WizCom QuickLink Pen Scanner:

  Handheld scanners are a convenient way to get printed text into an editable format on your computer, but the best devices are prohibitively expensive. Wizcom has bucked this trend with its aggressively priced QL-1000, which has more features than some products that sell for twice as much.

  In our tests, we found the interface tough to learn and navigate, and editing text that's stored in the pen was a chore. However, with practice, we were able to scan pages of text with great accuracy.

  An attractive feature of the QuickLink is that you don't need to hold down a button while you scan text. The device can "see" text and automatically activate the scanner when text comes into its field of view. Then, you only have to roll the pen smoothly over the line you want to capture and lift it off the page at the end of the text line. The optical character recognition (OCR) engine then translates the scanned images into editable text.

  The QuickLink was as accurate as any similar device we've tested, but still far from perfect. The OCR process also took longer than it did with other products we've tested in this category. 

  Still, these minor deficiencies are more than offset by the device's useful software tools, which, for example, let us send scanned Internet links directly to our PC's Web browser and quickly create an address book by scanning business cards. The QuickLink is less expensive than many of the products it competes against directly, making it a great buy if you need a handheld scanner. --T. Byrl Baker

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Description:

  Wizcom's QL-1000 Quicklink Handheld Scanner is a state-of-the-art, portable, optical scanner with stand-alone OCR capabilities. The pen's open platform supports any application based on the Quicktionary OS API.

  The pen can store up to 1000 pages of scanned text, which can then be transferred to a desktop PC, laptop, PDA, or cellular phone. The OCR engine enables the unit to store large quantities of information by converting images to text.

  Quicklink allows you to capture, store, edit, and transmit free text directly to any word-processing application. You can use Quicklink to scan business cards. You can transfer printed tables, schedules, and charts directly to a spreadsheet application, or collect URLs and transfer them directly to your browser's Bookmarks or Favorites. With Wizcom's Quicklink you are also able to capture printed data, transmit it to your mobile phone, and fax it.

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