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Page 1
Introduction
While many people may have scanners in their home and business, there are times when you are on the road and need access to equipment for digitizing documents. We are not asking for the Master Control Program to handle this, but it is a benefit if we could carry a scanner with us for just these times. VuPoint heeded the call and the Magic Wand Portable Scanner is the solution.
About VuPoint
FYI: VuPoint's site is an example of when websites go bad. It is entirely Flash and extremely difficult to use.
Packaging
There are times that we get review samples in plain white boxes. We can't show you the retail packaging, but this product is available to look at in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Be sure to check it out if you're in the store.
Introduction
While many people may have scanners in their home and business, there are times when you are on the road and need access to equipment for digitizing documents. We are not asking for the Master Control Program to handle this, but it is a benefit if we could carry a scanner with us for just these times. VuPoint heeded the call and the Magic Wand Portable Scanner is the solution.
About VuPoint
Quote
VyPoint Solutions delivers advanced, innovative and reliable product solutions. We have over fifty years of experience in consumer electronics. Our products are researched, designed and developed toe xact quality standards. You expect superior products. We deliver.
VuPoint Solutions is bringing on a better future, one package at a time. We are committed to preserving our natirual resources through the use of recycled materials in our packaging.
http://www.vupointsolutions.com/aboutvp.asp
FYI: VuPoint's site is an example of when websites go bad. It is entirely Flash and extremely difficult to use.
Packaging
There are times that we get review samples in plain white boxes. We can't show you the retail packaging, but this product is available to look at in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Be sure to check it out if you're in the store.
Page 2
Specs
Marketing Summary
Package Contents
In addition to the Magic Wand, VuPoint packages some literature, software, a cleaning cloth, two AA batteries (Kirkland), a mini-USB cable, and a carrying case. Kirkland batteries are Coscto's brand and Costco has good quality products. The cleaning cloth is a good inclusion since the scanner might get dirty and you always want a clean surface when scanning. We've shown a microSD card kit. This isn't included in the retail packaging. You'll have to supply your own storage for it.
Specs
- Features Fast and convenient way to scan, archive & organize for your personal use
- Sensor A4 Color Contact image Sensor
- Resolution Standard Reso: 300x300dpi (default); High Reso: 600x600dpi
- External Memory Support Micro SD card up to 32GB (Micro SD card not included)
- File Format JPEG
- LCD Scanning status display
- Auto Power Off 3 minutes
- Scanning Speed Approximate scanning speed (standard letter size)
-High res. with color - 13 sec.
-High res with mono - 6 sec.
-Standard res. with color - 3 sec.
-Standard res with mono - 2 sec. - White Balance Auto
- USB Port USB 2.0 high speed
- Power Source 2xAA Batteries
- Battery Life Approx. 180 color or 200 monochromatic scans
- Dimension(LxHxW) 10” x 1.2” x 1.1”
- LCD Display Size 0.787” x 0.59”
- Weight 7.5 oz (with batteries)
- Support System Driver free to download for Windows® XP SP2/ Windows® Vista/ Windows® 7™ and
- Macintosh 10.4 or above ( direct plug-in, driver installation not required)
- Accessories USB cable, 2x AA alkaline batteries, OCR software CD, Pouch, Cleaning cloth, user's manual
- Amazon Link, Newegg Link
Marketing Summary
Quote
Ever want to put all of your pictures on your computer but didn't have the time to sit there and scan one after the other? Ever thought of buying one those scanners but you don't have any room in your office to store it? Than the VuPoint Solutions “Magic Wand” Portable Scanner is perfect for you. The VuPoint Solutions "Magic Wand" Portable Scanner allows you to scan the documents that matter the most to you, and back them up on your computer. Do you have those documents that you've had for a while and you're afraid that they're going to rip or even get lost one day? We'll now you can scan them and keep them safe.
Package Contents
In addition to the Magic Wand, VuPoint packages some literature, software, a cleaning cloth, two AA batteries (Kirkland), a mini-USB cable, and a carrying case. Kirkland batteries are Coscto's brand and Costco has good quality products. The cleaning cloth is a good inclusion since the scanner might get dirty and you always want a clean surface when scanning. We've shown a microSD card kit. This isn't included in the retail packaging. You'll have to supply your own storage for it.
Page 3
Magic Wand
The Magic Wand is a bit bigger in width than a standard 8.5" sheet of paper. Since the majority of scans will be from sheets that are 8.5" wide, this is a good size. It can also scan smaller sized documents.
The top of the Magic Wand is home for the status LED screen, the on/off/scan button, and the settings on the far left. You have options for controlling scanning in black and white or color and the resolution. Scanning at a higher resolution will slow down your scanning speed.
The side of the Magic Wand contains the microSD slot. To the right of that is a pinhole to format the card for use in the device. It creates a single FAT32 partition to store the images in the standard DCIM layout. To the left of the microSD slot is a mini-USB plug for transferring scans to a computer. The Magic Wand acts as a standard USB card reader when plugged in. No drivers or proprietary software is needed to access the scans. You can also use anything to grab the JPG images off the SD card itself.
