Docupen
© 2006 Planon System Solutions Inc.
Like something out of a spy catalog, this scanner is shaped like foot-long bean seed and designed to fit in a leather holster that clips to your belt. To scan a page, you carefully slide the 8 1/2-inch wide device over the page while holding the SCAN button. The image is stored in memory and is later transferred to your Windows or Mac computer via a USB plug. A lighting system tells you when the Docupen is going too slow or too fast—technique is important for a good image. There are different versions of the scanner depending on price and four scanning modes (24 bit color, 12 bit color, grayscale or monochrome). The device weighs just two ounces and comes with 8MB of on-board memory and a slot for adding Transflash memory cards. The lithium-Ion batteries charge through the computer's USB port. A USB cable and software is included. The software consists of Scansoft PaperPort SE and Twain Drivers, designed to convert scanned material into an editable and searchable text, without needing to retype or reformat. This could be a useful device for teachers.
$299.99, Windows XP, Mac OSX
Teaches: a utility for scanning documents or children's art