Advantages: Cheap, easy to use
Disadvantages: Software too simple

...If like me you work mainly in A3, I am sure you have discovered that although cheap A4 printers are two a penny, there is a distinct lack of choice of A3 scanners, or at least affordable ones! So with a budget of less than £100, I had a choice of, well, one scanner….So needless to say I went with that one, the Mustek ScanExpress A3 USB! Appearance Well, although not attractive it is very compact! Only marginally larger than an A3 sheet, I can't see how it could be any more space saving, well other than a vertical scanner I guess! Although it's a new model (based on the Mustek ScanExpress A3, non USB version!) it is only available in computer beige, so Mustek appear to be lagging behind a bit and missing the whole grey computer revelation, which is a bit of a shame when you consider most scanners sit on a desk in full view... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, reasonable image quality
Disadvantages: It's just another scanner, a few problems with XP drivers

...The Trust CompactScan 19200 is a typical low-cost, no frills scanner, so there's not really that much that you can say about it. The model has undergone several revisions, with mine being some 6 months old and model no: 11924 - one down from the current revision. As the name suggests, this scanner only connects to the USB port so it's no use for legacy systems without a USB port (unless you use something like the Belkin USB to Parallel module, or just fit a USB card). One of the most annoying aspects of PC ownership is the number of power cables and power supplies you end up with after adding a few peripherals. Thankfully, like many other USB scanners, the CompactScan doesn't need an external power supply and takes its power directly from the USB port. The scanning speed is about what you'd expect from a cheap scanner... Read review

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Advantages: Very Good Quality, Excellent SilverFast Software
Disadvantages: Abit Large, Dust Removal Software Not Good

.... It has basic setting which you can't adjust to they way you want. But the SilverFast AI scanning software is much better and more professional, though the dust remover software is not good at all. The scanner has a wide range of functions which include: -Copying -Quick Scan (photosmart application) -Paperport 10 (for document scanning) -ReadIris (for document scanning) -Automatic document feeder -Transparency or negative scanning -Easy connection via USB The scanner is really good when it comes to 35mm and high resolution scanning is fast. Around 2 mins for 35mm frame of 20MB. But as mentioned previously the dust removal part slows it all down quite a lot. Overall it's a good scanner for anyone who is creative and does photographic work. Also this is a big improvement for HP scanners which are usually on the downside... Read review

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Advantages: Have plenty of USB ports at any time
Disadvantages: Can be a bit of a pain when it comes to the power supply.

...the transformer. On the top and directly over the USB sockets are LED's that tell me when any of the USB sockets are in use and another LED that tells me if it is connected to the transformer. How easy is it to use? I found it very easy to set up and use, first I plugged the connector lead into a spare USB socket on the back of my PC, then I plugged the other end into the USB hub. The next step was to plug the transformer into the mains and the corresponding pin into the socket on the USB hub. What can it be used for? I have used this for plugging in scanners, printers, mass-storage devices (including a PSP), web cam, a mouse, high-resolution cameras and USB hard drives. The list does not end there, also you can add flash card readers, Blue tooth adapters, pen drives, basically anything that has a USB connection can be plugged... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Very good general coverage
Disadvantages: No computer control

...This scanner is a great scanner. It covers all bands, HF, USB, LSB AM, VHF and UHF. The scanner comes complete with a mains adaptor/charger as one unit, ear piece, Rechargable batteries, strap, belt clip and car adaptor (plug in to the car lighter socket). Also a BNC Aerial plus a dodgy manual. The manual does cover everything but it is a japanese to english translation so does require patience. Once the batteries are loaded and the aerial connected follow the manual for basic operating procedures. It has an impressive memory capacity 1000 channels grouped into 10 banks of 100 channels, these can be scanned as seperate banks or as a continuous scan. It also has one priority channel which can be switched on or off, when on it is scanned every few seconds. The reception is great with the standard whip aerial,I have... Read review

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Advantages: good quality scanning
Disadvantages: software is rubbish, can take for ever to scan an image

...I bought myself this to scan various things (old photos, documents and some sheet music) and this does the job pretty well. It was a bit on the expensive side but I needed something that would give me good quality and I could trust that it would work well so I went for HP as they are well known for good quality products. TECHNICAL INFORMATION It can scan at up to 4,800 dpi (dots per inch) It has 96 bit colour It has a 216x311mm scanning screen Connects by USB It is 303x508x108mm (wxdxh) It weighs 5.2 kg So it can give you very good quality, it gets a lot of colours, it's got a decent sized scanning screen, it's pretty big and it's not a light weight utility. There is nothing in there to put me off though because I still bought it. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT Scanners have been dying out because they are getting beaten... Read review

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Advantages: Good quality scans
Disadvantages: Clunky software, immense lamp warmup time

...This is my third scanner, the previous ones having died. I chose the HP as it was supposed to give quite reasonable negative/slide scans in additon to the usual flatbed scanning. Priced at around £60, it is a flatbed scanner. The top cover is removable, allowing the scanning of large books. Incorporate in the cover is a 35mm negative/slide carrier. This allows the scanning of photgraphic material, and special built-in functionality provides for this. Optical resolution is 1200 dpi x 1200 dpi, 48-but colour depth. The scanner has its own PSU, a "wall wart" rather than taking its power from USB. Installation was easy, and the actual scanning is of very good quality and reasonably fast. The included OCR software works very well. There are buttons on the top for doing "instant" scans, photocopies, etc. I do have some... Read review

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Advantages: Easiest Possible Installation
Disadvantages: Uses Yet Another Mains Socket

...Trying to think of a funny one liner to start this opinion like I usually do has been somewhat impossible, so I haven’t got one this time. Sorry :( Anyway, on we go. ----=What Is USB?=---- Universal Serial Bus. In short, USB is the type of connection that almost all devices (such as printers, scanners, camera's etc) use to connect to your computer. It is a small rectangular socket found on the back (or front) usually found in pairs. *Warning Techie bit coming up*. Old Serial devices used to be able to transfer data at about 112kb per second. USB can transfer at more like 12Mb per second. This opens up the opportunities to huge data transfer, much much quicker than ever before. This is known as USB 1.1. There is however an even newer version of USB on the horizon. USB 2.0 supports data transfer of speeds up to 480Mb per... Read review

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Advantages: Small,stlish,value for money
Disadvantages: Plasticy. But all it will do is sit on a shelve.

...Being a fan of new technology and testing it as part of my work role , I have accumulated several USB devices. Getting fed up of having to climb round the back of PC every time I want to plug something in I went on an exbidition to PC World on the hunt for a solution. At 29.95 I found the solution in a Belkin 4 port USB Hub. Sylish design and a good brand name made this product the only real choice for me. The product comes complete with a power brick,USB cable and a set of instructions. Adding this to your system couldnot be simpler. Plug one lead into PC USB port,the other end into hub. Plug in your USB devices to the hub and errrr thats it. No drivers to install,no PC to take apart , no nothing. In my case , some of my devices needed power to be supplied by the USB port. In these cases , the supplied power brick can... Read review

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Advantages: external plug in device, easy to set up, runs smoothly
Disadvantages: None

...If you need to increase the number of USB ports on your system then I can highly reccomend the Belkin External USB Hub F5U021. Just plug it in an