info-mac@uw-beaver (info-mac) (09/26/84)
From: roy@nlm-vax (Roy Standing)
In my previous message I discussed 6 video digitizer systems. The last,
a product from Oberon International, had a very sketchy description. I
have successfully contacted Oberon and received the following info:
6) Oberon International
5525 MacArthur Boulevard
Irvine, Texas 75062
(214) 257-0097
Product Name: unknown
Price: $499.00 (hardware) $50.00 (software)
Availability: late October/ early November
Description: This system is different from the previously listed
products because it captures files in MacWrite format rather than
MacPaint format. The system consists of a handheld sensor connected
to the Mac via the modem port. The user manually scans a page of
prepared text which is captured by the system and placed in a MacWrite
format file. A line can be scanned in 1-3 seconds and the data rate is
250 words/minute (these numbers are what they gave me). The initial
product can recognize 4 fonts: Courier 10 and 12 pitch, Letter Gothic 12
and Prestige Elite 12. The person I spoke to could not give me any
information on expectations for additional font recognition capabilities.
They have a one page brochure, available on request.
Impression: It certainly sounds interesting but manually scanning
lines leaves a lot to be desired. If the sensor could be mounted on
the Imagewriter printhead, as in Thunderware's product, it could be
a reasonable way to enter material. For the most part I would expect
that something I wanted to capture wouldn't be available in one of the
four available fonts. If it was, it would probably mean that the
document was already in machine readable form and I could find some way
to bring it over via MacTerminal or an equivalent.
( Roy A. Standing, National Library of Medicine, Lister Hill
National Center for Biomedical Communications)
My comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my
employer or anyone else...
I have no affiliation with any of the vendors whose products I
have discussed.