but also try out different colors on your clothes, furniture, car or anything else you would like to see in a different color. via iTunes.

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

How to use Pixelate 2.0 to paint your walls

Step 1. Take a photo or select a photo from your iPhone’s camera roll of the area that you want painted.

Step 2. Select a paint color from the color matrix, an image in your photo library, or by pointing the camera to the desired color.

Step 3. Select the area that your want to color and press the update image button.

Step 4. Select Paint and use your finger to paint the wall.

From the Youtube demo, it looks like it might take a few iterations to get the wall completely painted. Don’t worry if you make a mistake. You can clean or erase any areas, like a picture or furniture, by zooming in on the desired area.

That is it. Now you can see how a room would look if painted a different color.

The ability to select a color by taking a photo of the color is a great feature. That means you could go to your local home improvement store, snap a few photos of colors you like, and use Pixelate to see how each one looks on your wall.

How would you use this iPhone app?

• Any homeowner that wants to update the interior of their home can easily see how a new color will make a room look.
• Interior decorators could use the app to show their clients how a new paint will look on their walls.
• Builders could use the app to help homebuyers pick an interior color for their new house.

The app is $0.99 in the app store and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad: iTunes Link

Full feature list:
* Pick an image from the PhotoLibrary or take an image with Camera
* Pick a paint color from the Color Matrix
* Pick a paint color from an existing image in the Photo Library
* Pick a paint color using your Camera
* Paint over a specific color in the image using Selective Painting Technology from Sprout!
* Effects (Greyscale, Blur, Sepia, Pixelate, Color Splash, Inverse)
* Ability to Zoom while painting making it easier to paint the difficult areas you couldn’t paint before
* Ability to Zoom when picking a color making it even easier to pick the perfect color
* Erase function to quickly replace any changes with the original image
* Ability to email pics to easily share with others
* Ability to automatically adjust to landscape or portrait view for best user experience
* Page specific Tutorials

Bottom Line

Painting is a easy way to update any home but is not always easy to visualize how a new color will look. Pixelate 2.0 looks like it is an easy way for anyone to see how different colors will change or enhance the look of a room.

GasBuddy.com helps you find the cheapest gas no matter where you area. Use their website or their free smartphone app.

With gas prices on the rise (see the above chart), finding the cheapest gas is a good way to save money.

Hands On With GasBuddy iPhone App

Click HERE if you can not see the video above.

When you launch the iPhone app you can find the cheapest gas by entering an address or by pressing the “Find Gas Near Me” button. The app will use your phone’s GPS to find the closets gas stations if you use the “Find Gas Near Me”.

GasBuddy will list the closest gas stations and their gas prices.  You can view Regular, Midgrade, Premium, and Diesel gas prices.  You can also sort the list by distance or price.

One of the best features of the app is the mapping feature.  GasBuddy not only shows all of the local gas station on a map but also the gas prices.  This is a great way to not only find the cheapest gas but the most convenient gas station to you.

Other featurs of Gasbuddy.com

1. Compare gas prices for up to 3 locations.

Just select up to 3 locations and a time period and GasBuddy will create a trend chart for you.

You can also use their website helps you track gas and crude oil prices.

2. View Gas Price Heat Maps

3. Fuel Log Book

Track your fuel efficiency and gas usage.

4. Report gas prices on the web or mobile app to earn points and win prizes.

You can sign up for a free account and earn points when you report local gas prices.  They give away a prize every week.

GasBuddy has a free app available for the iPhone, Android, and Windows phones.

Bottom Line

Real Estate Professionals are constantly on the road and with gas prices on the rise, finding the cheapest gas is a good way to save money.

Do you try to find the cheapest gas when you fill up?

Google has released the Google Translate app for the iPhone.  The app not only translates text between 57 languages but will accept voice input for 15 languages.

Back in August 2008, we launched a Google Translate HTML5 web app for iPhone users. Today, the official Google Translate for iPhone app is available for download from the App Store. The new app has all of the features of the web app, plus some significant new additions designed to improve your overall translation experience. via Google

Hands on with Google Translate for the iPhone

Click HERE if you can not see the embedded video above.

When you launch the app, you can either type in text that you want translated

Or speak and the app will translate your voice.

The app will then show you the text that it translated at the top of the screen and the translation at the bottom of the screen.

You can easily switch between languages.  The app will translate 57 languages by text and 15 languages by voice.

The app is free and available for both the iPhone and Android phones.

Download the iPhone app here: iTunes Link

Download the Android app here: Android Market Link

The android app appears to also have a “conversation mode” that would  be helpful if you were talking to someone that did not speak your language.

There is even a Google Translate for Animals.

Quest Visual, Inc also has a translation app for the iPhone.  The app will translate text in real time.  The app is absolutely amazing.  Check out the video below.

There is a free version of World Lens but you will have to pay $9.99 for the Spanish to English or English to Spanish translations. iTunes Link.

Translate text and documents on the web

http://translate.google.com allows you to translate a large portion of text, a website, or a document.

Bottom Line

The translate app is going to be very useful to many real estate professionals.  Not only will be the app be helpful, Translate.Google.com could be very useful if you need to translate a sales contract or create a real estate flyer in another language.

As a real estate appraiser, I occasional deal with homeowners or tenants that speak a different language.  The Google Translate app will make my job easier in situations like this.

Do you ever deal with clients, homeowners, or tenants that don’t speak your language?

SeeClickFix enables citizens to report and track non-emergency issues in the local community.  Users can use their website or smartphone app to report a problem. Issues can be tracked and users can vote for which issues need to be corrected first.

Citizens, community groups, media, and local governments can use the service to improve neighborhoods.

SeeClickFix encourages residents to become citizens by participating in taking care of and improving their neighborhoods. We allow anyone to:
* See – see a non-emergency issue in your neighborhood
* Click – open a ticket describing the issue and what can be done to resolve it
* Fix – publicly report the issue to everyone for resolution

via iTunes

How Does It Work?

Step 1. Search for city or neighborhood.

Use the website or a smartphone app to search for a city or neighborhood.  You will see a map with the area outlined and a list of any open issues.

Step 2. Report an issue. Click on the “Report and Issue” button, enter the issue location, a summary of the issue, and your email address.  You also have the option to include a more detailed description of the issue.

That is it! You can track an issue to see when it is resolved, search for issues that have been fixed, and also follow a city to receive email alerts when new issues are reported.

For example, a user could report a problem like a pothole or broken traffic light.  SeeClickFix will send the problem to the appropriate government agency.  Users can comment on the issue, the local government can respond to citizens, and journalists can see what issues are most important to people.

SeeClickFix allows anyone to report and track non-emergency issues anywhere in the world via the internet. This empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations and governments to take care of and improve their neighborhoods. via SeeClickFix

Hands On With The iPhone App.

The iPhone app is really easy to use.  You can start a new report as soon as you launch the app.  The app will use your phone’s GPS to determine your location so it can be automatically be added to the report.  You can add summary of the problem, a detailed description, and even add a photo.  You can also search for nearby issues.

SeeClickFix is available for for free for Blackberry (visit http://seeclickfix.com/bb on your blackberry), iPhone (iTunes Link), and Android in the Android Market.

How a local Georgia city is using SeeClickFix.

The city of Alpharetta in Georgia uses SeeClickFix to track local issues.  The city has the SeeClickFix map embedded on their website.  The map shows the borders of the city and the location of outstanding issues.  You can click on each marker to read the details of each issue.  Citizens can report a problem right from the website or vote for an issue to be fixed.

Bottom Line

SeeClickFix looks like a fantastic service to help everyone engage and help improve their local community.

Could your community benefit from the service?