Product ReviewsVuPoint Magic Wand PDS-ST410-VP Handheld Scanner

Good product. Good price.

VuPoint Magic Wand PDS-ST410-VP Handheld Scanner

I am a historical researcher. I needed a portable scanner for times that I am in libraries or archives and scanning a document saves me time. It is a great advantage to scan a document rather than transcribe it with pen and paper. I also sometimes scan newspaper and periodical articles because they have current information about the research of history. The less paper I have, the more efficient my database is.

First, it may be helpful to explain my system of cataloging documents to create a searchable database. I printed images of the eBay listing and receipts into my system. The example name of the file of the listing of the scanner in my records system is:

2013 02 05 VuPoint Scanner Magic Wand

My system is chronologically based. It files documents by their relevant date. The 2013 in the year, 02 is the month and 05 is the date. My system is oriented to history, but is applicable to general filing systems. Another example is:

1781 03 13 German astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus

Extra words can be added to the file name to enhance the search ability within your computer, such as adding the word planet to the above file name to include another category.

The Magic Wand scanner is a good idea. I downloaded their manual from the VuPoint web site and created a folder for all the information about it. The scanner has performed well for the purchase price and I am working on a glitch that the scanner may inhibit the appearance of the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon on my task bar. I think the solution is the purchase of an adapter to enable the transfer of images from the SD micro card (into my computer’s SD slot) rather than attaching a cable from the scanner to the computer. The scanner batteries may be delivering voltage to my computer, thereby resulting in the glitch.

Overall, the VuPoint scanner is a good buy. I got mine for about $22 through bidding. Search for “micro sd card reader” in eBay for the adapter.Read full review...

VuPoint PDS-ST410-VP Portable Scanner

I purchased this item to document some very rare books I own, with the idea of scanning each page. The scanner takes quite a bit of practice to use and you MUST have a steady and SLOW hand. The images turn out quite nice under optimum circumstances.
BUT circumstances are rarely optimum. When scanning a book, the rollers on bottom and scanner itself actually pull the paper, slider the book or paper while scanning. This makes it nearly impossible to scan. If you do not go exactly straight or you go to fast it errors out. You basically need two extra hands to hold the material still while you're scanning.
Another problem is that, when scanning a book at least, there is too much room on the ends of the scanner where it cannot scan in towards the crease of the scan.

Using software like ABBYY you can convert it very nicely into text and keep the photos -- like a magazine on your computer you can search and edit.

I recommend this product, but just know its not perfect and will take some practiceRead full review...

A lot of uses for this handy scanner.

It scans documents, photos, newspaper articles,etc. this portable scanner features a microSD slot that supports microSD media cards up to 32GB. Optical Character Recognition software is included to convert and export scanned files for editing. You need to get used to the speed so the scan doesn't turn out to be with mistakes or blurry. It has 2 resolutions, low and high. It has worked better and easier to handle it with the low resolution, and it is also faster.Read full review...

Worth getting for major or minor projects

Great!!!! I have family history and pictures to scan and download and this will make it a lot easier.
Some of the items are glued into large books and the wand makes it so easy to scan and it doesn't cause damage to the articles.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: sheepdogsanctuary

Great if you do not care about the file date

This a a great scanner for those hard to scan items. For example if the item is larger than a sheet of paper, you can scan multiple times and then use a program such as adobe to put the picture back together. The only reason this item receives a 4 , is that it is missing the set time button. So every file that I collect from the unit has a year date of 2048. No biggie, but this will make it impossible to order your scans by date, unless you date them yourself after download from the scanner. Strange that the set time function is missing from this refurbished unit.Read full review...

Handiest Handheld

The VuPoint PDS-ST410-VP Portable Scanner is one of the handiest gadgets I have ever come accross.It is one of those pick-up-and-go items that take very little instruction and it is so small and light weight it can fit in the inside pocket of my jacket.I usally have trouble with newfangled things like this and have my daughters or husband read the instructions to learn how to use them first then they can show me.With this I did it myself in minutes.How cool is that!
Ok it takes a little practice to move the wand over the item to be scanned and it needs to be a really flat serfice but in no time I was scanning beautifully.Another thing is you need a MINI SD card but they are readily availably.On the BIG plus side,they don't have to be hooked up to a computer to use or view.Most cell phones have a mini sd card slot so you can send a document even instantly.
I planed on using this to go through the mountains of magazines I have accumulated and scan the recipes,craft patterns and articals to save,file and do away with ALOT of clutter.The boxes and drawers full of recipes torn and cut from package backs will not be safe either.They can all be scanned and filed.Now when someone asks me how I made that pie grapefruit 4 years ago,I can find the recipe right away instead of tearing my house apart looking for it.
Think of all the magazines and newspapers in waiting rooms everywhere that are safe from me now.This scanner can go in my bag or purse.My husband wants me to get one to keep in the glove box of his car just in case I forget mine at home.They are so easy to use and transport as well as reasonably priced,why not!
My friends have been after me to start a blog with all the recipes,patterns and folklore that I have accumulated over the years and with my Handy Dandy little VuPoint Portable Scanner,I just might.
This is a great little gadget.Read full review...

Happy Man

This wand is so easy to use and better then I expected and very portable - turn it on and away u go not computer needed it save your scans to a Mini memory card that you can plug into your computer later or use the USB cable - Love this and the Price was so reasonableRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: deepcreekpawn3

Great, with a netbook you can go anywhere

Great for scanning off site, like stuff in the safe deposit box, without having to take it somewhere, and without computer. Also scanned large items in sections (from different angles even to see if it would work) then used the stich or panorama feature, whatever it is called in photoshop elements to make a single image. Worked flawlessly, no problems. So far, VERY happy with it.Read full review...

portable scanner

Perfect scanner,with high resolution colorful option(600dpi). it produces sequenced jpg images of the scanned flat paper with decent relatively small filesize each. It is simply and easy to use. It requires a memory card and it is extremely portable.Read full review...

Awesome birthday gift

Got this for my mom's B-Day and she loves it! I wanted to give her peace of mind in regards to our family photos and keepsakes she has been collecting for over thirty years. With the vupoint she can finally put all those photos safely on a backup drive or into a large photo album we can print out for the whole family to enjoy. For someone with very little technology skills, she says it was easy to learn and even easier to use. Say's it has made keeping organized even easier now that she can scan everythig to one file and have it all safe and at her fingertips. No more cutting things out of catalogues and misplacing them when she gets a new idea for the house. Best gift ever!Read full review...