Scansnap S1300i a top photo scanner
Scanning documents isn’t a sexy way to interact with technology, but there are consumers who could use the concept of portable and quick scanning, especially in a home-based business or in an attempt to reduce paper clutter.
Fujitsu’s ScanSnap S1300i continues the company’s tradition of offering high-end scanning in a smaller form factor, though you should consider this more of an evolutionary step up rather then a major leap forward from the S1300.
At 12 pages-per-minute, this can go through a lot of paper in a pretty short period of time.
Upon software setup, it will create a “ScanSnap Folder” that is meant to hold scanned documents temporarily. You can use it as a springboard to upload files to certain apps, like Dropbox, Evernote, SugarSync and Microsoft’s SharePoint. In fact, you have the option of installing specific software shortcuts related to each of those apps to speed up the pro- cess, too.
In keeping with mobile trends, there’s also an iOS app called ScanSnap Connect that lets you capture scans directly from the scanner without having to sync them over.
There is a catch, however, and it requires that a PC or Mac bridge the connection between the two. On the bright side, you have a bunch of different methods with which to upload the scan. You can send it straight to Word, e-mail it yourself, Google Docs, Dropbox, or save it to a folder of your choice. If moving it to your iPad or iPhone via ScanSnap Connect, you can keep it in your Photo Stream, so it gets uploaded to iCloud, or move it directly to a PDF reader like GoodReader, for example.
If you’re new to the ScanSnap, a lot of this will seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of what works best for you, it becomes easier each time thereafter. The same goes for the odd connectivity required to power the unit, which explains why the S1300i is somewhat portable, but definitely not wireless.
The power cable isn’t enough to power it on its own, so you need to also have the USB cable plugged into a computer as well. That might prove a nuisance if you’re looking to move this around, but not if you plan on leaving it at your desk.
The added bonus is that the S1300i doesn’t care if you’re using a PC or Mac, or both. The software works on both platforms. This is partly why the unit is more utilitarian than flashy tech. It does its job with minimal fanfare and doesn’t require a lot of upkeep.
It also doesn’t come cheap at $299.99, so this is more an investment in efficiency than a toy to play around with.