Over at the DearMyrtle blog, there are two different posts mentioning taking your genealogy databases from your genealogy software and carrying and accessing them on USB flash drives. The topic came up as people were talkiong about using PAF or GEDCOM files, and apparently some genealogy software makers make their software available for free at Family History Centers.

Posted in Articles & Reviews, Hardware, Software No Comments »

GottaBeMobile.com has a review of the DocuPen RC800 Scanner. Rob Bushway wrote the review, and discusses his workflow with the DocuPen. For those of you not familiar with it, the DocuPen is a handheld color scanner that is incredibly small. You have to see it to understand just how portable this thing really is. The manufacturers claim you can store it in a shirt pocket, but Rob points out it’s just a little too tall for that. He goes into using it with OneNote and a Tablet PC.

Posted in Articles & Reviews, Hardware No Comments »

PC World has an article about using the Treo as a Notebook Alternative. They are using a PalmOS-based Treo 650, and basically trying to do the things they’d normally do with a notebook: “sending and receiving e-mail, with and without attachments; writing and editing Microsoft Office documents; and browsing Web sites.”

This is part 1 - part 2 will be posted next week.

Posted in Articles & Reviews, Hardware, Palm OS No Comments »

If you are looking at getting a mobile phone capable of running some of the genealogy software that’s available for handhelds, you might want to read this review (mobiletechreview.com) of the Cingular 8125 aka HTC Wizard (available from T-Mobile under a different name I believe). It’s a Windows Mobile 5.0 device, and Northern Hills Software indicates that Pocket Genealogist will run on it.

One of the nice features and one of the reasons it will handle genealogy software made for Windows Mobile/PocketPC devices - it has a stylus. More importantly, it has a slide-out keyboard, which even though it’s small, beats using a stylus for inputing or searching for names.

Posted in Articles & Reviews, Hardware, PocketPC/Windows Mobile No Comments »

I’m mentioning something that I mentioned on MacGenealogy.org yesterday, The new iPod nano that came this week - it has a capacity of 1GB and retails for $149. The selling point for a genealogist is that it holds up to 15,000 photos (and it can display them on the built-in color display - not a big deal, or on a TV screen, which is a big deal).

Posted in Hardware, iPod No Comments »

MobileWhack.com has put together a review of the Palm Treo 700W, which is the new Windows Mobile-based Smartphone. This is one of the few “Smartphones” capable of running Pocket Genealogist. Unfortunately it has a lower-resolution screen (240×240) and 128MB memory (as the review points) and the 700W ends up being a mixed blessing

Posted in Articles & Reviews, Hardware, PocketPC/Windows Mobile No Comments »

From Dell Home & Home Office: “For a limited time, purchase select new Dell Axim Handhelds and get instant savings! Take 35% off Axim X51v 624Mhz Handhelds. Or choose an Axim “Deal of the Week,” a specially configured handheld solution, and save up to 40%! Orders must be placed through Dell Home Electronics & Accessories to qualify.”
This means a Dell Axim 51v starting at $324!

The VGA-Out support is great if you want to do any mini-presentations at a family reunion (there are VGA -> S-Video converters available). I have the previous version, the X50v, and it’s been a solid PDA. It’s very hard to get a Windows Mobile PDA at this price with both VGA resolution (great for the Windows Mobile/Pocket PC genealogy applications and a fast processor.

Posted in Hardware, PocketPC/Windows Mobile No Comments »