In this segment of the podcast, we've got a roundup of portable scanners, advice on going green with your research and a look at the new FamilySearch Beta website. Plus: Digital Library of Georgia and advice for dealing with digital photos.
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In this episode:
- Editor's Desk with Allison Stacy
- News from the Blogosphere
- Top Tips: Wide Open Spaces
- 101 Best Websites: Digital Library of Georgia
- Family Tree University Crash Course
- Safe Keeping: Portable Scanners
Your Host: Lisa Louise Cooke
The Editor's Desk with Allison Stacy
Allison gives us some ideas on ways to go green with your research.
News from the Blogosphere with Genealogy Insider Diane Haddad
Diane gives us an update on the
new FamilySearch Beta website. All the digitized records from Pilot are on Beta, and it’s open to the public. According to Diane it’s "the place to go to search FamilySearch records." Read more:
Major Updates to FamilySearch Beta Site.
Top Tips: Wide Open Spaces
101 Best Websites
Lisa takes a look at the
Digital Library of Georgia website.
See the whole 101 Best Websites of 2010 list
Family Tree University Crash Course
Safe Keeping: Portable Scanners
Grace Dobush talks about new scanners that are small enough to take on your next research trip.
PlanOn DocuPen X series
Price: $299-$399
Weight: 2.5 oz.
Power source: Battery rechargeable through USB cable
Storage method: Uses an SD memory card
Operating systems: Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7, Mac 10.5 and 10.6
Features: pen style; scans to JPG and TIFF; 150-1200 dpi; freescans.
VuPoint Magic Wand
Price: $99.99
Weight: 7.5 oz.
Power source: 2 AA batteries
Storage method: uses a Micro SD card up to 32GB
Operating systems: Windows XP and Vista, Mac 10.4 and above
Features: pen style; scans to JPG; 300-600 dpi; 10 inches long; freescans.
IrisPen 6 (Express, Executive or Translator)
Price: $129-$199
Weight: 1.8 oz.
Power source: Powered by USB
Storage method: no built-in memory; must be connected to a computer
Operating systems: Windows XP, Vista or 7; Mac 10.3.9 or newer; requires USB port
Features: pen style; scans text in black and white; exports text to any application you can type in; OCR (that’s optical character recognition) for 128 languages; Translator version works in six languages.
IRIScan Anywhere 2
Price: $199
Weight: 1 lb.
Power source: Battery rechargeable through USB cable
Storage method: 512MB flash memory and a 1 GB SD card is included
Operating systems: Windows XP, Vista or 7; Mac 10.4 or newer; requires DVD drive and USB port
Features: sheetfed, letter size; 300-600 dpi resolution; scans to JPG; doesn’t have to be connected to a computer to scan.
HP Scanjet Professional 1000
Price: $249.99
Weight: 1.4 lb.
Power source: USB port
Storage method: no built-in memory; must be connected to a computer
Operating systems: Windows XP, Vista and 7, Mac 10.5 and 10.6
Features: 200-600 dpi; sheetfed; max document size 8.5 x 14 in.; can scan two sides at once; scans to PDF, TIFF, JPEG, Word and more; includes USB cable.
Flip-Pal
Price: $149.99
Weight: 1 lb. 4.5 oz.
Power source: 4 AA batteries
Storage method: uses SD or SDHC cards
Operating systems: Windows and Mac; requires USB port
Features: flatbed that you can flip; 300-660 dpi; stores scans on an SD card; can scan textured objects.
If you’ve got any comments on portable scanners you’ve used, put your thoughts in our Products Forum at
forum.familytreemagazine.com.
Have fun climbing your family tree!
Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems and Genealogy: Family History Made Easy podcasts in
iTunes and
visit her website for great research ideas, podcast episodes and videos.