The C Pen 600 is a delightful ergonomic scanner with a remarkably intuitive interface. Plus, it provides much better scanning accuracy than we thought possible from a handheld model. Although it isn't ideal for scanning long tracts of text, its dictionary, translation, and other features give the scanner a usefulness that extends beyond mere text storage.

The C-Pen 600 is much thicker and wider than a real pen, but it is still comfortable to hold. All the buttons are within easy reach. A crisp LCD on the front of the device provides real-time feedback as you scan and also displays the various icons and menus used for navigating and accessing the C-Pen's features.

The C-Pen's user interface is absolutely ingenious--a small thumb wheel at one end of the device is moved up or down to highlight menu choices, and then pressed to make a selection. It took us only 30 seconds to grasp the fundamentals. The designers were also thoughtful enough to let lefties flip the display, allowing the device to be used comfortably in either hand.

To scan text, just put the tip of the C-Pen flat on the page, hold down a button to activate the scanner, and drag the device across the text. Release the button at the end of the line and repeat the process as many times as you need to. All the text you've scanned is displayed in the LCD window, where you can edit, move, or delete the text as needed. When you're finished, the newly digitized text can be uploaded to your notebook or a PC via an infrared port. (Most desktop PCs do not have IR ports, so you may have to factor one into the cost of a C Pen).

In our test, the unit did a terrible job of interpreting text if the text was in a nonstandard font or was of poor quality. The C Pen would not be a good tool for getting information from a mangled fax into your computer, and you can forget about handwriting recognition.

We wondered how easy it would be to enter file names or edit text with the device, and the designers attempted to address this task through the use of C Write technology. The premise is you move the pen as if you were writing, and the C Write software interprets the movements and displays the corresponding letter or number. It required an hour or so of practice after calibrating the C Pen, but we eventually were able to achieve a reasonable level of accuracy with C Write. One caveat: you can't "write" on a one-color surface like a desktop or blank sheet of paper. It has to be patterned; a page of printed text works fine for a background.

The C Pen 600 stores up to 2,000 pages of text and comes with a CD that lets users choose one two-way translation dictionary, like English/French, English/Spanish, or English/German. Using the translation software stored in the C Pen's memory, it's possible to scan a word in one of the languages and translate it to the other instantly. This feature will probably add to the C-Pen 600's professional appeal, and we feel anyone who spends some time with the device will be amazed at just how accurate and useful it can be.--T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Surprisingly accurate compared to similar products
• Includes language translation features
• Superbly designed interface

Cons:

• Still not completely accurate
• Editing functions are cumbersome
• Requires good quality text in a standard font