IRIS 457486 (001) IRIS IRISCard Anywhere 5 - brack.ch

I did some research and read reviews on other sites (incl. US) before buying this unit since I'm not a techie or an expert. This is the first other business card scanner I've used. I chose this one mainly for the software (Cardiris 5.5) as the other one (Bizcard) offered in comparable scanners didn't suit my needs. I bought mine on sale at a local retailer (not Walmart). Feedback is based on scanning 1000+ cards so far: Scanner pros: - Small, portable size - Adjustable guide really helps for different sized cards - Simple instructions and user-friendly - Vertical cards are automatically rotated and are recognized (auto-filling fields) - Clear scans even for dark colours* - Recognition is fairly accurate* - Has 512 MB of internal memory. - Also accepts USB card and SD card for extra memory. - Software allows both front and back of card (via manual scan) which is great for bilingual/extra info./maps on the back. These images can also be interchanged - Easily exports into MS Outlook Contacts with an option to include the card image Scanner cons: - *Recognition (auto-filling fields) is a hit and miss deal for card with logos, diff. fonts or very dark background colours - Some cards seem to have the edge cut off even though the jpeg shows it scanned as whole - Unit loses power fairly quickly. When this happens, it loses connectivity even when powered via USB. I kept recharging via electrical outlet using a BlackBerry plug I own (for USB) - Images in preview can sometimes show older scans. So, don't delete them thinking they're the wrong scans! Just open in Win. Explorer to check them - Blinking lights are a bit confusing. The manual (you will need a magnifying glass to read it) explains why/how. - Some cards didn't get scanned even when the green light wasn't blinking. This meant a lot of double checking. - Not TWAIN Cardiris 5.5 (included software) pros: - Allows adding of custom fields and categories - Views can be sorted by all cards/new cards/indexed cards/verified cards. I liked the F-key function to index and/or verify - Detects duplicates but this isn't automatic and could be confusing - Fairly accurate recognition Cardiris 5.5 (included software) cons: - No auto-complete or auto-prompts. IMO, it's an essential feature for any such software that requires repetitive input. Note: Upon further reading, it seems the software Cardiris (available for purchase on IRIScan's site) will work as a standalone if you already own a flatbed scanner. For more info., check the tutorial on IRIScan's website.