Evernote Tutorial: Adding & Taking Photos

With Evernote, all of your notes, web clips, files and images are made available on every device and computer you use. But did you know Evernote has a way to take or insert a photograph from inside the Evernote Application on your iPhone? 

Choose Camera Icon

Open Evernote app on your phone and select the blue + icon to start a new note. To take a photo, choose the camera icon

Take the photo you want, then either RETAKE or USE. If you choose USE the photo pops up inside your Evernote note.

It will sync to all your devices. You can also choose to put it on Twitter, Facebook, print it or email it to someone.

To choose a photo from your Camera roll (instead of taking a new one) simply choose the little photograph icon beside the camera when you are in a new note.

Your camera roll pops up and you can choose any photo you wish to insert in your  note.

If you want to add a series of photos in one note, here's a little tip on how to do that. Choose photo #1 and after it is inserted in the new note, choose the photograph icon again to return to your camera roll.

Choose a second photo and you will see it inserted under the first photo in your note. Keep choosing as many photos as you wish.

One caveat: I discovered that if I insert more than 5 or 6 in a note and then try to email it, it doesn't go. But it will still sync to your devices. 

Evernote Tutorial: Creating a New Notebook in the Evernote Mobile App

Evernote is something I can't live without. I use it daily, in fact, several times a day. I clip recipes I find online. I use Evernote to save receipts for online purchases. I make point form notes of ideas for future genealogy blog posts.

If you're familiar with Evernote you know it's easy to create a new notebook on your computer or laptop. Just click on FILE then in the dropdown menu you choose New Notebook. Simple!

But I often use Evernote on my iPhone and frequently need to create a new notebook directly in the Evernote Mobile App. It's not easy! There's no selection that allows you to easily create one! I've spent days trying to figure out how to do this on my iPhone using the Evernote mobile app.

After finally figuring it out yesterday, I want to share the how-to with my readers. It's definitely not intuitive, it's rather confusing, it's certainly tedious and I hope the developers will create a simple icon choice for creating new notebooks in the mobile app. But meantime, here's how can you do it.

1. Start a new note by tapping the blue + button

2. After you create a note (mine is called TESTING) select the pencil (edit feature)

3. Select the little "i" symbol

4. Select the Notebook icon

5. Type the name for your new notebook in the field that says "Find or Create a New Notebook"

6. Your notebook name will pop up and beside it is an icon with the word "Add".
 Choose this then hit SAVE.

You've got a new notebook now which will automatically sync to your other devices that have Evernote - such as your computer, laptop or iPad

 I'll be writing more tutorials on using Evernote over the next few weeks so watch for them here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog.

New App from MyHeritage for Searching Records including 1940 U.S. Census

  The following announcement was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy by MyHeritage. MyHeritage was the first to put up indexes of the newly released 1940 U.S. Census and they continue to lead the field in their endeavors

World’s largest family network unveils new mobile experience for searching historical records, including the 1940 U.S. Census, on iPhone, iPad and Android 

PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV, Israel – April 5, 2012: MyHeritage, the most popular family network on the web, today announced the ability to search billions of historical records, including the 1940 U.S. Census, on-the-go via a new version of the free MyHeritage Mobile App for iPhone, Android and iPad. The new version 1.2 of the MyHeritage App also searches more than 22 million family trees, helping users with their family history research. The move further extends MyHeritage’s leadership by offering an intuitive and exciting experience for families to discover more about the lives of their American relatives in 1940 and to trace their roots around the world, all on-the-go.

The MyHeritage Mobile App was first introduced in December 15, 2011 and has since amassed an install base of more than 500,000. In addition to searching historical content, it allows users to take their family tree on-the-go with an attractive display specially suited for mobile devices, capture family moments for future generations and stay in touch with family anytime, anywhere.

As millions of people rush to satisfy their curiosity and access the 1940 US census - one of the most significant sets of historical records ever to be released - MyHeritage is currently the only commercial player offering both a complete set of images from all US states and a preliminary searchable index, available via the new MyHeritage App and on www.myheritage.com/1940census. Access is completely free and no registration is required.

