Scan, Copy on the Road

Slick and not-so-slick solutions to a common problem.

James A. Martin

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Feature: Portable Scanning Options

Lugging a scanner or copier to a client site or other location isn't exactly convenient. So I was curious: Is it possible to use a digital camera to take a picture of a printed page, then convert that image into an editable and/or printable document?

The question arose after I wrote about handheld scanners in a recent newsletter, in response to an e-mail query from Gregory Bilyeu, of Mount Vernon, Washington.

"I'm an attorney who spends time examining documents in the law library," Bilyeu wrote. "In this high-tech day, I'm still fishing for quarters for the copy machines. I've looked high and low for a handheld scanner that would work on books and other bound documents. An article on handheld scanners, both self-operating and those that must be attached to the notebook, would be very helpful."

In response to Bilyeu's e-mail, I searched the Internet for handheld portable scanners--the kind that you would sweep across a page in a bound document. My search turned up only pen-style hand scanners capable of digitizing a few lines at a time, which I wrote about in a follow-up article.

Try a Digital Camera

After that newsletter appeared, I received several e-mails from readers saying that they put their digital cameras to use as ersatz handheld scanners. For example, one reader wrote: "A digital camera works great for this. Just get one that has good close-focus capabilities and a good lens. Use a small tripod or fabricate a foldable stand. Try to get enough light without flash.... In most cases the image will give you better output than those funky copy machines."

Intrigued, I ran this idea past Dave Johnson, who writes PC World's Digital Focus newsletter on digital photography. Sound interesting? You can sign up to get Dave's newsletter e-mailed to you once a week.

"It's possible [to convert digital camera images of printed pages into editable documents], but it's hard to get good results," Dave responded. "The problem is getting sufficient resolution and even lighting out of a digital camera. You absolutely need to mount the camera on a tripod over the paper to be scanned and use very bright, daylight-like lighting."

"If you get glare from a flash, you won't get good OCR results," Dave added. "A macro setting [an extreme close-up] usually works best, but that will depend upon the camera's lens characteristics--the key is to capture the full width of the page at the camera's top resolution to get about 300 dpi, and that may or may not be in the macro range of the lens when you position the camera at the right height."

An Easier Way?

That seems like a lot of work the average person wouldn't bother doing. But I decided to experiment using tools that the typical person might actually have.

I took pictures of book pages using my digital camera, the 3.2-megapixel Minolta Dimage XI. The Dimage XI can capture images as close as about 9 inches. Other digital cameras, such as the Canon PowerShot A80, have a macro setting that enables picture taking as close as 2 inches.

I didn't use a tripod, because I figured most folks wouldn't have one stashed in their briefcases. I snapped high-resolution images of pages from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations and other reference works under bright natural lighting conditions. Then I transferred the JPEG files from my camera to my notebook and opened them in ScanSoft's OmniPage Pro 14--a popular optical character recognition program. OmniPage Pro then converted the image files into Microsoft Word documents. For more details about OmniPage Pro 14 ($150) and OmniPage Pro 14 Office ($600), go to the ScanSoft site.

No Dice

Getting the full page into the camera frame was challenging. For example, when a book is left open, its pages don't lie perfectly flat. At least some of the text ended up being photographed at an angle, which made accurate OCR conversion difficult.

As good as OmniPage Pro is at most jobs, it could only do so much with my JPEGs. About 25 percent to 30 percent of each page I photographed was converted accurately into text. The bottom line: In my experience, photographing bound pages and running them through OCR software was a lot of work for very little result.

A Better Alternative

Dave Johnson tipped me off to a new product, the DocuPen ($200), from Planon System Solutions. According to the company, this pen-shaped handheld scanner can capture the full width of a page at once and lets you scan a page at a time. (Most pen-style scanners can only capture a few words at a time.)

