Scanners are all very well for a lot of things, but there are some situations where firing up an A4 flatbed is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut: when you need to scan a few lines of text, for instance. Step forward the Wizcom InfoScan.
The InfoScan portable pen scanner, which easily fits into a pocket, is easy to use: simply switch it on and move it reasonably slowly across the text. Nevertheless, some more comprehensive printed instructions would have been appreciated.
Accuracy was reasonably impressive. We encountered quite a few problems when using the InfoScan with coloured text, but the results were very effective on standard black. You can only scan certain sizes of text (6-22 point size is recommended), and it really needs printed text rather than handwriting – although with Wizcom’s free Image Capture application you can capture handwriting as a picture file. Within these limits, this is a very effective tool.
The InfoScan can store up to 500 pages of data. You can then hook it up to a PC or PDA and port the text into pretty much any application that allows for text entry.
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