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Canon updates flatbed photo scanner lineup

Canon's CanoScan 8800F has been enduringly (and somewhat endearingly) popular on our site, despite the fact that we've never reviewed it. Though it's closing in on 3 years old, which is practically ancient in many of the other product categories we cover, there isn't a lot of technological development either, so it's refreshing not to be barraged with artificially differentiated products for a change. That said, Canon's latest CanoScan, the 9000F, follows up the veteran photo scanner at about $50 more, with a resolution boost for slide and film scans and improved power consumption.

Here's how it compares with its cheaper sibling, as well as its main competitors:… Read more

Target adds bar code scanner to iPhone app

BYOBS. That stands for "bring your own bar code scanner," and more and more shoppers like the concept--so much so that Target has added bar code scanning to its existing free iPhone app along with a new TargetLists feature that allows you to manage shopping and gift lists from your phone.

Why would you need to use a Target bar code scanner in a Target store if you already know the price of the product? Well, the idea is you could instantly tap into more info without having to talk to a salesperson. "In addition to pricing, … Read more

Get a Dell V515w multifunction printer for $69

The Dell V515w all-in-one printer normally sells for $149. Today only, you can get a V515w for just $69 shipped (plus sales tax in some states).

Now, you know me: I rarely post a printer deal unless there's Wi-Fi involved. Well, you guessed it: the "w" in V515w stands for "wireless." Although you can connect the printer to your PC with a boring old USB cable (not included), this baby's designed for Wi-Fi networks.

Even more impressive, it supports 802.11n. That's kind of a big deal if you already have an 802.… Read more

Turn iPhone into a scanner

Problem: You've just been handed a stack of papers that needs to be signed and returned, and there's no fax machine in sight. You have a pocketful of receipts you're tired of carrying around, and no place to file them. You need to convert a printed document into a PDF.

The solution for all these predicaments is Scanner Pro, which turns your iPhone into a mobile scanner that connects to everything from Dropbox to Evernote to MobileMe. Find the most well-lit setting you possibly can, run the app, then point your iPhone's camera at a document. … Read more

Scanner Pro turns an iPhone into a document scanner

Problem: You've just been handed a stack of papers that need to be signed and returned--and there's no fax machine in sight.

Problem: You've got a pocketful of receipts you're tired of carrying around--and no place to file them.

Problem: You need to convert a printed document into a PDF.

The solution for all these predicaments is Scanner Pro ($4.99), which turns your iPhone into a mobile scanner that connects to everything from Dropbox to Evernote to MobileMe.

Here's how it works: Find the most well-lit setting you possibly can, run the app, then … Read more

New UI for effective Avast Pro

An A-list antivirus, Avast Professional 5 provides steadfast protection and a robust selection of features. This version is the paid upgrade of the better-known Avast Free, and includes several additional features. It doesn't have all of Avast's available features, and that last batch has been saved for another paid upgrade, Avast Internet Security.

Avast Professional protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer (P2P), script, and Web shields. The behavioral … Read more

iPhone app turns business cards into contacts

We live in a digital age, so why do business cards refuse to die? They're a hassle to store and an environmental suck to produce. Plus, who among us has time to manually transcribe contact info into a phone, PDA, or PC?

Needless to say, I was geeked to try Business Card Reader, a $5.99 app that turns business cards into iPhone Address Book entries.

Specifically, BCR leverages your iPhone's camera to take a snapshot of a card, then uses built-in optical character recognition (OCR) to convert the image into text and populate the appropriate contact fields.… Read more