The DocuPen scans text and graphics up to 200 dots per inch into its 2MB of flash memory and transfers files to a Windows PC via USB or serial connection. As of this writing, neither Dave nor I have evaluated the DocuPen. But products purchased from the Planon Web site can be returned within 30 days for a full refund, so you may as well give it a shot.

Before you run off to the library with your digital camera or DocuPen in hand, though, keep in mind that many published materials are protected by copyright. The Stanford University Library site provides a good primer on copyright law and fair use.

Notebooks & Accessories

News: UPCs on the Way

This year should mark the debut of the Ultra Personal Computer, a device that packs the power of a PC into a PDA form factor. Oqo is promising that its UPC (which about 0.8 pounds and measures 4.9 by 3.4 by 0.9 inches) will be available in June through its Web site. The device runs Windows XP and features 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, a 5-inch wide TFT LCD screen, a 57-key thumbpad, integrated 802.11b networking, and other features.

Review: Best High-End Notebook Bag

If you're in the market for a notebook bag, you might consider Tumi's Single Compartment Brief ($295). I'm a big Tumi fan, and though I haven't tested this particular bag, it recently received a solid review in The Wall Street Journal. The leather/nylon Tumi bag is fairly light (3 pounds, 9 ounces), and compact. The bag can hold a notebook up to 13.5 by 10 by 2.75 inches in size.

For my review of the Tumi Wheel-A-Way Deluxe Expandable Brief With Computer Case and other notebook bags, read "Hands-On Guide to Notebook Bags."

Review: Toshiba Ultraportable Almost Has It All

Toshiba's Portege M100 ($2099) is the "Miata of ultraportable notebooks," says PC World reviewer Carla Thornton. The 5.3-pound ultraportable, which recently earned a Best Buy in PC World's Top 15 Notebooks roundup, is sleek, fast, and well equipped. There is a handy Wi-Fi switch, and with a secondary battery in the modular drive bay, the notebook can keep running for up to 8.6 hours, according to Toshiba. The 12.1-inch screen is nothing to scream about, though. (For the latest prices, check the PC World Product Finder.)

Review: IBM ThinkPad R50 Just Right

The IBM ThinkPad R50 isn't too heavy or too light, and it offers both basic and deluxe notebook features, PC World's reviewer Carla Thornton says. At around $1750, it's modestly priced (check our Product Finder for the latest prices). The keyboard is firm and responsive. The ThinkPad offers both a touchpad and pointing stick. By hitting a keystroke combination, you can enlarge the current window to fill the screen. And the R50 also features IBM's ThinkLight, a small LED in the lid that beams light on the keyboard.

PDAs & Gadgets

News: A Keyboard That Doesn't Exist

IBiz has begun selling its Virtual Laser Keyboard ($100). The 2-ounce device attaches to a PDA via serial cable and connector and projects the image of the keyboard onto a flat surface. The company claims that you enter data by typing on the projected keyboard image. Just make sure the flat surface isn't a Ouija board.

News: Another IPod Recorder

Griffin Technology, which makes ultra-cool IPod accessories, recently announced the ITalk, a microphone/speaker attachment that lets you make audio recordings on Apple's third-generation MP3 players. The ITalk includes a dual-purpose pass-through headphone jack, so you can monitor recordings or listen to music (with a headset) without having to remove the ITalk, the company says. The headphone jack also lets you attach an external microphone, such as the clip-on kind that TV newscasters wear (perfect if you're a budding Dan Rather). ITalk will be available in April for $40.

The ITalk isn't the first recording device for IPods. Read my review of a similar product from Belkin, "Mobile Computing: Digital Voice Recorders."

Wireless

News: Nokia on the Edge

Nokia's first smart phone for the Americas, the 6620, runs on high-speed EDGE networks as well as GSM and GPRS networks, according to the company. The 6620 features an interface based on the Symbian OS, provides mobile e-mail and wireless synchronization of PDA data. It includes an integrated camera and a 65,000-color screen. The $400 phone is expected to be available this spring.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.