Eliminating the Business Card Shuffle
It happens just about every time I go to a conference--I come back with my pockets full of business cards. Even though many people carry personal digital assistants capable of beaming cards to one another, paper still seems to rule.
Getting the contact information off the paper and into a PDA meant tapping or writing the information, one letter at a time. At the end of a day’s conventioneering, such slow-speed entry can get tedious.
Two new devices try to eliminate the chore of funneling data to a PDA. The winner is Corex Technologies Corp.’s $299 CardScan Executive. It includes a miniature color scanner, power supply and, most important, software that scans and reads information on business cards and transfers it to a PDA.
Setup is relatively easy. Connect the device to a computer’s Universal Serial Bus port and load the software. Cards are fed one at a time but can be processed by the software in batches. The CardScan software maintains its own file of names, and it offers synchronization with desktop information managers such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook.
I threw some tough business cards at the Corex unit, including one with white and gray lettering on a dark red background, and another with a mix of earth tones, including a tint screen behind some of the text. Recognition of the text was nearly flawless.
I also was impressed with the way the CardScan software handled the information. A name is separated into first, middle and last, which makes it easier to add to a PDA or personal information manager.
Most impressive are conduits to take the information directly to a Palm or Pocket PC device. These conduits are a bit more detailed and tailored to the device’s needs than some standard PIM software links, and it’s nice to have these available.
About the only downside with the CardScan device is that the scanning unit requires an external power pack. It’s supplied, but it’s one more thing to carry on the road.
NewSoft America Inc. sells the rival BizCard Reader for $149, which scans cards in monochrome and uses optical character recognition technology from ABBYY to do the card reading. The unit will be in stores next month.
The BizCard Reader draws power from the USB port and is smaller than the CardScan, making it a better traveling companion. However, the filing software needs some work. It treats names as one bloc, meaning some editing is required on every record.
Recognition is good but does not match the CardScan on more complex or colorful cards.
Most users are better off with CardScan.
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Mark A. Kellner is a freelance technology writer and hosts “Mark Kellner on Computers” at https://www.adrenalineradio.com from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursdays.
