New Tools For My Toolbox

I’m always looking for new techy tools to use for my genealogy life and life in general.

Here are two tools that I’ve found that don’t cost a lot but can be so helpful.

Book Scanner

All you have to do is search “book or document scanner” on Amazon, and you’ll quickly find a wide variety of scanners in a wide price range. I’m not talking about the wand-type; I’m talking about those that stand over the book and scan downward (like the one above).

The most popular scanner is CZUR Portable Document Camera & Scanner. There are several models to choose from, including some higher-priced pro versions. But the Shine line is effectively priced with a Shine500 Pro to a Shine Ultra Pro ranging in price from around $120 Cad to about $200.

So here’s what they can do.

Once you set it up, you can capture any paper documents, contracts, receipts, and business cards and present them through a monitor on your computer or projector. Documents can be converted to JPEG, PNG, and PDF. Because the unit has OCR, documents are searchable. You can also video record so it can be used to demonstrate your latest craft project.

Here’s an example of a book that I was able to scan. Because the document is in French, I was able to convert to text and then put it into Google Translate and read it.

Rocket Cloud Cards

When I saw these Rocketbook Cloud Cards, I knew I wanted them; I just wasn’t sure how I’d use them. But I find them so helpful for taking notes, and because you can just wipe them clean, they are eco-friendly.

With the Rocketbook app, you can integrate with your favorite cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, Box, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, and email. You can scan your card, and the app will transcribe your handwriting.

Here’s an example of a card I created. I sent it to my email, and I got a PDF of the card and a text saying Hello. (how cool is that?)

Since buying the cards, I’ve added a small spiral Rocketbook notebook to my purse to keep handy. I love my Rocketbook tools.

These two tools the document and books scanner and the Rocketbook items have become so useful and I’m sure I’ll find more uses for them as I continue to use them.

Note: The post above contains affiliate links. This means I make a small percentage of the sales via these links. This does not INCREASE the price you pay as a consumer. This is a supplement to my income so I can continue to support my blog; Hound on the Hunt and to make donations to the Alzheimer’s’ Society.