Next-Generation Handheld Portable Scanners Launch

Mississauga, Ontario — Planon Systems Solutions has recently launched the latest in its line of portable handheld scanners. Weighing only 2 ounces, the new DocuPen RC800 is a color scanner capable of scanning in three modes: 24-bit color, 12-bit color or monochrome.

Intended for professionals or students on the go, the DocuPen scanner features an 8MB onboard flash memory and a slot for users to insert additional TransFlash memory cards to increase scanning capacity.

This latest DocuPen iteration also features a dual-roller guiding system to help evenly distribute pressure when scanning, as well as what the company calls “optical registration technology” intended to time the scan for better accuracy.

Retailing for a suggested $299, the scanner comes with a leather case and a USB cable that can be used to recharge its lithium-ion battery. It also comes complete with Scansoft Paperport SE and Twain Drivers software to help users convert scanned content into an editable and searchable format without having to manually retype or reformat the information.

Philadelphia-based NeatReceipts is shipping its take on portable scanning technology. Weighing in at 10.6 ounces, the Scanalizer scans receipts, 8.5-inch by 11-inch documents and business cards and automatically turns them into editable data that can be moved to other accounting and organizational applications.

Once the scanner captures the document, it automatically edits, crops, rotates and brightens the image before storing it. The manufacturer's patent-pending Optimal Character Recognition (OCR) technology then takes that information and moves it into spreadsheets which can then be exported into programs like Excel, Quicken, QuickBooks and more.

The business card scanning feature, new to the company's line of products, allows users to avoid having to manually key in new contact information because the product is capable of automatically inputting the new information into Microsoft Outlook's address book in real-time. Contact data can also be exported via v-card to other handheld devices or third-party organizational software programs. Users also have the option to attach notes, documents and images to any contact.

The company claims to have recently improved upon its OCR technology and says that the changes make this product “10 percent more accurate than the previous version of the product.” It boasts faster scan times, improved reporting and new advanced search capabilities, plus “the capacity to hold almost 700,000 documents without taking up extra memory space.

NeatReceipts estimates that the scanner, set to retail for a suggested $199, can scan approximately three to four receipts per minute.