Planon System Solutions DocuPen DocuPen (DPEN-BW)

Prior to now, traveling with a scanner meant lugging around a notebook-size flatbed or limiting yourself to line-by-line pen scanners. Planon System Solutions attempts to alleviate these limitations with its new DocuPen, a pen-size, full-page scanner. With the battery-operated DocuPen, you can scan full pages of text and graphics in a matter of seconds, whether you're in your car, on a plane, or in the middle of the Sahara. What took them so long, you ask? That's just what we were thinking.

Upside: The DocuPen weighs in at a mere 2 ounces and measures just 8 inches long, making it the lightest and tiniest full-page scanner out there. Planon System Solutions claims that the device will scan an entire page of text and graphics in only four seconds--a notable feat for any full-page scanner. Plus, the DocuPen has 2MB of flash memory, enough to store about 100 pages of text. And it comes with ScanSoft's PaperPort OCR software, which lets you translate the scans into editable text.

Downside: We can't help but wonder about the quality of scans that a 2-ounce scanner will produce, but we have high hopes. And even if this DocuPen scans perfectly, $200 is a bit steep for a scanner with a maximum resolution of only 200dpi.

Outlook: We're curious to see whether the DocuPen can actually get the job done. Check back soon for a full review and the final word on the accuracy of this tiny wonder.