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From Document Manager Magazine Vol 20 No 04 - July/August

A totally different approach to document scanning, the Sceye is a quick and easy-to-use solution to occasional capture requirements where the user has a variety of different document types to scan.

It can be difficult at times to come up with a new way to describe a scanner product - the major vendors tend to release new models regularly with specific improvements and changes. Scanners get faster, get more reliable, get easier to maintain - some get smaller, some get larger. But essentially a scanner is a scanner, and the fine points that differentiate one from another get finer with each release. When Kodak contacted the DM team about the new Sceye device we expected more of the same - but this is unlike any other scanner we have ever reviewed. In some quarters it has been described as a document camera rather than a scanner, and the description makes some sense, though it would be unfair to compare the quality of the Sceye solution with a simple smartphone camera 'scanning' function. The Sceye is a portable device, folding up to a footprint smaller than most desktop printers, but it is still more of a desktop than a mobile device. It has been very slickly designed and the various parts slide smoothly together when preparing it for use or putting it away. Once unfolded, it resembles nothing so much as a futuristic table lamp.

The idea is that it sits on the desk, documents are placed in its 'line of vision' (a large rollout mat is supplied to show the capture limits), and the Sceye takes a photo with its 10 megapixel CMOS sensor. Bundled software will handle all the usual image management tasks of rotate, skew and cropping. The benefit of the Sceye over standard scanners is that it can be used for any combination of document types with no hassle for the user: small receipts, book or magazine pages, stapled sheets or documents with post-it type attachments, are all scanned easily and quickly.

There is effectively no operator training or specialist scanning knowledge required - the Sceye is powered from the USB connection so it really is just a matter of plug and play. It does include TWAIN support so can integrate with compatible applications if required. The Sceye can be set to 'auto scan' so that it detects when a document has been placed in the imaging area and automatically takes a snapshot. Scans can be easily combined to create multipage TIF or JPG files.

The obvious market gap that the Sceye seems to address is those offices that don't want/need a large flatbed scanner sitting idle for large parts of the time, taking up office space. The Sceye can be folded away when not in use, but even if left 'standing' it takes up very little desk space, especially when compared to most flatbed scanners.

Kodak is distributing the Sceye in the UK on behalf of German developers Silver Creations. As a quick and easy 'scan it while you read it' solution, there is nothing else that we have seen at DM that compares with the Sceye.

More info: www.kodak.com/go/docimaging

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