Several years ago I looked into having the book digitized and put into my smartphone, but none of the book-scanning options I could find were good. One service told me they could only do it by destroying the book in the process, ripping the pages out of the spine to scan it flat; another service featured an absurdly huge machine with two glass platens to keep the pages flat, two overhead cameras set at angles and a special lighting set-up—and the price they quoted me was attendantly horrific.
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Now it’s just a few years later and those big machines are about to become obsolete. The pages of scanned books needn’t be held flat any longer, as software can correct for irregular geometry, OCR software is getting better and tiny, cheap, powerful cameras are becoming ubiquitous. It’s just a matter of time before something like the Czur, billed as “The world’s first true smart scanner,” becomes the standard. Look at how it works, how easy the UI is and how it can be used for more than just books:
The Czur is currently taking pre-orders on Indiegogo (it’s already been nearly 800% funded) for $199, and that price includes a foot pedal not shown in the video. It’s expected to retail for $399 and will ship in January.
