C Pen 200 Handheld Scanner

Other products by C Technologies

Product Details

Product Manual [673kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1 x 1 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004U8AP
• Item model number: C Pen 200
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Not long ago, converting scanned text into a computerized format that could be edited required the use of a beefy computer and some expensive software. C Technologies has somehow managed to shrink all that hardware and software into a series of pocket-sized devices that are actually affordable. Their low-end C-Pen 200 is an accurate tool for taking notes, scanning addresses, and making outlines.

So what is the C-Pen 200 missing that its bigger brothers have? The LCD has a lower resolution, making it less readable and useful than those found on the C-Pen 600 and C-Pen 800. It also lacks their dictionary and translation features and doesn't come with as much storage space. What it does offer is the same outstanding optical character recognition engine and slick interface you'd get with the more expensive products. Menus are navigated via a thumbwheel on the end of the device, which moves up and down to highlight entries. To make a selection, you simply press the wheel. You never need both hands to use the device, which is great if you need to use one hand to hold a book open.

The standard fonts used in books and on most printouts are what the C-Pen 200 was designed to handle, and it did a great job in our tests. We didn't achieve 100 percent accuracy, but in most cases the device was more accurate than most of the optical character recognition software packages we've tested for PCs. To enter text, you just press the tip of the C-Pen down on the page, hold down a button that activates the scanner, slide the device across the text, and release the button when you're at the end of the line. The text you scan appears immediately on the C-Pen's display, where it can easily be edited, moved, or deleted.

The C-Pen 200 has a program called C Write that's used for editing text or jotting down notes, and it lets you "draw" numbers or letters with the pen. The software interprets your movements and types the corresponding number or letter on the screen. It doesn't take long to learn C-Write's alphabet, and although the accuracy could be better, it's still a simple and intuitive way to enter text into a device that lacks a keyboard.

You can send the text stored in the C-Pen to a notebook computer, desktop computer, Palm OS handheld, or nearly any other device that has an infrared port. Most desktops don't have an IR port, so consider buying one when you get the C-Pen.

As long as you have the right equipment and a little patience, the C-Pen is a great tool for students and professionals who could need a quick, portable scanning device. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Compact design
• Surprisingly accurate OCR
• Designed for 1-handed operation
• Screen accommodates left-handed users

Cons:

• Mediocre LCD quality
• No dictionary features

Product Description

The C-Pen 200 is the second generation of the award-winning digital camera based computer pen. It is the only PDA that scans, writes and displays text. C-Pen 200 reads and stores text in a computer format and transfers it to your PC, effortlessly and cordlessly. Simply move the C-Pen over printed text and you can instantly save what you want to remember. Whether you are doing research, studying, working, or looking for recipes, there is no need to take notes, tear out pages or make copies any more. With C-Pen, you can capture the text and save time.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Still a gadget., October 2, 2000

By	Rheumor (New Orelans) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I had high hopes for this little scanner. It is certainly not bad, but it has a number of annoying problems. The learning curve can be a bit steep (at least an hour before you're comfortable scanning basic text, saving it to a file and preparing it for download). As for downloading it to your PC for editing, storage or printing, that requires either a IrDA port(most laptops have one) or on most desktops, an add-on serial device or USB device. My impression is that it will wind up in the drawer sometime soon, relegated to that dark corner that 'early adopters' often fill to the brim.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, September 8, 2000

By A Customer

This pen will take you a looong time to get used to. It was a good hour before I could scan anything intelligible onto the screen. Also, even once you do get the hang of it, there will be lots of capilization errors. Still, this tool will prove invaluable once you learn how to use it.