Note: If you like this article, you might also like this FAQ on how we use technology to help home buyers in the home buying process.

You've heard all about the iPhone in the media - now let's evaluate how a Realtor would compare the Apple iPhone to the Palm Treo, a staple among Realtors.First, a little background: I used several versions of the Treo, including the Windows version, the Palm 600, 650 and 700. I found the Windows version of the Treo difficult to navigate, requiring multiple button presses for even simple functions like calling a contact in an address book, and quickly switched to the Palm version, which I used for several years.Surprisingly, I find the iPhone interface to be slightly reminiscent of the Windows iPhone in some ways. It can take several button clicks and some scrolling to get to a contact, for example. However, the iPhone is much more elegantly executed. Here are some of the Pro's and Con's of the iPhone as compared to the Treo:

Making & Receiving Calls

The iPhone is great in some ways and frustrating in others. The Treo has a feature where you can assign a key to your speed dial list. So if I want to call Jane for example, I might assign her phone number to the 1 key. Then I can just hold down the 1 key to automatically dial her number. The iPhone doesn't do this, because there are no physical keys. It does have a Recents and Favorites?� section but it's not quite as quick as the Treo.

As a Realtor, I find myself making conference and speakerphone calls all the time. The conference call volume is much better on the Treo than the iPhone. However, the iPhone handles 3-way calls in a much more elegant way than the Treo. One thing I always had a hard time with on the Treo was that when I wanted to do a 3-way call, and I put the first caller on hold to call the second party, if the second party did not pick up (i.e., the call went to voicemail), there was no way to hang up on the second party and continue the call with the first party. However, the iPhone does let you hang up on the second party if they don't answer, so you can continue your conversation with the first party, which is a lifesaver if you do a number of three-way calls, whichI'm sure most of us Realtors do!

The iPhone handles voicemail very well, allowing you to see the name or number of the person who left you a VM, and easily scroll forwards and backwards in the message (i.e., when you didn't quite catch the phone number someone left in a message). You actually never call into a voicemail system, which is a change from a regular phone. You simply view the messages on the iPhone screen and hit Play to listen to them.You can accomplish something similar with the Treo using a third-party voicemail system called Callwave which is free, at www.CallWave.com. It gives you the ability to listen to have your voicemail sent to your email so you can manage it from there. I find the CallWave system to be more powerful and flexible, but the iPhone system is simpler.

Unknown Callers

When someone would call me on my Treo, I would always put their name in my contact book once I hung up with them, so the next time they called I could say, Bob, and recognize their call. The Treo makes this easy - when you end a call with an unknown number, there is an Add to Contact List dialogue that pops up. The iPhone does this too, but you have to go to your Recent Call list and tap on the screen to do this. The downside is that it's not quite as quick as the Treo, but the upside is that you're not as likely to end up with multiple contacts.

Using E-Mail

On the Treo, I used a third-party email system called ChatterMail which worked well, but the iPhone's email system is much cleaner and easier to use.

One note: the iPhone does not support the BCC (blind carbon copy) function that some of you may use, and it works best with IMAP servers - ask your company system administrator if the iPhone will work for you.

Using the Web Browser

I was not expecting much from the web browser, but I have to admit it's amazing. The ability to zoom in on web pages makes it very usable. I can even open Matrix on the iPhone, although I'm sure that the iPhone web browser (Safari) is not officially supported by Matrix. It tends to be a little buggy because of compatibility issues, but if you have an MLS number or an address, it's easy enough to pull details of the listing up, and if you're like me, there have probably been plenty of times when a client says "What about this house?"� as you drive by, and you'd like to be able to check whether it's active or under contract, or get the listing agent's cell phone number, etc.

Feel free to contact me with more questions or to trade iPhone tips.
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Here is a video of Matrix on the iPhone: