Monday, 28 January 2013

Scanner Pro - App Review

Using a scanner can be a time-consuming business and photographing documents can lead to large files and difficulty in annotating the same documents. Scanner Pro allows you to use your iOS device to take a photograph of any document and then save it (amongst others) as a PDF file. This allows you to keep your expenses neatly (or whatever else), as well as enabling you to save them in the best portable format.

Now for the ACIDS test:

Aesthetics
First up, you have the choice of either taking a photo, or using one that is already on your iOS device. The image (whether you already had it or just took it) is then on your screen, together with a transparent white box, complete with handles, which enables you to select the exact area for your scan. There is also a 'Find Borders' function which works fairly well. This ensures that the image is only of the part of the document you want (say the wine label, rather than the bottle and part of the table behind it). The next step enables you to adjust brightness and contrast (both by easy to use sliders), as well as rotate the selected image in 90 degree increments. The next step is to save your treated image. This can then be very easily emailed, printed, faxed (do people really still use them), or most importantly upload. This upload function is the real beauty as the document can be sent to Dropbox, as well as Evernote, WebDAV, or Google Drive.

Cost
There is a free mini version which allows you to make sure this App is for you. This mini version however does not allow documents to be directly uploaded to Dropbox et al... and that is essential. The App is low cost and well worth the very small investment.

Indispensability
Let's be honest, you can do without this App but, a very positive by-product is that your saved document does not fade... unlike printed receipts. I was recently looking for old receipts that I had dutifully carefully filed... only to find that they were all identical... blank.

Dependability
It works well but, you need a steady hand to get the best out of the App and making sure you have enough light on the subject ensures best results. If the App hangs, make sure it is the only App running and all works well. For the best quality and usability,  I would recommend scanning as a photo and then uploading as PDF, that way you get the best of both worlds.

Security
There are no issues with the App itself as all information is held on your device. The potential for 'eavesdropping' comes when you save your document in the 'cloud'... and this is where the App is really useful.

ACIDS Test Rating:
<![if !vml]><![endif]>
So useful, you'll wonder how you did without it.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

You can get Scanner Pro here and support for the App here.

14 comments:

  1. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 4.5 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    Real-time border detection:
    - While making a scan, borders are detected visually and in real time.
    - Get a clear vision on what part of the page is recognized and what will be scanned.
    - Skip manual border adjustments and cropping. Now you will scan much faster, especially in the batch mode.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 4.6 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    ◆ Completely new border detection ◆
    Now Scanner Pro detects document edges better than ever before.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.0 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    ◆ Completely new flat design ◆
    Your scans are the heart of new Scanner Pro design. You'll like it.

    ◆ iOS 7 compatibility ◆
    This version runs beautifully on the newest version of the iOS. We highly recommend anyone running iOS 7 to install this update.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.1 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    ◆ Amazing Text Quality ◆
    We've created next-generation image processing that makes text on your scans look perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.1.3 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    Improved stability on iPhone 4S

    ReplyDelete
  6. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.1.5 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    -Featured by Apple as the first App of the Week in 2014.
    -Also, we've completed 9 localizations.

    If you have iPhone 4S and Scanner Pro crashes on it - please reboot your device to fix that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.1.9 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    Small fixes and improvements

    ReplyDelete
  8. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.1.10 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    Better. Faster. Stronger.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.2 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - Evernote Business integration
    - Various improvements and fixes

    ReplyDelete
  10. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.2.1 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    ***One more little step towards a perfect app. A few sleepless nights have killed some minor bugs. General improvements here and there to make the app more polished and slick. Enjoy!***

    ReplyDelete
  11. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.5 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - Made for iOS 8
    Scanner Pro works perfectly on the newest iOS 8 release and adds several exclusive features.

    - Photos App Extension
    Scanner Pro now works inside Photos app. Transform any photo from your Photo Library into a scan.

    - iCloud Drive Support
    Access scans from any Mac, PC and other iOS devices connected to your iCloud.

    - Sharing with other Apps
    Save scanned PDFs into shared document folders of other iOS applications like PDF Expert or Documents.

    -Use Touch ID
    Protect your scans with Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint identity sensor.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.5.1 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - Optimised for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

    - Made for iOS 8
    Scanner Pro works perfectly on the newest iOS 8 release and adds several exclusive features.

    - Photos App Extension
    Scanner Pro now works inside Photos app. Transform any photo from your Photo Library into a scan.

    - iCloud Drive Support
    Access scans from any Mac, PC and other iOS devices connected to your iCloud.

    - Sharing with other Apps
    Save scanned PDFs into shared document folders of other iOS applications like PDF Expert or Documents.

    -Use Touch ID
    Protect your scans with Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint identity sensor.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.5.2 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - Fixed upload to IIS WebDav server
    - Improved stability, especially on older gen devices

    ReplyDelete
  14. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 5.5.3 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - Improved stability on iPhone 6 Plus
    - Improved iCloud Drive support

    ReplyDelete

Your comment will be checked for appropriateness before it is visible to everybody.

Please ensure that you subscribe to comments so that you will be notified of the posting.

This additional step is to protect everyone from people who seem to have nothing better to do than post inappropriate comments (as in spam).