They were just sitting there in the to-do pile. They weren't begging for attention or trying to entice me with outrageous claims. But there they were -- - three items from Plustek Inc. that somehow had been tossed aside, constantly relegated to the bottom of the stack.

The OptiCam M-1 Webcam ($149), the OpticFilm 7200 negative/slide scanner ($249) and the OpticSlim M12 portable scanner ($149) had somehow avoided my radar. But now that they've been spotted, it's time to remedy the situation.

OptiCam M-1 Webcam

The OptiCam M-1 is a high-end Webcam designed to work with instant messaging systems such as those from Microsoft, America Online and Yahoo. It captures motion at a blazing 30 frames per second, which is more than double what you get with the bargain cams.

This means the folks on the other end don't get the delays and stutters in video (where everything seems like it's in slow motion) that has been so annoying when using Webcams.

Among its other features are:

• You can zoom in and out, focus, and pan the camera with just a few clicks of a mouse.
• It can be controlled remotely from another computer.
• It has a built-in microphone embedded near the top of the camera.
• Still image capture is at a resolution of 640 x 480 and video is at 320 x 240.
• It will run on older systems using USB 1.1 interfaces.
• Bundled software includes PhotoSnap, Cockpit tilt and focus control and a 30-day trial of Opticam FX, which allows you to operate the camera from a remote location using another computer or your digital phone.

Opticfilm 7200 Negative/Slide Scanner

To tell you the truth, I was a bit hesitant in trying the Opticfilm 7200. Negative/slide scanners have a reputation of being difficult to set up and use and I was really dreading the time when I would have to dig this one out of the box and give it a try.

Boy was I wrong!

This 7200 dpi scanner worked the perfectly right out of the box _ - _ no messing with settings or having to tweak it here or there to enhance images so they didn't look washed out. In fact, it seemed to enhance the color images, restoring them to their original intensity.

Other features include:

• A USB 2.0 interface, which allows you to transfer images up to four times faster than using USB 1.1.
• Two film holders, one for a strip of up to six 35 mm negatives and the other for slides, eliminating "physical contact" with the media during the scanning process.
• It comes bundled with SilverFast SE software, which can be used to edit your images or remove dust and scratches, NewSoft Presto! PageManager, NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio and NewSoft Presto! Mr. Photo.
• An illuminated slide viewer on top of the scanner lets you preview slides or negatives before copying them.
• A padded carrying case designed to hold the scanner and all of its accessories.

OpticSlim M12 Sheetfed Scanner

Last, but not least, is the OpticSlim M12 sheetfed scanner, which is small enough to fit into your notebook computer carrying case.

This small, compact device is designed for the mobile professional and scans documents using your computer's USB 1.1 interface for power and connectivity.

Among its other features are:

• The ability to scan up to three documents per second.
• There are only two buttons (besides power) on the unit _ - one to scan and the other marked 'custom," the features for which can be set using software bundled with the unit.
• A mounting kit, so you can mount the unit on a wall and keep it out of the way when it's not in use.
• A flannel bag-type carrying pouch.
• A stand to house the scanner when it's not in use.
• Bundled software including NewSoft Presto! PageManager 4.2, NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio, NewSoft Presto Mr. Photo, ABBY FineReader 5.0 Sprint OCR, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Smart Touch, which is one-click utility software.

More information on these and other Plustek devices can be found at www.plustek.com.

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