Articles & Reviews
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.
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.
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
MobilityGuru has a rundown of several small Intel-based notebooks, “Ultra Lightweights”, including the Toshiba Libretto U100, with a 7.2 inch display and the Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D with an 8.9 inch display (not only that, it’s a Touchscreen!), as well as few larger notebooks.
We normally focus on PDAs, but some of these laptops these days are under three pounds, and a 7.2 inch screen with an actual keyboard (albeit cramped) could make for a useful platform for a genealogist who’s just not happy with a PDA, but doesn’t want a large laptop.
PC World has a rundown on the differences between the Palm Treo 650 and 700 phones, which are PDA/Phone hybrids from Palm. The 650 runs Palm OS, and the 700 runs Windows Mobile 5.0. I haven’t seen anything to indicate that the 700 is a stripped down Windows Mobile device – i.e. like many of the Smartphones that can’t run all Windows Mobile software (including genealogy software). It definitely looks like the 700 is a full Windows Mobile 5.0 device that looks like it can run genealogy software, but I’m not 100% sure just yet. The 650 can run Palm OS genealogy software (not sure of any limitations).
One important difference, the 650 has a 360×360 screen, whereas the 700 has a 240×240 screen. On the other hand, the 700 has 128MB of built-in memory, while the 650 has 32MB, and the 700 is faster. The 700 also has a 1.3MP digital camera, while the 650 is a much lower resolution.
Treo Mobile has extensive coverage of both of these phones.
The Treos could be a good compromise for genealogists who want a mobile device, but are afraid they won’t use it much, or that it will be “just one more thing” to carry along – using them as both phones and PDAs can be handy.