The DAILY genealogy technology newsletter for genealogy
consumers, packed with straight talk - hold the sugar coating - whether
the vendors like it or not!
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.
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.
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."
This has to be the cheapest computer available today. It is a simple machine, to be sure. A well-known vendor on eBay is selling the Sylvania 7-inch Netbook Wi-Fi Wireless Mobile Internet Device for only $44.99, including FREE shipping to U.S. addresses. It is tiny and easily slips into a purse or an overcoat pocket. It has wireless wi-fi networking built in. It also includes a custom version of Internet Explorer, making it a great device for surfing the web. It includes a simple word processor and an equally simple spreadsheet program.
To be sure, this tiny computer is cheap in every sense of the word. I haven't had my hands on one yet but online reviews state that it doesn't have the greatest keyboard in the world. Also, a seven-inch screen is not suitable for everyone. However, that screen is bigger than the screens on most cell phones and many of us do surf the web and read and write email with our phones.
This article has nothing to do with genealogy so I published it in my RV (Recreational Vehicle) blog. If you have an interest in portable communications by satellite from any point on earth, take a look at DeLorme inReach for Messaging Wherever You Are at http://goo.gl/CD7ot.
In the February 22 newsletter, I posted a short article about the proposed Google Glasses (see http://goo.gl/oPD2U) which reportedly will be available later this year. I then posted a short follow-up article in April at http://goo.gl/bYh0l. In comments posted at the end of those articles, several people, myself included, joked about the idea of wearing computer screens in our eyeglasses. Humorous or not, researchers at the Universidad Carlos III (UC3M) in Madrid, Spain, have developed a pair of somewhat similar “intelligent” goggles that make getting around a bit easier for partly-sighted people. This strikes me as an excellent use for the technology.
This is a follow-up to yesterday's article, The First "Chromebox" Desktop Computer is Now Available, at http://goo.gl/rtVZb:
The "Chromebox" Desktop Computer is now listed in the BestBuy web site in two models: the Samsung Series 3 Desktop with 2 gigabytes of memory and a Celeron processor sells for $329.99 while the Series 3 Desktop with 4 gigabytes of memory and an Intel® Core™ i5 processor sells for $499.99. Both systems have a 16 gigabyte Solid State "disk drive."
About a year ago I wrote about the Chromebook laptop computers that run Google's cloud-based Chrome operating system instead of Windows or Macintosh or Linux. These low-priced laptop computers have tiny hard drives as they store most all data and applications in the cloud. As long as the user has an Internet connection, these computers can perform nearly all the same functions as their more expensive cousins.
Chromebook computers never get viruses and are very, very simple to use, even for computer novices. In fact, they have been called "laptops for the AARP generation" because of their simplicity of use. They are great for use by anyone who is nearly computer illiterate. Chromebook computers are popular with senior citizens, grammar school children, and anyone else who has never learned the intricacies of computers.
I have written often about the need to make constant backups, and I have also written about the need for security. Your backups should be encrypted, wherever you store them. Keep in mind that a lot of identity theft and data theft occurs when the thief is personally acquainted with the victim; often the two are even related. Simply keeping a backup copy in your home does not guarantee security from friends and family members who may have access to your computer. Security of laptop computers is even more important since laptops are easily lost or stolen.
A new device from Addonics adds heavy-duty encryption security to any plug-in USB disk drive at a modest price. It is also super simple to use.
Apple has now unveiled its long-rumored new iPad. Strangely, Apple is not calling it the iPad3. Instead, it is simply “the new iPad.” The new device contains a lot of improvements over the previous iPad2 but I see little in the list that will provide direct benefit to genealogy uses. The new iPad should handle all the existing iPad genealogy applications in exactly the same manner as the older iPad2.
To be sure, there are some nice improvements that will benefit all of the people who purchase the new iPad. The display has been improved to a 2048 x 1536 pixel Retina display with more than 3.1 million pixels. The older iPad has a very nice screen but the new iPad's specifications promise significant improvements.
The New York Times reports that Google is working to deliver a heads-up display allowing users access to email, maps and other tools through a wearable interface. You could do all this while at the library, reading census records, or even while playing online games.
The device reportedly will be available later this year, and sell somewhere in the raange of $250 to $600.
The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 is heavily promoted on U.S. television these days. I found in my recent conversations at two different genealogy societies in Florida, the same scanner is generating a lot of interest amongst genealogists.
The $295 (retail) scanner is the smaller version of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 that sells for about $400, depending upon where you purchase it. The cheaper scanner is smaller, lighter, but also significantly slower. Both scanners have document feeders; you can place a stack of papers into the input stacker, push a button, and walk away as both sides of each piece of paper are being scanned.
