New Low Price Microtek Scanner Offers Photo Reconstruction

The Microtek ScanMaker i320 scanner incorporates both Kodak's DIGITAL ICE technology Microtek's ColoRescue photo reconstruction systems states Craig Crossman host of The Computer America Radio Show and syndicated newspaper columnist.

May 30, 2004 -- Microtek Scanner Review:

As I see it, most computer peripherals today fall into one of three categories. The first category is "Mandatory." Examples of mandatory peripherals would be a monitor of some kind, a keyboard and mouse. Every computer must have some kind of screen be it big, small, color, flat, CRT or whatever. But you have to be able to see the output so having a screen is a must. And unless you are heavily into voice recognition, chances are you are going to need a keyboard onto which you can type and some kind of input device such as a mouse or trackball.

The second category I would call "Essential." While it is true that you could use a computer without one of these devices, chances are your ability to produce productive results would be almost nonexistent without them. So I define Essential peripherals as meaning the devices you should have. They are not mandatory but invaluable nonetheless. Example of these are modems be they of the dial up or broadband variety, printers, hard and optical drives.

The third and last category I define as being "Effective." If you have the need for it, then it is a peripheral that you will find to be effective in solving your particular set of problems. I believe that most all of the other available computer peripherals in the world today fall into this last and vast category.

The reason I wanted to define these three categories was to point out an interesting observation about the last two categories. I believe that from time to time, a peripheral or the class a peripheral falls into will sometimes move from the third and into the second category. And I believe that's just what has happened to the flatbed scanner.

Used to be that flatbed scanners cost well over a thousand dollars, were large, heavy and bulky devices that made lots of noise, were complicated to operate, had a single purpose and limited functionality. Basically, when you needed to transfer a printed image from paper into the computer, you used a scanner and that was pretty much it. But since today's scanners are being used for so many different applications, I believe that having a scanner has now become "Essential."

Microtek has just introduced their newest flatbed model, the ScanMaker i320. This $149.99 scanner incorporates both Kodak's DIGITAL ICE technology that was introduced with their more expensive 6800 model and Microtek's ColoRescue photo reconstruction systems.

For more information and complete review please go to:
http://www.computeramerica.com/content/columns/craig/2004/2004-04-05.htm

About Craig Crossman:
Craig Crossman is a Knight-Ridder newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. He also hosts the nation's longest running nationally syndicated radio talk show on computers and technology, Computer America, heard on the Business Talk Radio network weeknights at 10PM ET. In South Florida, you can hear a rebroadcast of a selected Computer America show each Sunday evening at 8PM ET on WJNO 1290AM.