Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Acer's $200 Chromebook

I am constantly amazed by the dropping prices of computers. You can now purchase a full-featured, full-sized Acer C7 laptop computer for $200. Well, it's full-featured if you are always within range of a wi-fi wireless network connection.

This is no mini machine. It is full sized, although lightweight, at only 3 pounds. It includes 11.7-inch display, a full sized keyboard, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and a battery that lasts about 3.5 hours. It also contains a surprisingly high-capacity 320-gigabyte disk drive. That's surprising as Chromebook laptops usually have smaller hard drives.

Follow-up: Microsoft Surface Touch Cover "Splits Within Days"

I purchased a new Microsoft Surface tablet computer on October 26, the first day the new devices became available. The Microsoft Surface runs the new Windows RT operating system. I also ordered the (extra-cost) Touch Cover that includes a built-in keyboard. I then wrote a Plus edition article on October 31 at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=22758 describing my experiences.

I haven't had any problems with my Surface or its keyboard. Then again, I haven't used it much. Now reports are popping up in the trade press about many users having problems with the Touch Cover keyboard. It reportedly has a molded seam that splits within a few days of use, exposing components inside the keyboard. Microsoft reportedly is offering free replacements for defective keyboard covers.

Follow-up: Convert Your Dual Core Cell Phone Into a Fully Functional Desktop PC

This is a follow-up to an article I published at Convert Your Dual Core Cell Phone Into a Fully Functional Desktop PC in the May 4, 2012 edition of this newsletter. In that article, I reported on an effort by Linux vendor Canonical to produce software that would convert some Android "smartphones" into desktop computers. The theory is simple: use the cell phone's processor, storage, and communications as usual, but add a plug-in large screen and large keyboard for use as a desktop computer. The cell phone's owner could use the phone alone while away from home in the normal manner. However, upon returning home, the cell phone can be plugged a "docking station" and used in the same manner as most desktop computers.

A new piece of hardware will soon be available to do exactly that: a new docking station will convert a Samsung Galaxy Note II cell phone into a desktop computer.

Apple Announces One New and Several Updated Products

Apple held a news conference today and announced several products, including one that had long been predicted and others that were surprises.

As expected, the company announced a new, smaller version of the iPad tablet with a 7.9-inch screen. I think that's close enough to call it an 8-inch screen. The new iPad will run almost all, if not all, of the existing iPad software. It's 1024-by-768 pixel display is exactly the same as the number of pixels used on the larger iPad 1 and iPad 2, so all of today's software should run properly on the new, smaller iPad Mini. It weighs only 0.68 pounds so it should be a lot easier to carry and use than the previous larger iPad although obviously with a smaller screen. With a 10-hour battery life, keeping it charged shouldn't be much of a problem. It will sell for $329 for the version with 16 gigabytes of memory. Apple will begin accepting orders on October 26 with hardware shipments scheduled for November 2.

Amazon Cloud Suffers Partial Outage

I have written several times about cloud computing and especially about the high uptimes that cloud computing services provide. However, Amazon had a problem on Monday when some of Amazon's cloud computing servers were offline for a bit. The problem knocked off several popular websites offline. Foursquare said the failure kept it and other services from working for about 2 hours while music-sharing website Turntable.fm reported that it was down for about a half-hour. The outage also clobbered Heroku, Flipboard, and others, according to reports.

The problem apparently affected only a small percentage of Amazon's customers. For instance, this newsletter's web site is partially on Amazon's cloud service and apparently had no problem. Amazon has not yet announced what percentage of its customers experienced the problem nor has it yet provided an explanation of the cause.

New Samsung Chromebook: a $249 Laptop

Samsung and Google have unveiled the next generation Chromebook. The 11.6-inch Chromebook weighs less than two and a half pounds and is priced at a ground-breaking $249.

I purchased the previous generation Google Chromebook made by Samsung and have been quite happy with it. You can see my previous articles about my Chromebook experiences if you start at http://goo.gl/degQ2. I used the  3¼-pound Chromebook frequently until I purchased the two-and-a-half-pound MacBook Air which is a much more powerful computer although with a much higher price tag. I haven't used the Chromebook much since then.

Shipping Next Week: the Microsoft Surface Tablet Computer

Microsoft is about to release its competitor to Apple's iPad. Called the Surface, the new tablet looks like an ideal tool for a genealogist, assuming appropriate software becomes available. It is small, easily tucked under your arm or in a large purse, and carried to libraries, archives, cemeteries, or any place else a genealogist goes on research trips.

The picture to the right shows Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with the Microsoft Surface. You can click on the image to view a larger picture.

PogoPlug Adds Optional Amazon Glacier Service for Backups

I have written about PogoPlug before at http://goo.gl/nF6SN and at http://goo.gl/WzTCa). It is an excellent device for making backups of your important computer files or even ALL your files. The PogoPlug device is typically installed in the home, close to the computers being backed up. This provides an excellent LOCAL backup but still offers no protection for disasters in your home that might destroy both your computer(s) and your local backups, such as burst water pipes, fires, hurricanes, tornados, and such things. Now PogoPlug has added a new option: off-site backups.

Hitachi Announces Digital Storage Media that will Last a Few Hundred Million Years

This should solve the problem of disks, tapes, paper, and microfilm becoming unreadable over time. Hitachi has announced a new storage medium that uses a laser to imprint dots on a piece of quartz glass that correspond to binary code. The dots can be read with an optical microscope and appropriate software. The company says this medium is resistant to extreme heat, radiation, radio waves and should still be readable after a few hundred million years. It's intended as an archival format with data density similar to a music CD (40 megabytes per square inch with 4 layers and more layers can easily added, if needed).