The two arrows on the bottom are the guides for scanning. When you run the Magic Wand down the paper to scan, you'll need to make sure that the paper stays within these guides
The bottom of the Magic Wand contains the rollers and the scanning element. The rollers are what controls the scanner. The scanner will only know the position if you have the rollers on the paper and they get enough friction. Without the rollers, the scanner would have a single line of light without knowing where it occurred on the scanned document.
The microSD card goes in upside down on the side. Any microSD card, including SDHC, will work with the Magic Wand.
The battery compartment is under the Magic Wand logo and houses two AA batteries. VuPoint included Kirkland batteries. These are good quality batteries and we like to see companies including good power sources with their products.
Magic Wand
The Magic Wand is a bit bigger in width than a standard 8.5" sheet of paper. Since the majority of scans will be from sheets that are 8.5" wide, this is a good size. It can also scan smaller sized documents.
The top of the Magic Wand is home for the status LED screen, the on/off/scan button, and the settings on the far left. You have options for controlling scanning in black and white or color and the resolution. Scanning at a higher resolution will slow down your scanning speed.
The side of the Magic Wand contains the microSD slot. To the right of that is a pinhole to format the card for use in the device. It creates a single FAT32 partition to store the images in the standard DCIM layout. To the left of the microSD slot is a mini-USB plug for transferring scans to a computer. The Magic Wand acts as a standard USB card reader when plugged in. No drivers or proprietary software is needed to access the scans. You can also use anything to grab the JPG images off the SD card itself.
The two arrows on the bottom are the guides for scanning. When you run the Magic Wand down the paper to scan, you'll need to make sure that the paper stays within these guides
The bottom of the Magic Wand contains the rollers and the scanning element. The rollers are what controls the scanner. The scanner will only know the position if you have the rollers on the paper and they get enough friction. Without the rollers, the scanner would have a single line of light without knowing where it occurred on the scanned document.
The microSD card goes in upside down on the side. Any microSD card, including SDHC, will work with the Magic Wand.
The battery compartment is under the Magic Wand logo and houses two AA batteries. VuPoint included Kirkland batteries. These are good quality batteries and we like to see companies including good power sources with their products.
Page 4
Use
The Magic Wand has two indicator LEDs. The scan indicator is green. Once you have the unit on and press the scan button, the Magic Wand informs you to start scanning. This means to roll the scanner down the page until you hit the end. Press the button again to stop scanning. If you go too fast, or if the rollers don't make proper contact, the Magic Wand will light a red error light. You should redo the scan again to get a proper reading.
The scanner is easy to use. While we had some trouble at times keeping the guides lined up, you'll get better as you go. The rollers have a bit of friction to them for the scanning element to gauge where on the document it is. This makes it more difficult to keep the scanning speed the same and leads to jerking around a bit. The scanner has no trouble with this as long as you don't go too fast.
Scanned documents are good quality. Even on the low resolution, this image above had a original size of 2560x2912. This is fine for reading lots of details on documents. If you need more, you can double the size by going to the higher resolution. We didn't find any need to do this. We also didn't bother scanning black and white, but if you have a document with just text on a white paper, this is a good option to have.
In this video, you'll see how the scanner works in action and see the status indicators working. The Magic Wand is a useful device for more than just document scanning.
Conclusion
The VuPoint Magic Wand Portable Scanner is available now for about $100 (Amazon Link, Newegg Link). You can go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to see the product. It is always nice to see it before buying. The internet doesn't give you that luxury. The VuPoint Magic Wand is a good product for a specific market. We don't expect many people have a need for a portable scanner, but there are some that do. For these people, the Magic Wand is an excellent device. You never know when you need to digitize a document out in the field and the Magic Wand is a perfect solution. If you have the need, ASE Labs recommends the Magic Wand.
ASE Labs would like to thank VuPoint for making this review possible.
Use
The Magic Wand has two indicator LEDs. The scan indicator is green. Once you have the unit on and press the scan button, the Magic Wand informs you to start scanning. This means to roll the scanner down the page until you hit the end. Press the button again to stop scanning. If you go too fast, or if the rollers don't make proper contact, the Magic Wand will light a red error light. You should redo the scan again to get a proper reading.
The scanner is easy to use. While we had some trouble at times keeping the guides lined up, you'll get better as you go. The rollers have a bit of friction to them for the scanning element to gauge where on the document it is. This makes it more difficult to keep the scanning speed the same and leads to jerking around a bit. The scanner has no trouble with this as long as you don't go too fast.
Scanned documents are good quality. Even on the low resolution, this image above had a original size of 2560x2912. This is fine for reading lots of details on documents. If you need more, you can double the size by going to the higher resolution. We didn't find any need to do this. We also didn't bother scanning black and white, but if you have a document with just text on a white paper, this is a good option to have.
In this video, you'll see how the scanner works in action and see the status indicators working. The Magic Wand is a useful device for more than just document scanning.
Conclusion
The VuPoint Magic Wand Portable Scanner is available now for about $100 (Amazon Link, Newegg Link). You can go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to see the product. It is always nice to see it before buying. The internet doesn't give you that luxury. The VuPoint Magic Wand is a good product for a specific market. We don't expect many people have a need for a portable scanner, but there are some that do. For these people, the Magic Wand is an excellent device. You never know when you need to digitize a document out in the field and the Magic Wand is a perfect solution. If you have the need, ASE Labs recommends the Magic Wand.
ASE Labs would like to thank VuPoint for making this review possible.