IRISPen Express Review

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(More customer reviews)after about 1.5 hours of practice and recalibrating over and over again, this is what the first few lines scanned from the irispen manual look like:
'he IRISPen may be the biggest sensation in computeriand since the mouse \ As efficient as computers are, you have to encode your data first. If you've ever If y-u'veever rekeyed text, you kn(ng and time-consuming it can be.... The IRISPen, a unique product for every computer user, offers instantaneous vaI at your fingertips. Text rec-!nit-o-- -her; you.q want it, w-en 1 The IR nsist- oftw2 coE1P8--nts: a unique g--y-c-eHI'ell-si-e- scan=. ner and the powerful PCR-Il ("Pen Character Recognition") text recognition technology. The basic principle could hardly be easier: slide the IRISPen over a line of text and it is e :o your application in.st-ntJ-.as if-eyed in -ut up to 30 times fas!er. (JP to a 100 characters can be entered per second. Cut from paper, paste to Windows-: can you imagine a simpler way of entering text?
Is it worth it? Spell check couldn't even fix this disaster. I am a very computer saavy person, I don't think I am using it wrong, I think they just really haven't perfected the text recognition software. The one review above must be an irispen employee. I find it hard to believe right out of the box, that it worked perfectly...and then to encourage you to upgrade??? Laughable. You will spend more time fixing the scanning errors than if you just typed it yourself. Going back to amazon tomorrow!

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IRISPen Executive Review

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(More customer reviews)I had read the reviews before purchasing this item - saw the warnings and thought they wouldn't apply to me. Sometimes it pays to listen to the little warning voice in your head. I tired very hard to learn to use this scanner and never got a complete sentence out of it correct. The product simply does not do what it claims to do. You will find yourself taking more time to get a decent scan than to type what you want on your keyboard. So be warned: This is not a time saving device to typing on your keyboard! One additional thing. Read the return policy. The company Amazon uses DOES NOT allow returns. Shortly after clicking "yes" to purchase this item - the request was sent. I had second thoughts about purchasing and tried to cancel the order before the product was even sent, but could not reverse the purchase. A painful and costly lesson.

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You scan, It TypesThe IRISPen™ Executive Scanner is an outstanding and professional text recognition pen scanner that instantaneously retypes any printed information into your word processor, e-mail software, on-line databases, or other compatible program.
The IRISPen Executive works just like a highlighter. Simply slide it over the desired printed information from books, newspapers, magazines, faxes, letters, spreadsheets, or other media and that information is instantly transferred to your favorite Windows or Mac application.
Fast scan and retyping speeds The IRISPen Executive Scanner recognizes up to 3.15 inches per second and can retype translated text at up to 1,000 characters per second into a Microsoft Word document, Microsoft Outlook e-mail, or other compatible applications. Since the IRISPen is USB powered, batteries are never needed and the quick USB connection lets you capture characters at incredible speed, from a wide variety of documents.
How does it work? Simply slide the IRISPen over printed information from books, newspapers, magazines, faxes, letters, spreadsheets, or other documents. The scanned text is instantly transferred, or retyped, it into your favorite compatible Windows or Mac application--the IRISPen Executive is virtually compatible with most Windows or Mac applications. The IRISPen Executive can also read the scanned text back to you for auditive feedback or to help with language pronunciation.
Where and when to use the IRISPen?The IRISPen Executive is great for those daily tasks like copying tables with figures into a spreadsheet, scanning bar codes, copying technical text or other content for professional or scholarly use. Just slide the pen over printed information and it is automatically retyped into a Word document or e-mail 30 times faster than retyping the same information manually.
The IRISPen Executive is also useful for road warriors or graduate students. With the IRISPen Executive you can capture phone numbers, e-mail address, passages from books or manuals, bar codes, and many other types of content.
Unique pen character recognition technology The IRISPen Executive Optimizes OCR accuracy and speed, can read wavy and distorted images, and contains a unique line tracking technology. Due to its high recognition performance it can easily read text and numbers, especially those when printed on colored backgrounds. The IRISPen also boasts foreign language support, recognizing up to 55 languages and has seven user interface languages that include English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German and Dutch.
What's in the BoxGreyscale pen scanner, CD-Rom, quick installation guide, product registration card, electronic and paper manual, test sheet

