A few years ago, the laptop computer was a genealogist's dream machine. Family historians relished the ability to track their family trees on location—never mind that hauling those hefty laptops threw our necks into perpetual paralysis. If we wanted to tote our research files to the library (or courthouse or archives), a laptop was the only solution.

But times have changed—and genealogists have awakened to a new option for taking their research on the road. Say goodbye, bulky laptop, and hello, pocket-sized personal digital assistant (PDA). Weighing in at about 6 ounces, these little machines do it all. Now, you can carry your entire family tree, ancestral photos and hometown maps in the palm of your hand.

PDAs such as those made by Palm were invented so time-pressed executives could carry their schedules and contacts electronically in their pockets. Now, they're the latest technological tool to be taken over by genealogy. Much as family history buffs turned the Internet into a sea of pedigree charts and ancestor databases, the PDA has evolved into a personal genealogy assistant.

"On my last trip to Salt Lake City," says San Diego genealogist Phyllis Boozell Quarg, "I took my Palm, a fold-up keyboard and a travel charger—and I never once missed my laptop." Quarg used her Palm PDA to verify names, dates and sources (see page 55 to learn about programs designed for this purpose). The PDA also helped her track her land research: She entered legal land descriptions into her Palm's memo software on site; back home, she transferred the data to her desktop computer's Deed Mapper software , which neatly mapped her ancestors' property. "The Palm worked better than I ever expected," she says. Whether you're looking to outfit your handheld for family history or purchase a brand-new PDA, you can expect these pint-sized computers to give your genealogy search a big boost.