Android phone for field research

SimonPotter · Post by **SimonPotter** » 13 Dec 2010 13:52

As a long time user of FH who's recently bought an Android phone (HTC Wildfire), I thought I'd share my experieces

Following up Jane's advice re Android on the iPad thread I downloaded Family Bee (£6.30) and Dropbox (Free for 2GB max) from the Android Market, and I have to say, it has transformed my visits to the Probate office, Library and record office.

Unless I need to transcribe a very long piece of text, for which I'd still need the laptop, the android keyboard on the phone is fine for noting BMD announcements, probate calendar entries and other short notes - saves lugging the laptop around.

From your laptop/PC, you save your GEDCOM to Dropbox, open Dropbox on the phone, tap the GEDCOM file and it installs into Family Bee (FB). FB doesn't allow you to modify the GEDCOM, but you can make local notes aganst a person or family. You can even take a photo atached to a note. When you've finished you can email the notes to yourself (or save them in Dropbox) and when you get home, paste them into FH.

Simon Potter

ID:4897

andrewbraid · Post by **andrewbraid** » 04 Mar 2011 17:04

Simon

I too have an Android phone and installed Dropbox and Family Bee. However, I cannot get one or the other to recognise the GEDCOM file and I have had to install OI File Manager on my Android to be able to open the GEDCOM file. I have been in contact with the developer of Family Bee says that this should not be necessary.

I have discovered that when I look at Dropbox on my desktop machine (running XP) it also does not recognise the GEDCOM file and when I click on the file it opens automatically with a text editor and not with FH with which the .ged extension is associated on my desktop machine.

Can you tell me if you can automatically open the GEDCOM file in FH when you log on to your Dropbox account. If you can, do you have any idea what I have done wrong?

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 04 Mar 2011 17:29

On a PC 'My Dropbox' is just a folder so it sounds as if on the PC you have changed the file association.

You should be able to use right click and open with to set FH back to being the default for opening the file.

andrewbraid · Post by **andrewbraid** » 04 Mar 2011 23:06

Jane

It's not the file in the Dropbox folder on my PC, which works fine - it's when I logon to Dropbox and try to open that file.

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 05 Mar 2011 09:30

I'm missing something, if you have dropbox installed you can just open the file from the PC.

andrewbraid · Post by **andrewbraid** » 05 Mar 2011 16:49

Yes I know but I cannot open it on my Android and I discovered, accidentally, that I could not open it on the Dropbox website and I wondered if the two things are related.

I cannot understand why other files, for example PDF and JPG, are associated in Dropbox on the web and my Android, but GEDCOM files are not.

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 05 Mar 2011 19:58

I should have an Android phone in a couple of weeks, as I am just waiting for my old contract to finish.

I'll let you know how I get on.

suzygirl101 · Post by **suzygirl101** » 09 Oct 2011 07:13

Hi Jane,

I'd be interested to hear how things are going with your Android phone if you have it now. I am awaiting delivery of my new Samsung Galaxy S2 this week and will be looking to get set up.

Many thanks in advance!

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 09 Oct 2011 08:37

It's fine, I use it to look things up quite often. I tend to make notes separately, but it works well for taking quick photos of documents.

sdl180 · Post by **sdl180** » 19 Jan 2012 13:51

For those of you with trees on Ancestry, the Ancestry app is now available on Android. [smile]

capnkeith · Post by **capnkeith** » 19 Jan 2012 19:40

You do not need any other software to get Your FH data onto your HTC. Just use the create a CD option in FH but instead of burning to a CD transfer it onto your phone. You might need a different internet browser App than the one pre installed on the phone. I use the Dolphin browser App.
If you want your family tree chart(s) on your phone use the FH option to create a PDF file(S) of your tree, then transfer that to your phone. It can then be opened in any PDF viewer. As I use the Kindle reader on my phone I use that to view PDFs.

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