Here at Rentec Direct we’re always testing out the capabilities of web browsers. Our application makes use of some of the latest web technologies so it is important that browsers perform to make sure users’ experience is not just good, but great!
For a very long time the best combination of performance and security has come from Firefox. Firefox is an open source application which has the most community support behind it for a web browser. Because of the ample community support, and excellent programmers, Firefox leads the way still in performance and security.
Google Chrome just yesterday released version 5 of their new browser. We’ve been using and testing with Chrome since version 3 and it has come a long way. Chrome take
s the cake in performance, even over Firefox. Google Chrome 5 can rightfully claim the title as the fastest browser in the world, at least for now. In our testing, Chrome 5 is noticeably faster all around the web. It has native Flash support to give you the full web without installing any plugins and works very well with all websites we’ve tested it with, including Rentec’s BackOffice which makes use of many new web technologies. Of note, with Chrome version 5, they now support plugins including some one of our “must have” favorites: Xmarks.
Other popular browsers include Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) and Apple’s Safari browsers. Neither has the performance and security that Firefox and Chrome have and while Rentec Direct is fully compatible with both, we recommend using one of the above.
If you are looking to speed up your web experience, try out the new Chrome, or if you are currently using IE try them both and see which fits your style best. You will find your internet experience will improve significantly when you release that old slow browser.
External Resources, Off Topic
chrome, chrome 5, fast browser, firefox, IE, plugins, safari, xmarks
We’ve improved the report interface! When viewing a report, statement, invoice, or receipt you now have the option in the upper right to download any report in PDF (right red pdf icon, see screenshot below). Lately we’ve been asked a lot of questions like these.
How can I email a copy of a ledger to my accountant?
How do I send this report to an owner?
How can I save reports?
The answer is, print to PDF. PDF is a universally recognized document which stands for Portable Document Format. There are many readers available for PDF and chances are your computer already has one installed. If not, Adobe Acrobat is the most popular and it is free. Once the document is saved, you can easily attach it to an email, or save it onto your computer or flash drive.
This update does not require you to purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat. We create the PDF files on the server and you download them and view them in the FREE PDF reader. Customers of other property management software solutions who want to do the same may need to pay the $300/annual license to create PDFs; however, with Rentec Direct we’ve done this for you and included it in all of our professional releases at no additional cost.
Product Update, Rentec PM, Rentec Pro, Rentec for Associations
accountants, adobe pdf, email report, email to accountant, pdf, print to pdf, reports, save report
We have published the first release of the Owner Portal! This new tool allows an owner to login and quickly view their property performance, accounting, and notices on pending or past move-ins and move-outs. Basically the important details for an owner are available with the click of their mouse.
Click the image to the right to see an expanded example of what an owner will see when they first login.
Using this tool is simple for PM edition holders. Follow these steps:
- Be sure you’ve defined an owner at Settings, Setup Owners.
- When configuring the owner, add an email address and password for them, and select the Portal checkbox to enable their portal. Save Changes.
- Go to the Properties tab, and right-click to Edit the properties this owner owns. In the owner dropdown, select the owner you just setup.
The portal shows the owner only information pertinent to their properties and items an owner typically may ask for. To view exactly what the owner will see, you can login to Rentec Direct with their email address and the password you have defined. Simply make note of those items, log out of your account, and log in with theirs at the same login screen. You will then see what they have access to.
The owner portal is available to Rentec PM users at no additional charge. Rentec Basic or Pro users can access this feature by visiting Settings, My Account & Subscription, and modify your subscription to Rentec PM.
This owner portal is version 1. We do intend to expand it’s capabilities based on your input. Please let us know what you would like to see displayed or made available within the owner portal as we will be making more improvements to the owner portal over 2010 based on your feedback.
Product Update, Rentec PM
owner portal
