The Find Duplicate wizard lets you automatically delete exact duplicates and compare similar cards side by side to select the one you want to keep. The sleek software interface allows you to sort contacts in a variety of ways, such as by name, company, or phone number.

It accepts oddly shaped business cards as long as they're no wider than the 4-inch feed opening. When you're done, the software processes the scans. You can feed cards into the scanner continuously. Do a practice scan and choose a location for the scanned files, and you're in business.

You calibrate the scanner by running a blank, white card through it. The CardScan supports Outlook, ACT, Goldmine, and Lotus Notes software. During installation, which takes a few minutes, you can choose to sync the CardScan data with your Palm OS device, Pocket PC, or smart phone. Setup for the Corex CardScan Executive 700c is a breeze. An illuminated blue arrow tells you that the CardScan is ready for action. This device sits unobtrusively on your desk and is powered via a USB cable snaking to your computer, PDA, or smart phone. The size of a fat PDA, at 1.75 by 5.75 by 3.25 inches (HWD) and 8 ounces, the sleek gray-and-black Corex CardScan Executive 700c is 50 percent slimmer and lighter than its predecessor.

For the $250 (as of November 2004) that the CardScan costs, you could buy a scanner or a multifunction machine to scan your cards and a lot more, but the card-scanning process would be more cumbersome and time-consuming. You'll still have to make some text corrections by hand, but overall, this machine will save any frequent card collector time and trouble. This machine is easy to set up and use, and its accompanying software is full featured, but its character-recognition skills are far from flawless. The Corex CardScan Executive 700c gives you anywhere access-whether you're in front of your PC at home or traveling with nothing but your PDA-to the contacts trapped in that messy pile of business cards accumulating on your desk.

Corex cardscan 700c software download