Still, all those times are nearly twice as long as other portable scanners. An 8.5 x 11-inch document took around 60 seconds, a color 8 x 10 photo required 50 seconds, and a business card zipped through in just 8 seconds. No document took more than about a minute to scan.
Business cards scan in at around half that resolution, but the same 300 dpi, which results in a rather large file.
While there are multiple third-party iPad-to-Windows transfer programs, Windows users may want to opt instead for a multifunction printer or a standalone scanner if they want to digitize their physical originals, and then use one of the aforementioned apps to transfer them to the iPad.Ĭlick to EnlargeThe iConvert scans 8 x 10 photos at a resolution of 1600 x 1200, 300 dpi, appropriate for physical publication.
Since iConvert creates JPEGs - you don't get the choice to create a PDF for a document - it can't extract any data from documents or cards to import into a database program, such as with the NeatReceipts NM-1000.įinally, iConvert's other drawback is actually iPad's drawback: How do you efficiently extract a bunch of scanned documents or photos from the iPad? Mac owners can use Apple's desktop iPhoto software. You'll have to use the editing features in the Photos app to rotate horizontal documents or photos to their correct orientation.Īnd even though iConvert is powered via AC, it doesn't charge your docked iPad. And you can't adjust orientation - all documents and photos are scanned in portrait mode. First, you can't name your scanned docs or photos - they just get dumped into the iPad's Photos Camera Roll library.
I'd say if you routinely need to capture documents, photos, and the like while on the go, the iConvert might be just the ticket.Brookstone needs to tweak the software a bit to make the iConvert truly useful. Meanwhile, the lighting is never adequate, and it's hard to hold an iPad steady enough for sharp photography. You might be asking yourself if you really need something like this, given that the iPad 2 has a built-in camera and there are plenty of apps that can leverage it for "scanning" purposes.Īlas, the rear camera takes submegapixel photos-not nearly high-resolution enough for document duty. And if it's anything like similar portable scanners, it's probably fairly light. (I'm checking with Brookstone to see if I can get an answer on that.) And if it is a battery, how many scans can it manage between charges?īrookstone doesn't list the weight or dimensions of the scanner, either, though based on the photos, it looks compact enough to ride in a briefcase. First, what powers the scanner? There's no cord shown in the video, so I'm guessing it runs off a rechargeable battery. Alas, there doesn't appear to be a scan-to-PDF option, which would be nice.Ī couple things aren't immediately clear.
The hardware supports 300-dpi color scanning the app saves your scans in JPEG format to your pictures folder, where you can perform all the usual tricks: e-mail, print, copy, and so on. The iConvert Scanner is compatible with the iPad 1 and 2. It's due to ship February 1 for a list price of $149.99.Īs shown in the above demo video, you just plunk your iPad (1 or 2) into the iConvert, run the accompanying app, then start feeding your documents, photos, business cards, kids' scribbles, and what have you. Like, say, mobile scanners.Įnter the Brookstone iConvert Scanner, which combines a sheet-fed document/photo reader with an iPad dock. If tablets are really going to kick laptops to the curb, they'll need some of the same important accessories road warriors rely on.