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WizCom E04087 QuickLink-Pen Elite Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)I received QuickLink Elite pen today and have been testing it for the past 6 hours. Now I am finished, I would like to share my thought about this device with you. The box came with the content as described by Amazon. My surprise was that the 135 page color manual, I thought those were extinct! That is in addition to the PDF one in the CD.
Installation on Windows XP Pro. SP2 (Tablet edition) went smoothly, the instructions on the self run CD were easy to follow. You basically install the driver for the cable [serial at the device connector to USB (II in my case) at the PC end], then you install the desktop application which is a very basic utility that lists the files on your pen, and allows you to communicate, change settings, transfer data, and add software to your pen. Once you install the software, you will be asked to connect the device to the computer to start the communication. Initially I had a problem connecting to the device because it conflicted with Bluetooth serial ports. So I disabled the Bluetooth serial ports and removed some extra unused serial COM ports from the computer device manager. I reinstalled the pen drive from the CD, restarted the computer but before I connect again I did one more IMPORTANT step that is not mentioned anywhere. You Baud rate on the pen (go to settings, communications, baud rate) must be the same as your computer COM port (go to device manager, right click on the new COM port), choose a rate, in my case 57600 worked best. After that I managed to exchange files, install software to the pen. In addition, It tried the IrDA with my laptop, the text file was transferred instantly. PDA (iPAQ) recognize the device but transfer of files needed third-party software (Peacmaker $15). In their website, they say there will be an upgrade where third party will not be needed.
After that scanning the text went smoothly, I also scanned small image ( max 8 mm wide), installed the tables software on the pen, scanned directly on the PC ... all went very well. I scanned a type font 10 textbook, out of the total 543, 24 were mis-recognized (some missing one letter, some had capital letter in the middle, while others were just a mess). That is about 95.5% accuracy, not bad, considering that I get about 85% with a flatbed scanner. It takes me about 5 to 6 seconds per line (about 5 minutes per page), so this is truly for text snippets rather than a whole page scanning. Image scanning is useful for signatures, Greek letters, etc. Quality is just OK, you can also scan tables, business cards (to outlook), URLs (get sent to favorites) with the included add-ins on the CD, and bar codes (additional downloads from the wizcom website). All in all I will recommend this device for students, researchers, & people who type slow or rather collect different set of texts from books, journals, etc. It fits 1000 pages internal memory, besides scanning directly to your word processor. It has built in English dictionary, good for language students. It also read aloud any text that is scanned (I do not see the use of this one) but the pen comes with earphone with volume controls.
All in all, this pen turn out as it was described and I think it is a keeper. Thanks for reading this long review and I hope it helped someone.


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The QuickLink-Pen Elite is an updated version of the very popular and successful QuickLink-Pen, providing users with new and improved electronic note-taking capabilities. The QuickLink-Pen Elite reads notes and definitions aloud, beams to smart phones as well as to PDAs and PCs, includes English dictionary definitions, and connects via USB to your PC.
Used just like a yellow highlighter, the QuickLink-Pen Elite lets you collect electronically notes from any printed text–anytime, anywhere. The QuickLink-Pen Elite is ideal for students, doctors, business people, or researchers who need the ability to quickly and easily take notes whenever and wherever they might be–in a library, on a plane, or in a business meeting.
The QuickLink-Pen Elite comes complete with several useful applications. The scan and store feature allows you to store up to 1,000 pages of text; transfer stored text to PDAs (PalmOS and WinCE), Smart phones (PalmOS and Windows Mobile 2003), or PCs via IRDA Infra red connection; transfer stored notes to PCs via USB connection (and automatically create Microsoft Word documents); and read the scanned notes aloud using the text to speech function, either through the built-in speaker or headphones. Additional scanning languages are supplied on CD-ROM and include German, Swedish, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and French. Scan and define allows you to display the definition of any word in the notes, using the included American Heritage Concise Dictionary, while the scan to PC function allows real-time scanning directly via the USB connection into any Windows based application, with the scanned text appearing at the cursor point. With image capture, you can scan and store small images that can then be transferred to a PC at a later time.
Handy applications are supplied on CD-ROM for optional installation. Address Book scans business cards and synchronizes with a desktop or PDA address book, such as Outlook. Table Builder scans data in spreadsheet format and transfers it directly to Microsoft Excel on a PC. Internet Links scans URLs (web addresses) and transfers them directly to your Internet Explorer favorites list.
What's in the Box QuickLink Pen Elite, USB cable, getting started guide, user's manual, CD-ROM (includes installations for add-ons, QuickLink-Pen Elite Desktop application, USB driver, and free CharacterEyes software), Pen case with Opticard, two AAA batteries, earphones with volume control

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Planon Docupen R700 B&W Pen Scanner (DPENR700) Review