Get a Pogoplug Family Cloud-Storage Bundle for $29

I love bargains. Especially computer bargains. Rick Broida writes a column on C|Net called "The Cheapskate" that I always read as he writes about hardware and software bargains. Today's article caught my eye: the Pogoplug Family backup with Pogoplug Mobile for $29 per year. Shipping adds $9.95.

This is cheap!

Pogoplug Family is the new Pogoplug cloud-storage service that gives you 100 gigabytes of online backup space for up to three users. Normally it costs $29 per year all by itself. This bundle gives you the Pogoplug Mobile (normally $49.95) as well, allowing you to add a local component to your backup solution.

Apple Announces the new iPhone 5

Today Apple introduced the newest version of its popular iPhone smartphone. There are lots of differences in the new model and probably about a million web sites will carry articles today and tomorrow explaining all the differences in minute details. I'll refer you to those other articles for the nitty-gritty info. You might start at ZDnet's article at http://goo.gl/WEUL3. However, I will mention a few changes will affect genealogy uses of this new smartphone.

Hey! I Lost (Some of) My Backups

This is just a note to let you know it can happen to anyone:

I have written many times about the need for genealogists to frequently back up their data. Making frequent backups prepares you for data disasters, such as crashed hard drives, broken water pipes, human errors, hurricanes, fires, or most anything else that can destroy a computer and the data it contains. Data losses can even happen to anyone and this week I experienced a minor problem. Luckily, I didn't lose any data.

Amazon Launches New Kindle Fire Tablets

I have written a number of times about Amazon's popular Kindle Fire ebook readers and tablet computers. (See http://goo.gl/6BIRP for my past articles.) Today, Amazon introduced their latest models and these look like winners. One model will sell for only $159 while an 8.9-inch model costs $299, and the top-of-the-line model with 4G LTE cellular wireless connections to the Internet sells for $499.

What impressed me most, however, is not the new gadgets. Instead, I was interested to hear Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos say that the hardware is no longer the most important thing. He says the hardware details don't matter and that the service is the important thing. In effect, the new Kindle devices are simply the delivery mechanism for Amazon's many video, music and shopping services. I suspect he is right. It's not what the gadgets can do, it's what the gadgets can deliver.

PICS2GO Turns Your iPhone into a Scanner

This looks like a nifty gadget for the genealogist as well as for many other uses. The iPICS2GO is a new device from ION Audio that literally turns your iPhone into a photo, slide and negative scanner.

The box-shaped iPICS2GO is a digital photo booth that requires an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S to work. Owners of either of these Apple devices are required to place their smartphone into the slot at the top of the scanner. The image that needs to be scanned is placed onto a photo tray and slid into place directly underneath the iPhone's camera. Seconds later, a digital version of the image is present on the iPhone ready to either be shared on the Internet or merely kept for posterity.

Million-Year Disks

I wrote recently (at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=21422) about the life expectancy of CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray disks. At best, all of today's factory-produced disks only last a few years. Even worse, the disks that you "burn" in your home computer may only last a year or two. To be sure, these aren't average numbers. They are "worst case" scenarios. While the averages are higher, how do you identify in advance the disks that will be on the low side of average?

One proposed solution is to write your data to the so-called "thousand year disks" offered by Millenniata. I wrote about those several years ago at http://goo.gl/Vfj0w. Now a new product has been announced that will last even longer: a million-year disk. That should be long enough for most of us.

Your New Retro Cell Phone

Sometimes I long for "the good old days." This isn't one of those times.

Shisa Labs today is launching their Retro Brick Bluetooth handset. This thing looks like the ultimate ’80s status symbol, the Motorola DynaTAC. However, its a fake. Oh, it works, but not in the way you think it might.

Google Glasses are Real and are Available For Order Now

I wrote about Google Glasses recently, at http://goo.gl/UHwl4 and at http://goo.gl/M6rV6. Today, Google Founder Sergey Brin appeared on-stage at the Google I/O conference wearing a pair of Google Glasses and announced that they are available for order beginning now.

Google Unveils the Nexus 7 Tablet Computer for $199

I have written several times lately about the phenomenal growth of tablet computers and e-readers. That growth continues. At today's Google I/O conference in San Francisco, the company announced a new device that is part e-reader and part computer, to be called Nexus 7. The number 7 in the name apparently refers to the 7-inch, 1280 x 800 HD display screen.

The Nexus 7 is available for pre-order now via Google Play for only $199 with 8 gigabytes of memory or $249 with 16 gigabytes, and will ship in mid-July to customers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. Buyers will get a $25 credit to spend in Google Play, and the tablet will come pre-loaded with one movie, one book, and several magazines.

One in Every Three American Internet Users Owns a Tablet Computer of Some Kind

I have written often about tablet computers.  I believe these small devices will revolutionize the use of personal computers. For roughly 30 years, we have thought of personal computers as devices that have a keyboard, a display screen, and (more recently) a mouse. We also assume we always use them while seated at a desk or table or perhaps while holding them in our laps. However, the design and use of computers is now changing rapidly. These changes will have long-term implications for genealogy software as well as almost every other imaginable software product.

According to a new survey by the Online Publishers Association (OPA), one third of all Internet users in the U.S. now own tablet computers. That statistic includes both complete computers as well as specialized e-book "readers." What amazes me is the growth of these portable devices: a year ago the tablet owners only accounted for 12 percent of the Internet users. That percentage has nearly tripled in 12 months. The OPA also projects that approximately 47 per cent of U.S. Internet users will own tablets by the summer of 2013.

Will Your Next PC be Built by Microsoft?

In announcing the Surface tablet computers on Monday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer surprised many people by quietly announcing that Microsoft will start building its own computers.

Ballmer cited Apple's advantage (without mentioning Apple) of integrated software and hardware. "Things work better when hardware and software are considered together," he said. "We control it all, we design it all, and we manufacture it all ourselves."