Scanbox Turns a Smartphone into a Scanner and Photo Studio

If you already have a smartphone with a decent camera, you have the makings of a scanner and your own little photo studio. Invest $15 for a Scanbox, a new project recently launched on crowd-funding site Kickstarter, and you're there.

 

Scanbox holds your phone  steady over a document box for blur-free imaging. You can scan paper up to 8½  by 11 inches, along with photos.

 

Scanbox also can be your own mini-photo studio, a must for eBay sellers of small goods. A $25 version includes an LED light strip powered by a 9-volt battery, and a light-diffusing  interior to shoot objects  up to around 8 inches square without harsh bright spots or shadows.

 

When you're finished, Scanbox folds flat. Magnets hold the box together and let you snap Scanbox back into position when you're ready to use it again. And Scanbox is surprisingly durable, as the video below shows.

 

Kickstarter projects have to reach funding goals before production and sales begin. No worries for Scanbox: In the first 10 days, with a goal of $12,500, more than $45,000 was raised. First shipments are scheduled for July.