Review of Cingular 8125 (HTC Wizard)

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. It doesn’t have the fastest of CPUs (195MHz), but hey, it’s a phone.

It also has a 1.3MP camera with a flash for those times when you need to take a quick snapshot (and there is software available and/or being developed that is made to do OCR (optical character recognition) from camera phone shots).

Did I mention it has WiFi available? Beats using your normal service for downloading web pages, email, etc., when you have WiFi access available (ala a library or research center).

A quick check shows it retails for around $350 USD.

Apple’s 1GB iPod nano

I’m mentioning something that I mentioned on MacGenealogy.org yesterday, The new iPod nano that came out 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).

At the Apple Store, the 1GB iPod nano is $149. As of this afternoon, all were showing as shipping within 24 hours. They are offering free engraving and free shipping. The optional connector – is called the Apple iPod AV Cable (M9765G) and is available at the Apple Store as well.

This beats using a slide projector.

Review of Palm Treo 700W

MobileWhack.com has put together a review of the Palm Treo 700W, which is the new Windows Mobile 5.0-based Smartphone. This is one of the few “Smartphones” capable of running Pocket Genealogist as well as other PocketPC/Windows Mobile-based genealogy software.

Unfortunately it has a lower-resolution touchscreen (240×240) and 128MB memory (as the review points) and the 700W ends up being a mixed blessing: It’s a good Smartphone for the phone user who happens to use a PDA here and there. It’s not a great Smartphone for heavy PDA users who live and breathe by the PDA.

BusinessWeek has also reviewed this phone.

Deep Discounts on Dell Axims

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!

This unit won both LAPTOP Magazine and PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Awards just a few months ago.

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.

The specifications:
* Microsoft® Windows MobileTM 5.0 software with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile
* Powered by the Intel® XScaleTM PXA270 Processor at 624MHz
* Brilliant 3.7″ color TFT VGA display with 640×480 resolution
* Integrated Intel® 2700G multimedia accelerator with 16MB video memory
* Integrated 802.11b and BluetoothTM Wireless Technologies
* Packed with 64MB SDRAM and 256MB Flash ROM
* Integrated CompactFlash Type II and Secure Digital / SDIO Now! / MMC card slots provide flexible expansion
* VGA-Out Support with optional VGA Presentation Bundle

Source: Pocket PC Thoughts

Palm LifeDrive Review

There is a new review of the Palm LifeDrive over at DesignTechnica.com. It was written by Brandon King, and he rates it a 7.5 out of 10. This Palm device could be for you if you happen to need a PDA and a media manager (photos, etc.), however they weren’t happy with battery and hard drive performance (it does have the most capacity out of all of the Palm devices though).

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