{"id":498,"date":"2012-04-10T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/using-the-kindle-fire-for-genealogy-families\/"},"modified":"2014-05-28T23:42:51","modified_gmt":"2014-05-29T04:42:51","slug":"using-the-kindle-fire-for-genealogy-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/using-the-kindle-fire-for-genealogy-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the Kindle Fire for Genealogy \u2013 Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just LOVE the Families<\/a> app (Android, iOS; $15).\u00a0 It\u2019s basically a mobile app for Legacy Family Tree (update: both versions 7 and 8), which is the genealogy software that I use.\u00a0 The interface is very similar to Legacy so there\u2019s not a big learning curve.\u00a0 You do need to download Families Sync<\/a> (free) and install it on your computer in order to transfer the files between your computer and device.<\/p>\n

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\"Kindle-families\"<\/p>\n

Because of the Families app, my Kindle Fire is all I need when I\u2019m out and about doing research.\u00a0 In fact, it was the only thing I had with me during my entire Family History Library trip in February.\u00a0 My laptop stayed in the hotel room all week and I didn\u2019t miss it at all.\u00a0 And as I was lugging my laptop (power cord, extra battery, security cable, etc.) through two airports on the way home, I made up my mind that the laptop can stay at home on future research trips (I can do all my email on the Fire or my Android phone).<\/p>\n

\"Kindle-families1\" While researching on-site, whenever I need to reference something, I just open the Families app and either navigate to the person or do a search for them.\u00a0 The app contains the same information as entered in Legacy, including tags, to do list items (individual and general), sources, and bookmarks.\u00a0 You can also have multiple family tree files.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how big a file the app will support, but mine is 10,000+ individuals and it works just fine (and synched in no time).<\/p>\n

Do you need another great reason to have the Families app on your Kindle Fire?\u00a0 How many times have you been with family (or even at a genealogical society meeting) and the topic of your family research comes up?\u00a0 Plenty I\u2019m sure, and don\u2019t you just hate it when you can remember specific details?\u00a0 This happened to me a few times with my in-laws.\u00a0 But a few months ago, while at the in-laws for dinner, they started talking about their family and asked if I knew this, that, or the other, and I was able to reply, \u201cI don\u2019t know, let me get my Kindle Fire out and look at my database.\u201d\u00a0 True story!!\u00a0 And boy were they impressed with the information I had collected over several generations.\u00a0 I pretty much have my Kindle Fire everywhere I go, so I\u2019m armed and dangerous when it comes to questions about my family history.<\/p>\n

I like the Families app better than the Ancestry app (will review soon) for a few reasons, one being that Families is easier to navigate and functions very much like Legacy.\u00a0 In addition, Legacy is my main database and as long as I sync periodically (or right before a research trip) between my computer and my Kindle Fire, I have pretty current data.\u00a0 Since my Ancestry family tree is not up-to-date, it really does me no good (right now, my Ancestry tree has 6,968, whereas my Legacy database has 10,307\u2026wow, I\u2019ve covered a lot of ground in a year!).<\/p>\n

My biggest complaint is that you can\u2019t see multiple marriages.\u00a0 On the family screen, it does indicate how many marriages, but there is no way to access a list of spouses and the family view only shows the \u201cpreferred\u201d spouse.\u00a0 So if you want to know who the other spouses are, you have to change to the \u201ctimeline\u201d view (it defaults to the husband, but you can click on the wife\u2019s name at the top to see the timeline in her perspective).\u00a0 I hope the app developers make this available from the family view and individual view in a future update.\u00a0 CORRECTION:\u00a0 Linda McCauley (Documenting the Details<\/a>) left a comment explaining that you need to press and hold on the name of the person and that a window will pop up with the option to switch to another spouse.\u00a0 Thanks, Linda!!<\/p>\n

Even though there is a $15 price tag for this app, I think it\u2019s worth it.\u00a0 It\u2019s so much nicer to throw the Kindle Fire in my purse and take it with me to repositories than to lug my laptop around.\u00a0 I highly recommend the Families app.<\/p>\n

If you want to know more about the app, Legacy is having a webinar on Wednesday, April 10 at 1:00pm CST, \u201cGenealogy on the Go – the Families App for Your Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad<\/a>,\u201d presented by Malcolm Green.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t able to attend, a recording will probably be available for about a week or so after the 10th, or you can purchase the recording on CD.<\/p>\n

Do you use the Families app?\u00a0 Do you like it?\u00a0 Are there any improvements you\u2019d like to see?\u00a0 Share your thoughts in the comments of this post.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/strong><\/p>\n