Is that a scanner in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

With things getting smaller and smaller it seems like the folks at Planon decided to see how small a scanner they could make. The result is the SlimScan (SS100), which is small enough to fit in a wallet, pocket or purse. Leo Laporte and I saw this neat little piece of hardware at CES 2011. But it seems it took a bit more than a year for it to reach the marketplace. The idea of the SlimScan is to scan receipts as soon as you get them since most of us misplace them, lose them, or crumple them up. Set up was a little confusing. The instructions say to install the software on the SlimScan Removable disk. Turns out when you plug the SlimScan in your computer, it shows up as two disc drives. One of the two has the software. This is a PC only device, there’s no MAC software available. Something else not mentioned in the quick-start guide is that there is a protective cover over the scanner head. Even with it the cover in place, you see the scanner light come on, so you think it’s working, but doesn’t scan anything. I see online a few other people didn’t realize there was a protective cover either. With the cover off, scan slowly and lift the scanner when you’re finished. After about 5 seconds to save the file, a photo of the scan will pop up on the mini 1+” LCD screen. SlimScan offers 300 dpi resolution and 24 bit color You can create folders to put your scans in right on the device, and it can hold up to 600 scans. You transfer your scans to your computer for storage or for printing. On this page is a scan of my business card. My home phone was this particular card, so I taped over it. The buttons on the front of the SlimScan are recessed and you need fingernails or a perhaps a paper clip to push them. The scan button is also the “off” button, so you have to push it quickly for scan, and hold it a bit longer to shut the unit. MSRP is $139.99, but it sells online for about $100-$110.

http://planon.com/slimscan.php    Planon Website.