The mechanism is simple. The case is a simple injection moulded affair. The electronics are simple, using an internal ISA card with a proprietary interface. But so what, it works?
What's more, it comes with a good software bundle including Omnipage OCR and some rather fun morphing software. It also works well with shareware packages like Paint Shop Pro, as it uses TWAIN drivers.
The image quality is less than you expect from a £500 scanner, but it's not bad. If you're happy for a mini-lab to process your holiday snaps you'll be delighted with what the Scantak can do - it would be hard to justify paying more expect for publishing purposes. It would also be difficult to justify a feed-through scanner when you can have a colour flatbed for just a little extra.
Made by Spot Technologies in Taiwan, it's sold in the UK by Novatech on 0800-777500. Spot Technologies also have a web site.