01-21-2003, 10:00 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 354
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Tracking your Family Tree with Pocket Genealogist v2.14
If you have an interest in family history research this application is definitely worth a look. It allows you to have a copy of your entire family tree on your Pocket PC. It�ll save you lugging around folders of information when you go researching and gives you the ability to search for individuals. The program centres on a family group screen which has been cleverly laid out to fit the limited screen space.
Pocket Genealogist is a tool which won�t appeal to everyone, but if you have an interest in family history research it is definitely worth a look. It allows you to have a copy of your entire family tree on your Pocket PC. It�ll save you lugging around folders of information when you go researching and gives you the ability to search for individuals quickly. The program centres on a family group screen which has been cleverly laid out to fit the limited screen space.
Synchronising
Once you have installed Pocket Genealogist your next step is to import your family tree data. The Advanced version will allow you to import directly from Legacy Family Tree, a popular desktop application, but for everyone else it will import from a standard GEDCOM file which every piece of genealogy software should support. Importing and synchronising your database with the device can be a slow process; however the software shows a detailed log of progress.
Figure 1: Desktop Synchronisation software
Searching
One of the advantages of having your family tree stored on a computer is the ability to search the data. The search options are limited compared to a full featured desktop family tree application. Firstly, and probably the most important, is search by Surname.
Figure 2: Finding an individual by surname
You must first select a letter and the application will display a list of matching surnames, when you then select one of these it will display a list of first names. A useful addition to this would be a keyword search if you can only remember part of the name. You can also search by location which will return all events that took place in the selected location. I found this slightly odd as it included occupations in the list, but that may be due to my desktop family tree application not complying with GEDCOM standards.
Making Notes
Because data entry is not currently available the only way to get data back into your desktop family tree application is using �Research Notes�. These allow you to add text memos which will be synchronised back with the desktop application. The desktop application displays a list of these. Ultimately the process is still manual, although with the benefit of cut and paste. It is perhaps not that compelling when you can use the rich text, doodling and voice notes with the Pocket PC built in Notes app. Obviously this will change when the data entry version of the software is made available.
Extra Touches
As well as the core family tree features the software features a selection of calculators.
Figure 3: The Built in Soundex Calculator
The Soundex calculator converts a name into its Soundex code, used when searching databases for subtle variations of names. The date calculator allows calculations by adding and removing days, months or years to a date. It allows dates as far back as the Gregorian calendar began (September 1752). A co-ordinate calculator converts latitude and longitude into a variety of display forms. The colours of the user interface are highly configurable, although the palette is limited to quite vivid colours which won�t be to everyone�s tastes. A properties screen displays a count of individuals, families and research notes in your family tree file.
Gotchas
- The software does not allow two-way synchronisation, however the registered version allows you to keep �Research Notes� which you can then work through to update your desktop data.
- The desktop application is rather clunky looking. It would be nice to see tighter integration with ActiveSync so the process could be more automatic.
- Search options are limited; you can only search by location or surname. It would be useful to allow keyword searching on a range of fields, for example using keywords.
Where to Buy
The application is available in three versions:- A free trial is available which you can use for 30 days but cannot enter any research notes on the device.
- Basic registration removes the nag-screens and allows you to enter research notes on your device which are synchronised with the desktop. Basic registration costs $20.
- Advanced registration adds direct synchronisation with Legacy Family Tree and will eventually support full data entry; however this will be available as an update as the data entry version is still a beta product. The Advanced version costs $35.
Both registered versions include free updates for all future 2.x versions. See the Northern Hills Software website for full details. The software can be downloaded from Handango (affiliate link).
Conclusions
The market for genealogy software on the pocket PC is extremely small and therefore there is little choice. However this software can prove very useful especially if you have amassed a large amount of information and you need to be able to refer to it while out researching. Overall I like this application, it is an interesting use for a Pocket PC and well executed.
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01-21-2003, 11:52 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 137
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I've been using this product for over a year and I'm very satisfied. I use both Legacy and TMG on my desktop (and laptop) but it's great to carry around the whole database in my PPC. Navigation through the file is easy.
Kevin Phillips at Northern Hills is very conscientious and responds quickly to user issues. The addition of the data entry module will be a nice enhancement but mostly I just want to gather info in the field and then take a little time to peruse it before I add it to the db. It's great to have all the names, dates, etc right there with me. The research notes are usually sufficient for the raw data.
You can colorize the different fields and column headings on the screens for ease of use.
dart
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01-22-2003, 12:00 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 354
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Dartman, I agree with your comments, Kevin has worked hard on the application and its a very useful tool. Considering the fragmentation of the GEDCOM standard its not an easy job to make an application compatible with all the various "dialects" but this application does work well (except for my problem with occupations listed as locations, this has been proved to be a Family Tree Maker fault).
I have found that the colourisation feature is a nice idea but the palette of colours is a bit gaudy.
I like the extras which have been added to the app and look forward to watch how it develops.
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01-22-2003, 12:45 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 405
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"Synchronising"
Its Synchronizing!!!!! Why do Canadians spell it differently!?!? Its driving me crazy!
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01-22-2003, 03:09 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 137
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Peter,
You are right about the colors. The pallette is somewhat restricted but I find it useful.
My guess is the data entry and synchronization is a lot more difficult than Kevin anticipated. I can't imagine him doing direct synch's for very many products. He seems to have a working relationship with Legacy so I suppose that will be first. They use Access as their DB engine. Beyond that he may just provide GEDCOM updates. You make a good point about the so-called GEDCOM "standard". I hope he doesn't try to do too much. I'd rather have him work on other features than try to be everything to everybody.
I forgot to mention that you did an excellent job on the review.
Nice work.
dart
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01-22-2003, 03:26 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Fzara
Its Synchronizing!!!!! Why do Canadians spell it differently!?!? Its driving me crazy!
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Uhm, the correct question is why we Americans would spell it differently. The English language came from England, you know, and we bastardized it...
This is why I refer to us as speaking "American". Drives some people nuts, but it's more accurate. 
--janak
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01-22-2003, 05:25 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 405
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Of course it came from England...
We didnt bastardize it! The American way is the best way, all the time, regardless!!!
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01-22-2003, 05:28 AM
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,878
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All right...
Back on topic please...
Steven Cedrone
Community Moderator
__________________
"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
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01-22-2003, 05:42 AM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Fzara
Its Synchronizing!!!!! Why do Canadians spell it differently!?!? Its driving me crazy!
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Uhm, the correct question is why we Americans would spell it differently. The English language came from England, you know, and we bastardized it...
This is why I refer to us as speaking "American". Drives some people nuts, but it's more accurate. |
:lol: Americans tend to have a rep for their arrogance. Having traveled internationally for the last two years, I now know why.
I've seen many of my colleagues insist on spelling in much the same way. The reaction they normally get is much the same too... :roll: (I've found myself to be in this situation a couple of times)
As US residents, we really do deviate in so many ways from the rest of the world (e.g. pounds instead of kilograms, fahrenheit instead of celsius, inches instead of centimeters, ounces/gallons instead of litres, etc.). I've gotten to a point now where I no longer need conversion programs to know what I'm dealing with...
On Topic: This looks like a interesting program, it's certainly unique. I had never thought of using my PPC to track my family tree...
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01-22-2003, 06:04 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 329
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Their is also a 2.50 Beta version Y4, while it is a work in progress, Kevin's betas are much more stable than many 1.x programs I have tried. The program is getting updated about every week. It is now adding full twoway syncing.
David
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Linear Mode
