IRIScan Mouse Scanner: the Mouse that Scans

When you sit down to get to the nitty-gritty details of working on your computer, what do you reach for first? Yes, your coffee, we’ll give you that. But what do you reach for next? Your phone? Your planner? Your stapler? Of course not.

You reach for your mouse.

You reach for your mouse.

Computer mice are as necessary to your workday as your coffee, and ten times as useful. Think of a mouse-less desktop configuration. You’d never survive it. Mice are so ingrained in our daily lives that even laptop users will eschew the built-in trackpad and purchase a mouse simply because they cannot work without one.

The first mouse prototype was invented in 1963 and was called a “mouse” because of its resemblance to the familiar rodent (also aided by the design of its cord, attached to the rear part of the device, like a tail). The cord is the main reason we don’t use computer “hamsters” to guide us through tough Excel charts or verbose Word documents—we use computer mice. Since the initial mouse emerged, numerous technologies have tried to improve this standard pointing device, including optical mice that use an LED to detect motion, or ergonomically correct mice that don’t tax your wrist. That “build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” mentality has wrought wireless mice, gaming mice, mice in hundreds of colors and designs, and even mice that run on pockets of air. And, now there is the IRIScan mouse scanner.

At first glance, the IRIScan mouse scanner looks like your everyday computer mouse. It's standard glossy black with a fluorescent blue stripe around the body, and at its core is a 1200dpi laser sensor. It has a right- and left-click button, a scroll wheel, and a standard cord that plugs into a USB port on a Windows computer. Not a bad mouse in and of itself, but nothing groundbreaking—until you start scanning.

Yes—you read that right. Scanning.

With the press of a button, IRIScan mouse turns into a 300dpi scanner that can capture an area of up to 16.5” x 11.7” (A3 size paper). The scanned image can be saved as a PDF, Word or Excel file, so if you’re reading a newspaper or magazine, signing a contract, or looking through photos, you can simply use the mouse to scan whatever area you need. Items can then be saved to the desktop, portable storage devices, or even directly to Evernote’s cloud (a free three-month trial of Evernote Premium is included with purchase) or Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr with the click of a button.

But while scanning your photos or a favorite quote may be quirky and gimmicky, without OCR (optical character recognition) software, it isn’t really useful. Thankfully, the IRIScan features built-in OCR capabilities that convert documents into text—text that can be edited and copied or pasted into Word, Excel, Outlook, or other programs. Now you can use your computer mouse to copy text easily without opening other files, or lugging a bulky flat scanner.

The OCR recognizes more than 130 different languages, and these can be translated using the software’s built-in direct link to Google Translate (although using Google Translate is a catch-as-catch-can affair, like any software-based translation device, you may want to check with a native speaker of the language before you fire off that report to the United Nations).

While it’s not the first of its breed (anyone remember the LG LSM-100?), the IRIScan Mouse Scanner is better suited for casual scanning. If you always wished that you could scan something as you were reading it and send it to a friend or relative, this mouse/scanner combo makes that wish a reality. It’s for anyone who wants a compact (1.43 x 2.42 x 0.39” / 3.6 x 6.2 x 1.0 cm) scanner that doubles as a fully functioning mouse. Its size and weight also makes the IRIScan ideal for use when traveling.

In addition to the mouse, purchase includes a carrying bag, cleaning swab, software suite on CD-ROM, quick user guide, IRIS Compressor software (which compresses standard document images into a new PDF document up to 20x smaller than normal size), a discount voucher for your next purchase, and a limited 1-year warranty.

For more information about the IRIScan Mouse Scanner, stop by the B&H SuperStore in New York, speak with a sales professional on the telephone at 1-800-606-6969 or contact us online for a Live Chat.