Probably the biggest problem is that it isn't all that comfortable to use as a mouse. It's perfectly functional, and you can get used to it, but its flat sides and shiny surface compare poorly to the ergonomic moulding of other pointing devices. As well as the usual mouse buttons, there are two buttons on the side. One switches the mouse into scanner mode, but the other performs common fourth-button functions such as moving back in your web browser. This doesn't make much sense and can't be changed. The mouse wheel also becomes a zoom control in scan mode, which is a rather more intuitive adaptation.
If anything, the fact that the LSM-100 is also a mouse puts us off using it. It saves on USB ports and is handy if you're on the move and don't want to stuff too much kit into your laptop bag, but we don't want a second pointing device - we just want to scan things. The mouse functionality really just gets in the way and it's easy to catch your fingers on the mouse buttons while you're scanning.
Despite this, and the fact that the size of your scan is limited by how much available memory your computer has, the Scanner Mouse actually is actually the best hand scanner we've ever seen and its OCR is incredibly accurate, making it a brilliant tool for anyone who wants to scan snippets of text, images, or tables.
Verdict
If you have a fairly powerful laptop with a decent amount of memory, the LSM-100 is a great option for scanning on the move. In the office, however, traditional flatbed or sheet fed scanners are still superior. LG is to be commended for its innovation, however, and we hope to see more video scanning technology in the future.
CMOS scanner
320dpi optical resolution
Up to A3 scan size
USB2 interface
One year RTB warranty
Part code: LSM-100
Software requirements: Windows 7/Vista/XP, dual core processor, 1GB free RAM, 1GB disk space
