Hi, I'm relativity new to the N800, but I'll try to answer you as best as I can.

If your camera has an sd card then you should definably be able to e-mail them to family.

There are plain text editors editors available, http://maemo.org/downloads/text-editors/ and there is also a standard one that ships with the N800.

I think there is a way to FTP, but you might have to find a program to do it.
or maybe SSH or VNC into your home box...sorry, I dont know anything about either.

There is talk on the forums about Skype becoming available for the N800, but I dont think it is out yet. I just went to Japan 2 weeks ago, and I used Google talk and the built in mic to chat with the family back home. If you have you family register(free) with the Nokia service you can use the built in web cam, but I found that the video was too laggy for me.

The main site to find software for the N800 is http://maemo.org/ then the downlads tab.

Hope this helps you make up your mind, one thing you might want to consider getting if you plan to type alot on it is a bluetooth keyboard, for me text entry with the stylus is a pain.