Scanmarker Air Pen Scanner

I'm an academic and this is a great device. Caveat: when I got mine, it would not stay connected to my computer. I filed a request for assistance on their web page (as per instructions) and they got back to me within a few hours. We set up a phone appointment, and in less than 10 minutes they corrected the problem, and I've had zero difficulties since. Now, with that caveat, here is my review: this is a very targeted device. It has one primary job, and it does it splendidly. That job is to copy text from the book or paper you are reading (or from a Kindle: it works flawlessly with kindle paperwhite reader) from the page, into your notes. It will scan into Scrivener, into Word, into Pages, into plain text. It does so quickly and accurately and reliably. Why would you pay to have that done? Why not just type the quotes in yourself? Well, you could, but this is so much faster and more accurate. And when you are doing initial research on a project, your first weeks involve little more gathering quotes and possible notes from others. You can spend an entire day in the library doing nothing but collecting relevant snippets for your paper, and during those long hours, this device is a godsend. You get so much more done in so much less time. You scan in your quote (maybe even a paragraph or two) in no more time than it would take you to highlight it. Then type in your comments and cross-references and the whole thing is already sitting in your notes, and so what, in earlier days would have been your highlights and your marginalia are suddenly already filed away and they are both searchable text-- so you can actually find that quote again when you need it. Brilliant. Especially if you are working with library texts that you cannot highlight, this is great. Pros: speed, accuracy, battery life, workload reduction, faster research and writing: all plus plus plus. The only con, and it's a reach: This is not a device for older texts-- I am thinking here of anything 18th century or before--even some 19th century. Like any OCR scanner, the software simply cannot read the older fonts. Additionally, you should be aware that the pen lights up strongly as it scans and transfers text, so any text the library will not let you photograph with a flash will not be available for use with this pen either. Also, this is a text only device. It will not scan formulae or images. But even with that sort of very limited limit, this thing is worth its weight in gold to any academic or student. I've a dear young man in my life who is headed off to university this year, and I will absolutely be purchasing a second one of these to send with him. I don't doubt he'll put some miles on the thing.