Scanners have existed for quite some time. Even with the steady improvements in camera technology, scanners remain irreplaceable for document and image digitization. There's no better way to archive stacks of pictures than to scan a photograph after another using either flatbed scanners or portable ones.
Interestingly, more and more offices and homes prefer to have a portable scanner than a flatbed. Apparently, portable scanners have numerous advantages that make it easy for people to pick them over flatbeds. Here are some of them.
Small devices generally cost less than their larger counterparts, especially if the output quality is practically the same. One would expect that regular households are the ones that has an inclination in choosing portable scanners because they can't afford to have a large scanner around their home. But it's quite surprising and interesting that a lot of offices these days are starting to replace bulky flatbeds with portable scanners. Of course, this is more than just because of the reason that smaller scanners are cheaper.
To be fair, bigger scanners are usually fitted with better and more powerful components. This is most definitely the case with industrial-purpose scanners. But with technology providing the means to fit smaller devices with almost equally powerful parts, it's no surprise that there are so much packed in portable scanners. Precise photo scanning can be accomplished with handheld scanners that are capable of digitizing high-resolution images is possible. Photographs retain immense amounts of details with most portable scanners today.
The actual point of owning and using a handheld scanner is its portability. In an office setting, this is extremely useful because employees aren't beholden to where the scanner is placed, which is usually in a busy part of the office. With handheld scanners, it's a non-issue. For a regular household, it would be extremely convenient to have a scanning device that anyone in the family can use at any time.
Almost all of the latest handheld scanners today are fitted with file storage systems for automatically storing scanned items. The files are conveniently stored and ready for transfer to another file system, which is usually to a computer. Some manufacturers go the distance and put in a feature where files are automatically stored into the cloud. For some people, this is unnecessary. But for people whose work revolves around using files and software on the cloud, it's extremely useful for them. Most people are still not fond of being dependent on the internet, but it seems to be the inevitable future of the corporate world.
While portable scanners are indeed quite useful, it's still worth noting that not every brand an model are reliable. It's highly recommended to check out reviews before even going to the store to check out available options. Find a link to reputable review sites and check these sites as well if they provide link to reputable products. In some cases, these review sites may offer discounts so it's definitely worth checking out.