Pentax DSmobile 600 portable scanner review

Can this compete against a flatbed?

11 February 2008 13:00 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

There are tasks the average computer user needs to carry out that are often better suited to the office, such as printing or scanning. However, there are an ever-increasing number of tools that allow you to do more on the move.

This scanner from Pentax measures 280 x 51 x 38mm and is relatively small and convenient to carry - it even comes with its own carry case.

It has been designed for use specifically with notebooks, so connects using USB, which it also uses to power the device.

We found it incredibly easy to install and set-up. You’ll need to install drivers as well as the supplied DSmobile Scan software, which allows you to save scans as PDF files.

There is also the more powerful PageManager 7 for editing and saving your scans to a variety of other formats. You can scan in either colour or monochrome and scan speeds vary but you can expect to scan up to three pages a minute in colour.

To scan, you insert your pages and press the button on the top of the unit, which then feeds it through the sensor. With a maximum can area of 216 x 356mm, you can scan up to A4 with ease. Scan times vary, with a simple A4 text page taking less than 20 seconds, while a full coloured page took close to 90 seconds. Overall, the results were smooth with little or no signs of jagging.

Verdict

The Pentax DSmobile 600 is simple to use and if you need to scan when on the move, it's as powerful a device as you're likely to need.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Pentax
Price as reviewed: £80
The good: Compact, quick to use
The bad: Limited use
Quick verdict: It has limited functions but the scan functions are more than acceptable for scanning on the move
Score