...untethered handheld scanners that you can take with you to scan, store, and (later) transfer captured text and images.
How It Works
Inside the tip of the scanning pen is a highly sophisticated electronic eye that helps simplify your life. This eye enables you to scan different types of information from the printed page into your scanning pen.
The scanning pen processes this information via Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and performs other subsequent tasks so you can use that information more easily. You can:
Transfer to PC, PDA, or Smartphone. View stored information on the integrated LCD display and easily transfer data to any PC, PDA, or Smartphone via standard USB or infra-red connections.
Edit. Use any Windows application to work with the text you have scanned and transferred.
Listen to scanned paragraphs.
Benefits
The primary benefit of a mobile scanner is you don't need to have a computer with you to use it.
You don't need to bring a computer with you or bring the materials to a computer to scan them. Thus, a mobile scanner provides:
Convenience. Scan what you want, when you want, where you want.
Increased productivity. No need to work around the logistics of laptop-lugging or desktop access.
Speed. When doing research, you typically need only an excerpt from a page rather than an entire page. So just scan the citation you need, and you don't have to stop to make notes about why you made a photocopy or scanned a whole page.
Uses
Typical uses of a mobile scanner include:
Taking notes from a book as you're reading it.
Archiving from hardcopy to electronic storage.
Importing hardcopy data to any Windows application.
Research of any kind: college research papers, legal work, engineering applications, scientific research.
Saving family recipes and other information that would otherwise be lost on paper
Features
The typical mobile scanner has these features:
Lightweight and compact.
Easy setup and use.
Handsome styling (not the old bulky plastic-looking gizmos of yesteryear).
USB connectivity (pretty standard today), or even wireless.
Comes With
The typicalmobile scanner scanner comes with a charger, software, and user manuals. Don't be intimidated by the manuals, there really isn't that much involved in using a scanner.
Scanning Tips
Mobile scanning is easy, but a few tips will help you do a better job.
Move your hand at a slow and steady speed. It helps to keep your wrist straight and just swing across the page with your arm. It's the same motion you need to highlight a line of text on a page using a yellow highlighter. So there is a technique to it, but you very likely have already mastered that technique.
If a paper starts to curl, roll it up in the direction opposite the curl then unroll it. You can also try dragging it gently across the edge of a desktop (just don't crease it).
If it's an important document, "frame" it the way photographers frame an important shot. But instead of adjusting the shutter speed, adjust your scanning speed. Do the first scan at your normal speed, then do one very slowly, then do one a bit slower than normal.
When saving the scan to your workstation, remember that you are saving a file. This is not any different from saving a paper file in a folder, except you're saving it electronically. So save to a smartly named folder and give it a meaningful filename. For example, Finance/BankStatements/2012/Statement2012-01-28. Don't use spaces in folder or filenames.
Keep your scanner away from smoke and dust. These can get on the lens or photoeye.
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