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(More customer reviews)Bottom line first: DocuPen is a very good device if you do not have too high expectations and use it only for what it was designed for. You have to realize: this is neither a copier, nor a scanner; this is a fax machine inside out. You will get exactly the same quality as from a conventional fax. If that's what you need, than DocuPen is a perfect device for you. Otherwise - don't bother.
The images scanned with DocuPen look almost exactly as if they came out of a conventional fax machine. The pictures looked pretty bad (if heavy graphics/pictures are what you need don't even think about DocuPen) and some of the text lines were stretched in a way a fax machine does when the paper gets a bit jammed. I am sure, with some practice it will get better but not too much as it's humanly impossible to keep moving the hand up to 8 seconds with precisely the same speed.
However, if the text and some light drawings are what you need than this device is for you. I, personally, do historical research and need to copy some articles from old newspapers. DocuPen works great with text. Just make sure you always use 200 DPI even if you don't really need to. The reason is that if you mess something a bit (say, your hand shakes or so) with 200 DPI there is a chance to fix the image later on or at least to be able to read it. At 100 DPI it's pretty much dead end.
The two major drawbacks of the DocuPen (at least for me) are the small memory and inability to work with a PDA. DocuPen's internal memory is only 2 Mb which in my opinion is ridiculously small. And there is no way to increase/upgrade it. Don't believe the ad that says you can store up to a 100 pages. You don't want to scan at 100 DPI, and with 200 DPI 50 pages is the max. What they don't tell you in the ad, is that if any of those pages contain heavy graphics the number could go as low as 12 (!) at 200 DPI (that's what the manual says). That sounds like almost nothing to me.
The small memory issue would not be that bad if the DocuPen was compartable with any of the PDAs. As long as I could download those few pages and start scanning again I would have being OK with that. However, I don't always carry my laptop with me and it is sort of a hassle to bring it to the library every time. On the other hand, my PDA is always in my pocket. If I download those scanned pages to my PDA not only to clear the memory but also to check how they turned out (and re-scan any if necessary) that would have been great. But the DocuPen DOES NOT work with any of the PDAs !!!
I actually made a call to DocuPen's tech support (BTW the guy who works down there was very nice) and talked about this issue. Apparently the problem was not the compartibility but the lack of drivers. The company supports Windows 98/2000/NT/XP (and, I've heard, some of the MAC's OSs) but not Windows Mobile or Palm OS. So, they simply don't know what's going to happen if I connect the DocuPen to my PDA (provided I find the correct cable or make one myself). So if anybody out there feels like writting a driver for the DocuPen to work with Windows Mobile please let me know :-)
They also told me that in six months (Spring 2006) they plan to launch a new model of DocuPen which would have a slot for SD card (yes-s-s !!!) and would scan in full color. Personally, I don't think that DocuPen's upgrade to color scanning is such a good idea. The quality of its images is low enough in b/w and the addition of color would just make things worse. It will also enlarge the size of the device and, of course, the price will go up.
For now, your choice is either to buy the DocuPen R-700 and deal with its small memory or wait six months (at least) and pay more for pretty much the same device (again, I don't believe in color on the "world's smallest scanner") to be able to save your scans on a SD card.
Two other things that I would have changed about DocuPen are fairly minor and are really more inconveniences than major issues. The button that turns the device on is very hard to press. Every time I do that it feels like I am going to break the whole thing. Also the carrying case that comes with the DocuPen does not provide the adequate protection. I wish they made some sturdy metallic tube/box instead of this fluffy pouch. But may be that was the point. The sooner your DocuPen breaks, the sooner you get another one :-)
Overall, I did like the DocuPen and I would recommend it to anybody as long as you clearly understand what you need it for. If you plan to use it for copying a few book articles at your library, class notes from your friend's copy-book or some simple hand-drawings it will work great for you. But if you need quality graphic images of pictures or complicated blueprints and/or plan to scan a large number of documents at once DocuPen is NOT for you. Try to get HP's CapShare 920 instead.

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SCANNER, DOCUPEN R700 B&W PEN SCANNER, RECHARGEABLE BATTERY THROUGH USB

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600DPI Colour & Mono HandyScan Handheld Scanner (PS410) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is more than I had even hoped for. Love it to take to the library when doing research. It eliminates having to take notes as you can just scan and take home to put on your computer. It is a great time saving tool.

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Ectaco C-Pen 20 Handheld Scanner Review

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(More customer reviews)As a scholar who works with books and other printed sources a lot, I have long been on the lookout for an easy way to scan text into my laptop. I've tried using both flatbed scanners and digital cameras for this purpose, but I've found both to be awkward and time-consuming. That's why I was pleased to discover the C-Pen 20 - it's not perfect, but it does the job quicker and more easily than any of the alternatives.
PROS:
- It's easy to use; you just press the pointer to the page and a light comes on to let you know that the sensor is active. You then sweep the C-Pen from left to right at moderate speed as if it were a highlighter, and it converts the text on the page into electronic characters on your computer.
- The text instantly appears wherever the cursor on your screen is located, so you can use this device with just about any Windows program (e.g., Word, Access, etc.).
- The recognition rate is higher than I thought it would be; it's better than 99% on book-sized text. In practical terms, this means that you'll get one or two errors on average per paragraph, but these flaws are easily corrected (particularly if your spell checker highlights them for you automatically).
- It's small and easily portable, so you can take it with you to libraries and archives with a laptop.
CONS:
- The character recognition is sometimes thrown off by underlining and other marks on the page.
- You must use it with a PC or laptop that has a USB port (it doesn't run on batteries like some scanning pens).
- Even though it recognizes just about every major language written in Latin, Cyrillic, or Greek letters, it can't handle older typefaces (like German Fraktur). It also has trouble recognizing some symbols (such as footnotes).
- You have to scan each line of text one at a time, so it's not necessarily the best solution if you need to copy many pages of text.
The bottom line is that the C-Pen 20 has been an excellent investment for me, and I recommend it to anyone who's looking for an easy way to transfer printed text into an electronic medium.

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