We have a greenhouse propagation data recording system. Previously it involved lugging around a laptop and a corded barcode scanner. The corded (USB) scanner behaved poorly in bright sunlight, and the cord always managed to drag on and disturb small seedlings. We wanted to move all the data collection and note-taking functions to an easy to use system on iPhone / iPad and wanted to get a better barcode scanner. Our first attempt involved a Baracoda Pencil2 Bluetooth barcode wand scanner, thinking that using a wand would eliminate the bright ambient light problem, but actually, the wand had a hard time scanning the plant tag barcodes in ANY light, I think because the tag material is fairly glossy. The Bluetooth Pen scanner also would not connect to the iOS devices. The Scanfob® 2002 was recommended to us, and it performs perfectly in bright sun, [note: Scanfob® 2006 engine is even better] it also emulates a Bluetooth keyboard on the iPhone / iPad without additional software so it’s a breeze to use. The Scanfob® 2002 is so lightweight and compact I keep it in my pants pocket with a retractable key lanyard on my belt loop, so that it is always available for use whether I’m expecting it or not. It’s remarkable that such a small unit is a true scanning laser and not a CCD imager. I highly recommend the Scanfob® 2002!
