Although scanners aren't as popular as they used to be, such a device can still come quite in handy, especially for those users who spend most of their working hours on the road. And this is probably exactly the target the Fujitsu company had in mind when they launched the ScanSnap S300, a peripheral they tout to be the world's "smallest color scanner".

Thus, the scanner measures just around 284 mm x 95 mm x 77 mm, at a weight of only 1.4 kilograms, which means that it can prove to be quite a good solution to take on the road. Furthermore, it can be powered either via USB or directly from the mains, which makes it even more versatile.

The ScanSnap S300 sports an automatic document feeding system, which means that it is able to scan both sides of a page simultaneously. Moreover, it automatically detects whether the pages it's supposed to scan are color or grayscale, and adapts the resolution accordingly. And since we're on the subject, it's worth mentioning the fact that the S300 also detects automatically the paper sizes (A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, postcard, card, letter and legal), auto-adjusting accordingly.

The scanner employs a CIS-type sensor (Cell Fock lens), while the necessary power is provided by LEDs. Moreover, it doesn't require too much power, consuming below 9W when connected to the mains or below 5W when powered via USB.

Due to the fact that the device can be powered either via USB or from a power adapter, the scanning speeds also differ. Thus, when powered via the mains, the S300 can attain scanning speeds from 8 pages per minute (150 dpi resolution) down to 0.5 pages per minute (when scanning at 600 dpi). On the other hand, when it's connected to an active USB port, the scanning speeds vary between 4 pages per minute (150 dpi resolution) down to 0.5 pages per minute (when scanning at 600 dpi).

The S300 will retail for around $255, which might seem like a rather high price to pay for a scanner, but it's actual rather fair, taking into consideration just how portable and versatile this thing could prove to be.

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