VuPoint Magic Wand Portable Scanner with Auto-Feed Dock (White)

• SensorColor Contact Image Sensor High-Speed Sensor
• ResolutionLow: 300 DPI (default); Medium: 600 DPI; High: 900 DPI; 1200 DPI when scanner is docked
• External MemorySupports microSD/microSDHC card up to 32GB (not included)
• Internal MemorySPI Flash
• File FormatJPG/PDF
• Approx. Scanning Length300 DPI = 130" (max), 600 DPI = 90" (max), 900 DPI = 60" (max), 1200 DPI = 50" (max)
• Approx. Scanning Width8.5"
• LCD DisplayStatus display
• Date and Time SettingYes
• Auto Power Off3 minutes
• USB PortUSB 2.0 High Speed
• Power SourceBuilt-in Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery 700mAH
• Approx. Battery LifeApprox. 400 scans
• Dimension(LxHxW)Scanner: 10.5" x 1.1" x 1.2" Dock: 13.2" x 2.1" x 3.2"
• WeightScanner: 6.3 oz., Dock: 1.4lbs.
• System RequirementsWindows® XP, Windows® VistaTM, Windows® 7, Mac OS® 10.4 or above
• AccessoriesUser's manual, USB cable, Pouch, Cleaning cloth, Calibration paper, ABBYY® OCR Software CD (Compatible with PC only)
• Approx. Scanning Speed(A4 and Standard letter Size; JPEG/PDF)*Docked: High resolution (1200 DPI) color = 12 seconds High resolution (1200 DPI) with mono = 12 seconds Medium resolution (600 DPI) with color = 10 seconds Medium resolution (600 DPI) with mono = 10 seconds Low resolution (300 DPI) with color = 8 seconds Low resolution (300 DPI) with mono = 8 secondsScanner: High resolution (900 DPI) color = 12 seconds High resolution (900 DPI) with mono = 10 seconds Medium resolution (600 DPI) with color = 8 seconds Medium resolution (600 DPI) with mono = 6 seconds Low resolution (300 DPI) with color = 3 seconds Low resolution (300 DPI) with mono = 2 seconds

The PDS-ST450-VP portable scanner provides the best of both worlds: portability and the ability to produce high-quality scans. The scanner wand fits easily in a bag or purse and produces very good quality scans in short order.

As a stand-alone scanner, the wand scanner can produce images of 300, 600, and 900 dpi, in color or monochromatic images. Should higher-quality scans be desired, the scanner can be inserted into the accompanying auto-feed dock. The dock can scan up to 1200 dpi. Documents move smooth and straight through the auto-feeder, providing excellent quality scans.

While trialing the document feeder, I noted that the feeder may, if the document is slightly out of alignment, make short adjustments in the document's alignment before proceeding to scan it. Once it is aligned the document moves quickly and smoothly through the feeder.

The scanning width is 8.5 inches. The document feeder will accept documents and photos up to that width.

Scans are saved to a micro SD card, which is not included. Hint: buy a card at the same time you purchase this scanner. I forgot, and being a cheapskate I had to drive across town to get one at the lowest possible price. That took more time than it took the scanner to charge (it has rechargeable batteries), which was just slightly over an hour.

The package includes the wand scanner, the auto-feed dock, a small microfiber cleaning cloth, a small bag to hold the wand scanner, a USB cable, and a CD containing the ABBYY FineReader OCR software.

The quality of the scans is impressively good for such a small device. In just a few seconds one can scan a document, a page, a photograph, or even the wallpaper on the wall. The results can be saved as a .jpg or .pdf file.

There is a very brief learning curve for using the wand freehand you quickly learn how to roll the scanner at a steady rate (not too fast) and keep it straight for best results. The surface on which the document to be scanned is placed can affect the quality of the scan: I found out the hard way that the smoother the surface, the harder it is to move the scanner evenly and straight over the document without the document sliding on the surface. A glass desktop gave the worst results. An unfinished wood surface provided just enough grip to hold the document in place without slipping. Coated paper, such as magazine pages, will also be a little slicker and a little more prone to causing the scanner to slide slightly as compared to newsprint or standard printer paper.

For the light-to-moderate users this scanner is a top-notch pick. My only reservation has to do with uncertainty about what the lifespan of the document feeder dock will turn out to be. Even so, the sheer convenience of such a small and lightweight package (the wand: just over 6 ounces, the dock: not quite 1.5 lbs.) makes it an excellent choice when portability and a small desktop/luggage footprint are essential.

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Used it first day opened box to scan over 140 photos at newly found cousin. I am not a gadget geek or techno geek, just a genealogy geek. The dock works great, it needs to be connected to a power source-computer or laptop or better yet the handy dandy USB adapter to electical outlet. So taking the dock and wand to a library or court house to do genealogy work will be easy, do not have to lug in a laptop. I plan on covering the box it came in with paper or fabric because it will keep it safe and has a handle for carrying! It is light weight. The wand is sturdy enough that scanning is easy and works over photos in mats, and works on rounded book pages (book pages that do not lay flat). (I used a pen type smaller wand years ago and found it terrible, scans all wiggly because of going too fast or too slow and difficult to have a steady scan due to size.) I was very happy to use this wand and have it scan beautifully the very first time. Quality great. When hooked up to computer just one push of the button and it opens MY PICTURES and ready to download, very quick. Can keep scanned photos on the microSDHC card or delete them. I scanned in color mode as I was scanning black and white and color photos. All were great: great color, black and white were great. Tried black and white in Mono mode did not see a difference. Scanned over 3 1/2 hours without running out of the charge. 43 MB used for all my photos. It says it scans fabric, I did scan a colorful mouse pad, it worked!

I bought mine through Sears as it came with a 16 GB microSDHC card and adapter/reader so it was ready to use right out of the box. (needs charging first-made cookies while charging). The adapter allows you to read the micro card out of the wand if so desired. I am very very happy with this product and highly recommend it to genealogists, I scanned photo front and back of photo with the writing information, sure beats writing it all down, saves much time. It is also a quick way to scan home photos for preservation and sharing as well.

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Although I now see it says the OCR software is only compatible with PC, i had looked at the System Requirements and saw it was Mac and ordered it thinking i could use the OCR software CD (which i had seen when scanning the rest of the info) to be able to edit docs scanned. However this is another example of Mac users being left out. The VuPoint rep i talked to said it was a corporate decision based on $ as there are more PC users than Mac. As a Mac user, It costs an additional $100 to get an Abbyy Mac version that would allow scanned document editing.

If all you want is the scanner, then no problem. I will send it back, and am disappointed about that as I really love the look and size and dock option and imagine the scanning is good based on other reviews.

One more complaint I have is that there is no 'tilt' or 'slight rotate' option for when a document is not scanned EXACTLY straight. i have only scanned one doc so far (got this today) and i did it using the dock. it looked like it went in straight, but the scan is crooked. the only way to now fix it is to hassle with putting it into another software program (like iPhoto) and doing the straightening there.

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Just what I needed. Could handle all my scanning sizes and weights. The paper guide is a plus. The wand is a plus. The docking station mode is a plus. Only negative was it took a bit of time for me to "get" the way it worked. Once done, my project of scanning photos from ancestors on down was a breeze. Images are saved on a Microsd chip which is "view-able" when in docking mode. There, you can edit and save elsewhere if need be. This is just the best device for gathering your lifetime of print photos and saving them for posterity.

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Working in a busy office setting where we need to copy IDs and small pieces of identification, this tool saves us a lot of time. Very easy to use, feeding or scanning, and the different settings are useful. Only complaint is that the machine shuts off on its own from time to time, but never loses the data.