Planon's DocuPen RC800 pen scanner is a unique and highly portable scanner with a rather hefty price tag. This scanner differs from traditional pen scanners, as it allows you to scan entire documents in a single pass rather than performing line-by-line scans. It takes a steady hand and some practice to keep your scans from getting distorted, but if you need a scanner on the go, you won't find a better one at this size.

The RC800 weighs only 2 ounces, so it's easy to throw into a laptop bag and carry along on a business trip. Planon includes a handsome faux leather case to protect the RC800 during transport.

Scans are easy to perform once you get the hang of it, thanks to the dual roller guiding system on the bottom of the RC800. You can easily switch between low and high resolution. The scanner has up to 400-dpi resolution at the maximum setting, which is good enough for digital images, but not quite enough for photo printing. There are also four different color modes, ranging from black and white to 24-bit color.

The scanner's built-in 8MB of memory can hold hundreds of black and white documents but only two full-page images at the maximum color depth and resolution. Planon lets you upgrade the storage capacity of the RC800 with MicroSD cards. A 128MB card sells for about $35 and gives you plenty of room for high-resolution color scans, and a 256MB card costs about $45.

With a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is automatically recharged when you connect the scanner to your PC, you don't have to worry about carrying around an AC adapter or spare batteries. The RC800 can scan up to 60 pages on a single charge, and the recharge process is fairly quick.

There's only a 30-day warranty on the scanner, and Planon sells the RC800 for $300, which is a big price for a scanner with these stats. However, the size may make it worth it for road warriors who need a way to capture documents and images while away from the office.

Users looking for a way to scan on the go will be hard pressed to find a more portable scanner than Planon's DocuPen RC800.

Pros: Can do full-color and full-size scans in one pass, expandable memory
Cons: Expensive, very short warranty

Warranty
30 days, limited