Scanner: Scanny 4

It is ultra-light and easy to hold and operate. A major upgrade is the inclusion of a bigger display that supports previews and offers better visuals. The Bluetooth mode for file scan transfer, that was made available in Scanny 3 has been, disappointingly, left out in this version. Bluetooth offered a wireless mode for file transfer, which is otherwise restricted to USB connectivity. It is powered by AA batteries and comes with an OCR software to export scanned files to text formats. This lets you convert business cards stacked in your cupboard to Word or text documents.

A scanned file can be saved in .jpg and .pdf and is stored on a micro SD card. The scan doesn't work without the card. Operating the scanner is very easy and requires no drivers to be installed. Just press the metal button to turn on the scanner, hold it over the subject, press the scan button again and then slide it over a sheet. Once it is run over the whole sheet, press the scan button once more and you're done. The green indicator next to the display glows when the scan is on. The scan quality is as good as the flatbed scanners available. The max scan resolution can be set at 600 dpi, and at this setting the scan speed speed in colour is 10 secs and in 6 secs in mono.

Bottomline: A seamless hand-held scanner for professionals on-the-move, with scan quality as good as a flatbed scanner.