All 3.8 million images of the 1940 U.S. Census, and the initial collection of indexed records searchable by names, facts and other criteria, are now available to explore for free on the MyHeritage App, downloadable from the App Store or Google Play (formerly Android Market). The app can search the entire MyHeritage data collection of more than four billion records, many exclusive to MyHeritage, including birth, marriage, death, immigration and military records, census records, newspapers, yearbooks and much more. Available in more than 20 languages, the app enables family history lovers all over the world to explore their family’s history.

Breaking News: FamilySearch Launches Mobile Indexing App

Transcription screen

 FamilySearch launched its much-anticipated mobile device for indexing. The device will expand the capability of volunteers to help make the world’s historic records searchable online.  

The mobile device app works on Apple iPads, iPhones, and Droid smartphones.  To download the free app, search for the FamilySearch Indexing app in the Apple app store or Droid Market store online.

Settings

You can choose from levels of difficulty - Easy, Medium and Difficult

MyHeritage App Available so I Check it Out

Yesterday Olive Tree Genealogy received an email from MyHeritage announcing their new app:

The new MyHeritage app for iPhone, iPad & Android was finally released today, after months of hard work by our really wonderful team, to help get MyHeritage users the best family tree app in the industry. 

Version 1.0 includes an HTML5 version of the family tree with profile pages designed especially for mobile, photo-sharing feature that syncs with your family site and a cool celebrity look-alike feature (aka MyCeleb). You can read more about the current version on www.myheritage.com/mobile. Next versions will add more and more great features, starting with editing of the tree straight from your mobile device and followed by everything you love about MyHeritage.

I'm not a member of MyHeritage but I downloaded the app to my iPhone to have a look. I can't use the first two features (Family Tree and Share Photos) without signing up on MyHeritage.

But I did have a lot of fun with the third choice -MyCeleb.

When you choose MyCeleb you have a choice to choose an existing photo or take a new one. I chose to take one. After I took it, a popup explained that the photo would be uploaded to MyHeritage for processing but then deleted.

I okayed the upload and waited. It took only a few seconds and my matches showed. I had a good chuckle as my best match was with Elton John! But I can kind of see why - my photo looks like your typical driver's licence mug shot and I have no makeup on!

 My other matches were Toni Morrison, Anna Sophia Robb and Gary Oldman - go figure...

I did have fun though, trying different photos and angles to see who I'd be matched with. I liked it when MyCeleb matched me with Jessica Lange - I must remember to always pose that way.

Then I tried hubs and he got some very flattering matches - Patrick Stewart and Mel Gibson were his top two.

Anyway it really was fun and I think the more serious part of this app will almost certainly be helpful to genealogists.

EasyBib: An iPhone App Review

I'm using an iPhone App called EasyBib and I'm really liking it. This app allows you to scan a bar code on a book using your iPhone. The bar code is then converted to a bibliographic citation!

You can choose from MLA, Chicago/Turabian or APA styles. After your citation is ready you simply email it to yourself.

I'm using EasyBib to quickly and easily format citations for the history and genealogy books I review here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog. Not only does it save me typing everything out, it ensures that I've cited the book correctly and in a consistent format.

A friend mentioned that she plans to use EasyBib to scan the books she writes and publishes. I am planning on spending a day scanning the genealogy and history books in my own personal library. Then I can email those citations to myself, and click on the Save To EasyBib link that is automatically inserted into the email. That link takes me to the EasyBib website where I can save all my citations in a list, then choose from several options for the list:

I can export my citations to WORD or Google Docs
I can copy and paste them
I can email them

I can also sort my list of  citations alphabetically, by date, by tag (keywords which I  add manually) or by  source.

I am also able to print my list of citations, or save to GoogleDocs or Save for later on the website.

One caveat - many of the genealogy books that I've purchased for my personal reference library do not have bar codes.  However I can manually enter the ISBN number and EasyBib searches for the book. If it is not found, I can enter the title, author and publisher plus date of publication  on the EasyBib website and it is formatted for me correctly.

EasyBib is free from the App Store.

