New update of The Observer 5.0

The best observational data collection tool has become even better!
Although it is just a few months ago that we released a new upgrade of The Observer, a new update is already available. 
 
What is new in the latest update (version number 5.0.25)? 
 
In this new release, we have added a number of functions, such as:

Merge function: combine two observational data files (ODFs) into one new file with the correct time codes. The merge function not only combines the observational data, but also other elements like independent variables, notes, etc. If the contents of more ODFs have to be joined together, you can just repeat the merge function a number of times.

Why would you use the merge function? Expert users of The Observer may know that you can also group observations in the analysis. These are a few examples where this new function can be handy:

When a system includes an eye tracking system, it is possible to combine the eye tracking data (fixations) with the events that have been logged by an observer. This combined file can be used for further detailed event logging and analysis.
You may want to merge two observations from different observers into one. For example, if Sandra has scored 'activity' an John has scored 'body posture', you can combine these two files into one observational data file.

In the Video Highlights Module we have enhanced the range of video editing functions. You can generate video highlight clips directly from within The Observer, without using an external video editing package. It is possible to create highlight clips in different formats, including AVI, MPEG1 or MPEG2. You can even create a media file in MPEG4 format when you are using Windows 2000 or XP! 

It is also possible to create multiple media files: one file per episode in the video play list. This way your media files are smaller and easier to handle. Another new feature is the possibility to add titles to your video clips.

The Observer Mobile with Pocket Observer supports a range of new handheld devices for mobile observations. With Pocket Observer you can use a Pocket PC based handheld computer as an event recorder. These are the new models that we support:

HP iPAQ Pocket PC h2210
HP iPAQ Pocket PC h1930 
Dell Axim X5 
Panasonic Toughbook 01
Finally a number of known bugs have been fixed in The Observer as well as in Pocket Observer.