inexpensive slide scanner recommendations

My wife, Jolie and I are thinking about getting her mom a slide scanner for there old family slides. She has a Mac laptop and would like to scan the old family slides. She's not really familiar with post processing and is not very comfortable with computer hardware, so the simpler the better. She has pointed out a couple of $100 dollar range scanners to us, but we're a little skeptical of the quality, so any input or suggestions would be helpful.

My idea was for me to get a Nikon Coolscan 5000, but I don't think Jolie is going for it!

Thanks for any thoughts.

Consider the Epson 4490 flatbed scanner ($107 after a $30 rebate & free shipping at Buydig.com).
This scanner uses Digital ICE, which is invaluable for scanning film. A real bargain at $107!

Thanks John - that looks like a nice option. She'll be able to use it for docs and photos also after all of the slides are scanned.

Look for a used Canon 4000 - this is a great 42 bit scanner - two drawbacks - it's interface is USB 1.1 which is slow - but it also uses a SCSI interface which is incredibly fast. See some reviews here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/SCAN/FS4000/FS40A.HTM
http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/Canoscan4000.html

I have seen these sell in ebay for less than $250, and as a solution will give you significantly better IQ than a flatbed scanner IMHO.

I've been using one for 4 yrs and can attest to its quality.

I do the majority of my photography as a hybrid film and scan process now, so this is coming from someone who likes to scan film.

Scanning is not as simple as drop the slide on the bed and press scan. Most of the software is not intuitive. I've been spending the better part of this year learning to scan and there are still images that can be extremely difficult. Every film, and sometimes every shot requires different adjustments to get a good scan. Then you've either got to use digital ice or spend time in photoshop removing dust and scratches.

Perhaps a better option would be to refer your mom to a scanning service.

This is an example of such a service using good Nikon LS5000 and LS9000 scanners. 35mm slides at 3000dpi are 0.29 each.
http://www.scancafe.com/

If you are still intent on getting your mom a scanner, the 4490 is a good inexpensive option. Epson sells them as refurbs for very cheap too. I use a refurb 4990 (the big brother) and I've been very happy with it.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I just ordered an Epson 4490. I really thought this would be the best option because of the future uses that my mother-in-law can get out of it -since it's a flatbed scanner.
Thanks again for all of the options though.

I have an Epson 4990 which is around $400-500ish, but for any sizable order I have been sending my stuff to a slide scanning company in North Carolina. I checked out scancafe but learned that they send the slides to India for processing which I don't like for safety or selling out the US economy reasons. I have always had good results and fast service from
http://www.discountdigitalart.com