scanR

Here is a service that sounds like it was made for genealogists. Let's say you are examining old records at a distant relative's house, at the town clerk's office, or someplace else that does not have a photocopy machine handy. How do you make a copy?

Simply whip out your camera-equipped cell phone and take a copy. (It must be a camera with one megapixel or greater resolution.) Create a picture message (sometimes called multimedia message or MMS) and address it to go@scanR.com. Typically, your phone will send the message to scanR within one minute.

A few minutes later, you will receive a copy of your scan in your email as a PDF attachment. That PDF file is in your regular e-mail address, not the cell phone's e-mail address. You can print or save the PDF file as you wish. In fact, with some genealogy programs, you can even import the PDF file as an image in your database. What better source citation could you have than an image of the original document?

scanR's web site says that the service works well with any letter-sized or larger document, including whiteboard drawings and meeting notes. Best of all, the service is available free of charge. scanR is free during the beta period, and the company says that it will always maintain a free service. The company does plan to introduce premium services soon, however.

I was going to try the service, but my cell phone doesn't measure up. I am pixel-challenged. However, if a newsletter reader with a one-megapixel or greater camera phone would like to try scanR and will report back, I'll make sure the results get publicized.

To learn more about scanR or to sign up for this free service, go to http://www.scanr.com