A desk lamp it may merely seem to be, but it can dock with your iPhone to uncover its secret identity as a scanner.
Desk lamps aren’t particularly popular as a subject in consumer tech, and it’s obvious to see why. This time however, its sheer simplicity may exactly be a point of interest, as we look into SnapLite, a rather unassuming desk lamp made by PFU that actually hides a nifty extra feature for iPhone 5 users.
This image should already give you an idea just how simple SnapLite could get. But not readily seen in this neat-looking simple setup, is an iPhone dock that is located above the unit. This desk lamp actually doubles as an overhead scanner, allowing users to scan images, documents, and even regular objects. And no, this isn’t just a stand for you to use the iPhone’s camera by the way, because as a real scanner, it has all the sensors and components that it needs (though it still uses the camera for the base image). All you have to provide is a simple Bluetooth connection with the docked iPhone 5 unit.
The iPhone’s accelerometer automatically adjusts the scanner’s surface orientation, while lasers project the borders of the scanning area. Scanning requires a simple press of the button at the bottom of the desk lamp. The scanned image is automatically saved on the docked iPhone, in JPEG format, and can be edited using a custom app. Maximum scanning size is A4, though the scanner can be set to start scanning after a set period of time.
One last bonus of the SnapLite is the option of the custom app to control the desk lamp itself (turn off/on, change brightness, etc.) using the properly paired iPhone unit. Oh, and the dock also serves as a charger for your iPhone.
The SnapLite can be used for the iPhone 5, 5S and 5C, and is compatible with iOS 6.0+. It has a price in Japan that is equivalent to $125.00.
No comments:
Post a Comment