Can a Smartphone double as a professional-grade scanner?
It can if its sitting on top of specialised Scandock base station, says developer Atiz Innovation, a pioneer in book digitisation hardware.
The Scandock features an aluminum base, silicone flat mat for document placement, crystal plexiglass neck and dual-track lighting arms. This results in a professional scan miles away from the blurry and poorly lit closeup typical of Smartphone capture.
Scandock’s colour pad, called the Image IQ, provides colour profile information embedded in every scan. The Scandock app uses that information to auto-correct every image and produce true-colour scans.
Users simply place the item to be scanned on the mat, and insert a smartphone into the dock. That action automatically turns on the two adjoining lights, designed to provide even light distribution with no glare, even on glossy materials. The user can then open the downloaded Scandock app and capture high-resolution images.
Scandock lets users create PDFs, edit images, email or upload images, or air print to a nearby printer. All scans are neatly organised in a library stored on the smartphone. Users can manage or group multiple documents together as a single PDF file. In Multi-Doc mode, Scandock can capture many items (e.g., receipts or business cards) in a single shot. The app then auto-crops and separates the items into individual documents.
“The quality of Scandock’s true-colour scans clearly sets it apart from other portable scanning devices,” said, Nick Warnock, CEO of Atiz Innovation Inc. (USA). “Scandock provides the best way to obtain high-quality scans in a post-PC world.”
Scandock will be available in early 2013. Compatible smartphones include iPhone 5, 4s, 4, iPod touch (5th generation) and most Android phones including Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2 and HTC One X .
The Scandock iOS app is currently available for download from the App Store with about 80 percent of features complete. The full version and an Android app is expected to be available in early 2013.
“We envision that every modern workplace that needs professional output will eventually replace their conventional multi-function printers with Scandock,” said Dr. Sarasin Booppanon, CEO of Atiz Innovation Co., Ltd. (Thailand).
“Libraries, law firms, schools, medical offices, insurance companies, government agencies – the possibilities for Scandock locations are endless.”