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When was the last time someone read to you? Fifty years ago? Thirty years ago? Yesterday?

Well, I've been playing with a neat device that can read you to sleep every night - - - the Plustek BookReader V100.

Of course, the device really doesn't do the reading (your computer does), but the intent is still there, as Plustek combines its infamous book-scanning technology with a great set of software tools that convert text into speech. And you don't need to be a card-carrying techno-geek to set it up. Just install the software, connect the BookReader to an available USB port on your computer and you're set to go.

A few of the key features include:

-- A magnifying tool that not only magnifies any document on your computer, but will read it to you.
-- You can create and save documents in PDF format and have them read to you.
-- Documents can be saved in either MP3 or WAV formats.
-- You can repeat sentences and phrases at the touch of a button.
-- You can rewrite and modify any scanned document.
-- It's a single-pass scanner with up to 1,200 dpi resolution.

Be aware though, that the scanner tends to be Vistaphobic out of the box, so you're better off running it on computers using Windows XP or 2000. If you insist on using Vista, you'll have to download a new set of drivers and software tools from http://www.plustek.com/support/download-result.asp?txt_pid=104.

Check out the company's website at www.plustek.com for more information.

Contact Michael Berman via email at jocgeek@earthlink.net or contact him through his website at www.jocgeek.com.

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