Interview with RootsTech Presenter AC Ivory

Today's interview is with A. C. Ivory who is one of the RootsTech presenters. A.C.'s Session is Mobile Apps for Genealogy and it's being given on Thursday Feb. 11

I asked A.C. to introduce himself but he modestly did not tell us about his wonderful blog Find My Ancestor

My name is A.C. Ivory. I am 23 years old and live in Taylorsville, Utah. I have been doing genealogy for a little over four years. I gained my interest in genealogy right before I left on an LDS mission to Calgary, Canada. While serving my mission I helped many people who were just starting their genealogy research. The past two years I have strengthened my education in genealogical research through blogs, podcasts, social networking, college classes, email lists and personal experience. I specialize in using technology, social networking and Mac Genealogy to help others learn more about tracing their roots.

I have always been intrigued with technology and have enjoyed learning how to use it for various tasks at home and school. When I was 14 I bought my first Palm Pilot because I thought the concept of having a mobile computer that I could install applications on was so impressive. Back in the day, those simple Palm Pilots were extremely advanced even though their functionality was quite limited. Over the years I have enjoyed seeing the rapid advance in mobile devices.

When I first got an iPod Touch I was amazed at the amount of web apps you could used to play games, surf the Internet, check your banking account and more. Then, Apple introduced the App Store and an explosion of apps emerged. Within months there were thousands of apps you could download and do almost anything imaginable on your little device. Soon, I found there genealogy apps creeping into the App Store as well as other apps that weren't specifically meant for genealogy but I found ways to incorporate them into my genealogical research.

I asked A.C. to tell us a bit more about his Session (without giving away the entire Session of course!) It's one of the Sessions I was able to sign up for, so I am naturally curious about what is going to be covered.

My session, Mobile Apps for Genealogy, will include a number of different apps available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices. Some of these apps are genealogy specific, allowing you to create family trees, access online databases, learn how to do genealogy and share with with your friends and family. Other apps that I will be demonstrating aren't used by most people for genealogy purposes, but I will show how they can be used to help you stay organized, network with other genealogists and find new and innovative ways to become a technological genealogist.

This sounds great and I wondered what prior knowledge someone planning to attend would need

Anyone can attend Mobile Apps for Genealogy without feeling overwhelmed or the need to have a ton of technology skills. For anyone who has ever used an iPhone or like device, you know how easy and user friendly they are. All of the apps I will be demonstrating are just as easy to use as the Apple or Android operating systems. I hope that those who are thinking about getting one of these devices will attend to learn how easy and fun going your genealogy on a mobile device can be.

I also wondered what A.C. hope an attendee would take with them after leaving his session.

I hope that those who attend my session will leave with more understanding and insight on how they can use their mobile device for more than just making a phone call or texting. I want people, even the older generations, to feel like they can use these mobile devices and not be afraid to use them. With the development of the thousands of apps we will continue to see more being developed specifically for genealogy as well as those that we can incorporate into our research.

Of course I couldn't end the interview without asking my favourite question. I'm always excited to see the answers - What exciting developments do you foresee in the future for mobile apps?

I honestly believe that the invention of the iPhone, iPad and Android devices will help genealogy go where no one could have ever imagined - not even 15 years go. My grandpa has even told me that he could never have even dreamed of using something like my iPad back in the early 1980's when he was heavily involved with genealogy.

I think that as smart phones and mobile tablets grow in popularity there will be more software developers who are wanting their genealogy database programs available to their users on their mobile devices.

Genealogists who travel to archives and libraries are starting to take their mobile devices with them rather than their laptops because of the size and weight. It is much easier for someone to slip their iPad into their bag and take it with them then trying to gather all the cords, mice, batteries, etc. that you do with your computer. The more database apps available on their mobile device the more people you will see using them while doing their research.

One of my favorite features about using my iPad is the ability to have genealogy books, software, pictures, movies and many other files all on one device. I don't need to worry about carrying heavy books along with my laptop everywhere I go. I can easily switch from reading Evidence Explained to adding a source citation with a few swipes of my finger.