AAUG Reviews

by Carlene Brown ,AAUG Member

IRIScan Executive 2 is a compact, portable, sheet fed, color scanner. IRIScan is USB powered, thus making it easy to use anywhere. The Mac version includes the OCR software Readiris Pro 11 for scanning text documents and photographs; and Cardiris 4 for scanning business cards..

I installed IRIScan on a Mac Book G4 running Mac OS X 10.5.2. Following the installation instructions I installed the Readiris Pro 11 software then plugged the IRIScan into a USB port. I next calibrated the scanner using the provided calibration sheet and was all set to begin. I chose a text document, fed it into the scanner and waited. The scanned result was a blank page I tried again, same result. I chose another document and once again it produced a blank page. The Quick Start Guide was of little use. I checked the settings and tried several more times but nothing happened. Because it was late in the evening I put it away and decided I would check it out another day.

My next experience began the same way, so I opened up the electronic 128 page User’s Manual. I spent two hours reading the manual, which didn’t have any troubleshooting information and no instructions relating to my problem, making minor changes in the settings, and trying to scan. Finally success! (more…)

by Gina Ashman ,AAUG Member

The IRISPen handheld scanner is designed to work like a highlighter so you can capture printed material in a line-by-line fashion. While the pen and software include many features to allow the user to customize the input and output type, I found it too cumbersome and inaccurate to be useful. The IRISPen Executive version offers advanced features which include specifying text- or numbers-only output, recognition of handwritten text, small image scanning, barcode recognition, and voice synthesis. Set-up is pretty basic-first install the software, then plug in the USB-powered pen. Installation was quick, but required a restart.

The pen is supposed to be compatible with any application you can type in-just open the target program and position your cursor. I started with Word, and tried to scan the provided “Learn how…” guide which includes many different types of text to practice with, but using the program was not very intuitive.The QuickStart Guide that comes in the box has only a bare-bones two-and-a-half page instructions on how to use the program which doesn’t fully explain all of the various settings and adjustments that are possible. While it mentions that there is either a keyboard emulation mode (more…)

by Zachary Zaletel, AAUG Member

One of the rituals that predates my entry into the workforce by many years is the exchange of the business card. Born well before the days of ubiquitous computers, iPhones, blackberries and email made carrying an entire address book in your pocket easy if not convenient, they have endured and continue to serve their purpose well. Of course, now that we do have the ability to digitally store all the details included in a business card for quick retreival or emailing, it can be a chore at times to sit down and log some quality data entry time. With this problem in mind, IRIS has a software and hardware solution to make life a little easier, IRIS Card Pro4.

The IRIS Card Pro4 system is comprised of a diminuitive scanner and accompanying Cardiris software. The scanner is roughly the size of two Butterfinger candy bars, with a card feeding slot and two buttons on top. It connects to your computer via an included USB cable to a powered USB port - no additional power cord is necessary. Once plugged in, all you have to do is install the software and you are ready to go; the software installs quickly and relatively painlessly.

Once you open the Cardiris software, all you have to do is set a card at the scanner and the machine takes care of things from there. Within a few seconds, (more…)