Bundled Applications (On The Pen)

The QuickLink pen has 4 built-in applications:

Notes: This is for just jotting down general notes. After scanning the text, the results can either be accepted by scanning something immediately afterward, or it can be deleted by pressing the enter button while the scanned text is still highlighted. To make a separation between sections (such as between paragraphs), press the down arrow and it inserts a line between the two sections.

Address Book: This application is meant for taking the information that would normally be held on something such as a business card. It has fields for the first and last name, title, company, address, business phone number, business fax, cell phone, email address, home phone number, home fax, and any other miscellaneous notes. After scanning in one, it moves to the next section (or not, as this can be configured)

Internet Links: Quite simply for storing URLs. Scan once for the URL, and another time for the description. If you don't bother with a description, the URL becomes the description. This isn't specialized in anyway to capture URLs better, at least, I didn't find it to be so. It's just another quick and dirty little place to store links.

Tables: If anything is in chart form, such as a printed spreadsheet or some other table, this is the place to store it. It works just like the standard spreadsheet, except it can't do formulas (you scan in text into the cells). As it can only display one cell at a time, you have to use the arrow keys to get to the cell that you want to scan into next.

Image capture: This is an application that must be downloaded off Wizcom's webpage, as it isn't included on the CD. I discovered this only because I made sure I had the latest version of their software, and this is another free application from the company. This is for those times when something can't be converted into ASCI text.

As a general rule simply use the pen itself to scan the name (such as, say, chapter 5) or whatever it may be, as the built in menu-bar for selecting the letters is cumbersome at best (given how few buttons it has, it's only natural).

Another option is to simply scan the text directly into the computer, bypassing any of the programs. Wherever the cursor is, the text will be directly scanned in. However, it is not instantaneous, just as the it isn't for normal scanning. Also, it takes time of travel, which is over the serial port. In-between scans, it can be configured to insert different white-space characters, such as a space, return, or tab. This means text can be scanned directly into a word processor, or spreadsheet, if desired.

Limitations

The QuickLinks Pen allows scans in printed text 6-22 points in size (up to 8 mm) on contrasting backgrounds except:

• red on white
• white on red
• blue on black
• black on blue

These all make sense. The bruiser colors don't differentiate themselves with respect to contrast, so it comes as no surprise that it has problems (and there are problems). Red on white won't work because the sensor is a red light, so that too is only natural not to work.

Also, unless you use the new application for capturing images, you'll be limited to fairly normal fonts. Even Courier, or Times New Roman, when italicized, were less than amiable to scanning in correctly. Considering the vast majority of text out there is "standard," this point shouldn't be too big a deal. Also, note that everything is stored in ASCI text, so all formatting will be lost (such as bolding and italicizing).

>> Accuracy

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