Using Samsung Galaxy Tab as a scanner
Given the recent coverage of the HTC Flyer and other 7-inch Android tablets, I thought I would show you how to use the Samsung Galaxy Tab as a scanner, turning it into a very productive tool for work, or just about anywhere on the road. If you ever need to make a copy of a document, and you are nowhere near a copy machine but you own a Galaxy Tab (or another Android device), then you're in luck. The Tab will become your portable scanner.
The two programs that I will be using below are CamScanner ($4.99) and Google Docs (free). They both work great and get the job done well. Let me show you how to use them with the Tab for some quick and easy scanning.
Let's say you're at a meeting, going over building plans, and you realize that you need to send out information out to clients (right from the meeting) to look at changes that need attention. Enter the Galaxy Tab, which is the perfect device to get the job done. I have an iPad 2 too, but it's too big for this task and the camera isn't the best, so it really doesn’t work well here.
Even though some people think 7-inch tablets aren't a good size, I still believe that they will be around for a long time; they are the perfect portable size for passing around in a meeting, letting everyone view scanned building plans before they're sent off to the client.
The process is very easy. I created a shortcut to CamScanner on my home screen, so I can just tap open the app and start scanning right away. One the app is open, I just tap on the camera icon on the lower left, take a snap shot of what I want scanned, and am able to send the image as a PDF. I could also send the scan right from CamScanner to my DropBox account, email, or any of the other share options.
I can't stress enough how convenient this has been for me.
One of things I like to do with my photographed documents is to upload them straight to my Google Docs account, which I do all the time on my Galaxy Tab. I'm able to take a picture of the file, and then it is converted into a Word doc online that I can then share with other co-workers that couldn’t make the meeting.
Scanning meeting documents not only saves paper and ink, but it gives me access to them later across all of my devices. By using Google Docs to upload scanned docs and have them converted into editable files, I can change something during the meeting and email everyone with corrected notes or changes immediately.This is such a time saver! And if you're using Cloud Print and Google's Chrome browser, you can even print your document back to the office if you need to.
There are other methods to do the same thing I've discussed above, but these two apps have worked great for me. And I'm not saying that a 7-inch device like the Tab is unequivocally better than the iPad 2 or any 10.1-inch Android tablet. But for me, a 7-inch tablet gives me the most for what I need, and it's a good size to carry around, even in my back pocket.
Mobility is all about using the right device for the right job, and at the same time being able to be productive with whatever gadget you have with you.
