Tired of keeping track of all those documents, receipts, and business cards? Mobile scanners let you scan and organize them on the go. We tried out four models with features such as wireless capability and easy syncing with Dropbox and other cloud-based storage services. Here are the results.
A. Xerox Mobile Scanner
Like all the scanners we tested, this model works with PCs or Macs and scans in color or black and white. It takes documents up to 8.5 inches by 11.7 inches, saves them, and lets you send them wirelessly as JPEGs or multipage PDFs to a computer, an iPad or iPhone, an Android device, or to online sharing sites. Or, connect to a computer with an included USB cable. You can scan about 300 documents with a fully charged battery; charge time is about four hours. Scanning at maximum 300-dots-per-inch resolution takes 10 seconds per page. Configuring the scanner's Eye-Fi wireless card was a bit confusing.
Cost: $250
B. Doxie Go + Wi-Fi
This compact 14-ounce model lets you scan documents as large as 8.5 inches by 12 inches. You can transfer scans wirelessly to an iPad, iPhone, or computer, or plug in via USB cord. The included software lets you save scans as JPEGs or searchable PDFs, send them via e-mail, or save them to cloud-based services such as Google Docs, Evernote, and Dropbox. You can store up to 600 scans on the device itself. Easy to set up, the Go produced clear 600-DPI scans in about 15 seconds per page in our test. It charges in two hours via USB cable and produces about 100 scans per charge.
Cost: $239