I wrote an article that describes the lessons I learned when building a long-range wi-fi system to use in my motor home. However, it isn't a genealogy-related article, so I published it on my RV blog. I suspect the information will be of interest to RV (recreational vehicle) owners and to many non-RV owners alike.
I haven't had a chance to use one of these yet, but the ad looks great. In fact, it looks like a useful tool for genealogists for some applications, but not for everything. The iConvert Scanner for iPad saves digital copies of scanned documents to an iPad's photo library. Being portable, it is useful for use in libraries, archives, or when visiting a cousin who has family documents in his or her possession.
Click on the image to the right to see a larger picture.
I have written several times about the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand. I find it to be a great tool for genealogists who wish to make digital images of documents and photocopies. This tiny scanner is handheld and powered by batteries. No computer is required to create scanned images that are then stored on a microSD memory card. While the scanner normally sells for $100 or so, may online retailers have offered it at lower prices in recent months.
You can read my earlier articles about the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Scanner if you start at http://goo.gl/lR4db
Now PCmag.com has published its own review of the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Scanner. Articles on PCmag.com typically are read by hundreds of thousands of computer enthusiasts so I expect the publicity generated will result in increased sales.
Think the hardware world is changing? Years ago, personal computers cost $2,000 or more. Now they are so inexpensive that you can borrow one at the same time you borrow a library book.
Remember the Google Chromebook? It is a laptop that was going to revolutionize laptops. I bought one and wrote about it in a Plus Edition article at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=16209 and I still use it often. Yet I think I am the only person who ever purchased one. I don't know anyone else who ever purchased a Chromebook. Sales apparently have been close to zero for these cloud-based laptops. In fact, the sales have been so low that Google apparently is giving them away to libraries for the purpose of loaning to patrons. With web-based apps, these low-priced lapop computers still have most of the functionality of their more expensive cousins.
The program highlights the Chromebook’s ability to operate as a kind of “disposable computer,” as Google puts it. Some others refer to Chromebooks as "the Choice of the AARP Generation."
I have often written about protecting and storing digital information for decades. In fact, saving digital data is probably safer than storing paper, if handled properly. Preservation of paper documents typically means storing the paper in temperature and humidity controlled conditions and physically handling the paper as rarely as possible. Preserving digital data is exactly the opposite: the data must be stored in multiple locations, then copied to new, state-of-the-art media formats frequently. Now a new device from SanDisk seems to blur the distinction become paper preservation and the preservation of digital data.
A new YouTube video shows the use of the Flip-Pal in operation creating scrapbooks of family heritage. The scanner is used to scan photographs as well as 3D objects. The video shows the Flip-Pal in operation and shows how easy it is to use. Keep in mind that it does not connect to a computer. Instead, all data is stored on an SD (Secure Digital) memory card which you later remove and connect a computer at your convenience. The Flip-Pal includes one SD card and you may purchase more, should you wish to do so.
The video was produced by KS Productions, Inc. and is available at http://youtu.be/xinrLP6buCA or click on the image below.
How low can these prices go? More than a year ago, I purchased a VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner for $99.99 and wrote about it at that time in this newsletter. I have used it often since then to scan documents, pages from books, and an occasional picture. I am on a campaign to digitize all my paper documents and the Magic Wand Portable Scanner has been a big part of that. Not only do I scan genealogy documents, but also bills, my auto registration, insurance documents, eyeglasses prescriptions, and most anything else I can think of. I find it easy to store these documents in DropBox in the cloud and then retrieve them as needed from an iPhone or Android phone or from any computer at any time, anywhere.
The price on these units keeps dropping and dropping and now online discount retailer Daily Steals is selling it for $39.99. That price even includes a 4 gigabyte microSD memory card for image storage. When I originally purchased my VuPoint scanner, I had to purchase the memory card separately.
In the October 25 newsletter, I wrote about something I believe is a great bargain: a 64 gigabyte memory stick (also called a flash drive or jump drive or thumb drive or USB drive) for $59.99, including free shipping. That's less than a dollar per gigabyte! The article is still available at http://goo.gl/LKHGW.
The sale has since ended but a quick search shows that many other vendors are selling the same device for prices that vary from $59.99 to perhaps $80. I even found one vendor advertising a lower price, but that web site also stated "On backorder." I guess you can list any price you wish if you don't have any to sell.
I ordered the 64 gigabyte memory stick and it arrived Saturday. I am generally pleased with it, although it didn't turn out to be quite as cheap as I originally thought.
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