I Can Has Tech Must Have Tech Toys for Todays Genealogists Miles Meyer

2014 North Florida Genealogy Conference 15 March 2014 In the old days (ten years ago) many researchers kept boxes and file cabinets of paper and photographs to document their research. We took road trips to archives and libraries with rolls of quarters for the copy machine. We carried along notepads and extra pencils and pens to record information. We used atlases and folded maps to find directions to where we were going. Those more advanced researchers may have carried along a 10 pound laptop, tape recorder, camera, video camera, and a suitcase full of other items to assist them in their research. Today we are able to shrink all of this down to a bag the size of a large purse and have more than enough technology available to do our research. This class will discuss some of the technological advancements that have been made over the last few years and how that makes it easier for us to successfully perform our research. We will talk about Smartphones/iPhones, tablets/iPads, digital cameras, portable scanners, cloud storage, software/apps, and much more. Mentions of specific products does not signify endorsement of the product. Product names are used as examples to provide a basis for review and represent the specific product that was demonstrated during the presentation. Gadgets Portable Scanners o FlipPal Scanner flatbed scanner - $150 4-AA batteries included 4GB SD memory included 300 600 dpi USB connection 2 pounds o VuPoint Magic Wand wand scanner - $45 2-AA batteries included microSD memory not included 300, 600, 900 dpi USB connection <1 pound Computers - Tablets o Windows 8 Asus Transformer T100 - $350 10 Win8 tablet with keyboard 32GB memory expandable with SD and USB Microsoft Office 2013 installed 2.4 pounds Battery life 11 hours o Android Asus Transformer $450 10 Android tablet with keyboard 32GB memory expandable with SD and USB 1.4 pounds

Battery life 16 hours o iPad Computers o Chromebook Acer - $200 11.6 computer Google Chrome operating system Does not run Windows programs or Android/iOS apps All programs are web based o Can access Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, etc. Boot time 16 seconds 3 pounds Battery life 3 hours Smartphones iPhone/Android/Windows8 o All smartphones have GPS o Camera most have 10MP or higher o Video many have HD o Memory look for 16GB or higher o What apps will you be running? Digital Camera o Use it to take photos of people o Use it to take photos of headstones o Use it to record video interviews o Us it to take photos of photos

Software/Applications Computer o EverNote/OneNote Note keeping, organizing data in digital folders If you are used to folders this might be for you OneNote is part of Microsoft Office o Picasa http://picasa.google.com - Free Part of the Google collection Indexes photo collection Photo editing software Facial recognition o Snipping Tool Comes standard with Windows Allows you to cut and save portions of your screen view I use it to cut out clippings from digital newspapers and records o Tree Connect - http://www.Recordseek.com - Free Runs on Chrome Browser as a tab in your Bookmark bar Integrated with FamilySearch Allows you to connect any web page/record with a specific person on FamilySearch.org o Cloud Storage

Dropbox, Google Docs, MyShoebox, SugarSync, Copy, etc. Synchronizes all of your devices so you always have access to the most recent version Many offer free limited storage, additional storage costs vary o Free OCR http://www.newocr.com - Free Allows you to upload digital documents and converts them to text Accuracy depends on the quality of the source document image o Google Earth - http://www.google.com/earth - Free View aerial imagery (historical imagery begins in 1940s for some areas) See how landscapes have changed over time Embed photographs Draw maps showing migrations of families Mobile Apps Online Family Trees o Ancestry - http://www.ancestry.com/cs/us/ancestry-app Available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices Access and edit you family tree on Ancestry anywhere o MyHeritage - http://www.myheritage.com/myceleb?mode=site Available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices Access and edit your MyHeritage family tree anywhere Search records on your mobile device Mobile Apps Document Scanners o Shoebox - http://shoebox.ancestry.com - Free Available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices Scans photos using your devices camera Allows you to tag faces, add dates and places, and upload to Ancestry.com family tree o Pic Scanner - http://www.appinitio.com/picscanner - $2.99 Available for iPhone/iPad iOS6 or later Scans photos using your devices camera o Fine Scanner - http://www.abbyy.com/finescanner_ios - $1.99 Available for iPhone/iPad iOS7 or later Scans photos using your devices camera o CamScanner - https://www.camscanner.net/ - Free Available for Android devices Scans photos using your devices camera Mobile Apps Cemetery Databases o Find A Grave http://www.findagrave.com/mobileapp/ - Free Available for iOS (Android in development) View cemeteries Search for graves Take photos and upload to findagrave.com o BillionGraves - http://billiongraves.com/pages/help/mobiledevice.php - Free Available for iPhone and Android View cemetery maps and see which graves have been indexed Search for graves Take photos and upload GPS linked images

Fun Websites Mapping o Map A List - http://mapalist.com/Default.aspx Upload spreadsheets from Google Docs and map them o What Was There - http://www.whatwasthere.com Add your photographs to Google Maps Streetview o RootsMapper - https://rootsmapper.com Linked to FamilySearch.org database Maps your ancestors