Advanced Resources Partners
Advanced Resources Partners was a software developer and one of the original General Magic development partners, creating professional applications built on General Magic's Magic Cap and Telescript technologies. On September 28, 1994, it announced Mobile MLS, real estate software for the Sony Magic Link personal communicator and the first professional application for personal communicators using the Magic Cap environment.
Mobile MLS gave real estate agents portable access to Multiple Listing Service property data, letting them retrieve and download listings on the Magic Link rather than rely on office desktops or printed listing books. The product was distributed by Mobile Products, Inc., of Modesto, California, which carried it directly into 1995 and 1996 as General Magic showcased it among its Magic Cap vertical-market applications.
Organization Details
Gary Connor (operating partner)
Mobile MLS — real estate software giving agents portable access to Multiple Listing Service property data on the Sony Magic Link
Timeline & Milestones
Timeline
Milestones
Advanced Resources Partners was a software developer that created professional applications based on General Magic, Inc.'s Magic Cap and Telescript technologies.1 One of the original General Magic development partners, the company described itself as the only General Magic developer focused solely on complementary software for specific professional applications.1
On September 28, 1994, Advanced Resources Partners announced Mobile MLS, real estate software for the Sony Magic Link personal communicator, introducing it in New York alongside the launch of the Magic Link.1 Mobile MLS was the first professional application for personal communicators using the Magic Cap software environment, giving real estate agents portable access to property information from Multiple Listing Services and letting them retrieve and download listings for storage and use on the Magic Link.1 Gary Connor, the company's operating partner, said the combination of the Magic Link and Mobile MLS gave a real estate agent an immediate competitive advantage.1 Mobile Products Inc. distributed Mobile MLS and the Magic Link, which were offered to agents for less than $50 per month under a purchase plan based on a price of $1,275 for the hardware and software.1
By June 12, 1995, Mobile MLS was being offered directly by Mobile Products, Inc., of Modesto, California — a licensed Magic Cap and Telescript developer and value-added reseller for Sony that had been founded in 1994.2 That day General Magic announced the availability of Mobile MLS in Orange County, California, with nationwide availability expected later in the year, and Michael Zagaris, CEO of Mobile Products, said the application capitalized on the General Magic technology that had first led the company to develop for the Magic Cap platform.2 The Sony Magic Link with Mobile MLS software sold directly from Mobile Products for $1,235, a package that included the Magic Link, a one-megabyte PCMCIA RAM card carrying the software, a lithium-ion battery, and a carrying case.2
Also on June 12, 1995, Sony Electronics and Mobile Products jointly announced the Orange County deployment, positioning the Magic Link communicator and Mobile MLS as a portable alternative to printed property listings published every two weeks and to fixed-site desktop computers.3 Russ Bergeron, general manager of the Orange County MLS, called the combination an attractive and affordable portable solution for real estate agents.3
On March 19, 1996, General Magic featured Mobile MLS from Mobile Products among the vertical-market applications it demonstrated for Magic Cap communicators at the Mobile Forum conference, alongside Internet, corporate-LAN, and stock-trading software.4
AI generated using primary sources referenced in the footnotes
Footnotes
- Advanced Resources Partners, Advanced Resources Partners Unveils Real Estate Software for the Sony Magic Link Personal Communicator, September 28, 1994
- General Magic, Inc., Mobile MLS Application Available on Magic Cap Platform; New Solution for Realtors Puts Property Listings at their Fingertips, June 12, 1995
- Sony Electronics Inc., Sony and Mobile Products Put Orange County Real Estate Agents on the Road to High Tech Home Sales, June 12, 1995
- General Magic, Inc., General Magic to Showcase Mobile Solutions for Magic Cap Communicators; Applications for Web Browsing, Corporate LAN Access, and Vertical Markets, March 19, 1996
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