Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to ban inflation-related rises in phone and broadband contracts. Instead, it says any potential mid-contract price rises should be set out in pounds and pence.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Application review for CamScanner

Turn your smartphone into a document scanner

Mark Bridge writes:

Every so often, I see a new product that I’d like to review. I’ll usually send a note to the relevant company, borrow a review copy and send it back when I’ve finished.

And every so often I’ll be approached by a company that wants me to review a product. Sometimes I’ll say yes, sometimes I’ll say no. It all depends whether or not I think I’m the right person for the job.

When IntSig offered me a copy of a mobile application called CamScanner, I wasn’t too sure. It seemed very clever... but I wasn’t convinced I’d have much use for it. Eventually curiosity overtook my caution, I accepted the offer and installed the app.

Image

CamScanner, which is available for iPhone and Android devices, does pretty much what the name suggests. It turns the phone’s camera into a scanner, enabling users to photograph documents and then save or email the resulting file.

At this point you’re probably saying “but I can already send photos without needing an app”. You’re absolutely right. That’s what I thought, too.

However, there are two aspects of CamScanner that set it apart from a mere camera.

One is the choice of file types. As well as sending photos as JPEG files, it’s possible to turn your scanned documents into a pdf document. Eight pages of text can become an 8-page pdf document, not eight separate photos. And, of course, it’s not just restricted to scanning A4 pages. Anything from business cards to whiteboards can be photographed.

The next trick - and this is what justifies the product’s name - is the photo processing. A conventional photo of a document is unlikely to show pure black printing on a bright white background, even if that’s how it started. What happens if you’re taking your picture through glass... or at an angle... or accidentally include something else as well?

CamScanner handles all of those issues very well. Cropping, skewing and enhancing images takes place automatically on a preview screen but all aspects - including contrast, brightness and detail - can be overridden manually. Documents can be scanned by starting the app and tapping the camera button or by loading a previously-taken photo from the gallery. It’s also possible to ‘batch process’ a number of images together.

All that’s missing from the Android version is OCR (optical character recognition) to search text within images, although uploading my pdf to Google Drive or the premium version of Evernote enables me to do this. The CamScanner iPhone app already has a ‘search text within image’ option.

If I regularly compiled reports about site visits or ended up with piles of receipts to claim, I’d definitely want this. I can see students using the app for note-taking, particularly as the pdf files can be tagged with keywords.

And even though I’m not the perfect target for CamScanner, I’ve still put the app to plenty of use. Proof of posting, copies of menus, magazine articles, newspaper stories... all copied and filed. In fact, filing is something else that CamScanner makes easy. Sharing options within the application include online storage, cloud printing and even fax (at an extra cost) along with email and Bluetooth.

CamScanner is available in free (ad-funded) and paid-for (ad-free) versions. UK pricing is currently £2.99 for the iOS version and £3.99 for Android.

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Categories: Applications, OpinionNumber of views: 10275

Tags: opinion android applications camera ios intsig

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
1345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«March 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
26272829123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement