Around the globe this week, the most popular health and fitness apps in the iTunes store include apps to track your lovemaking, to perfect your pushup, and to mix your own soothing music to calm rattled nerves.

Details on best-selling iTunes apps by country/region for the week, recorded on February 24, can be found below.

France: SexTrack
This app is your bedside companion to track your lovemaking skills on the basis of movement -- how long it lasts, how often you have sex, how fast, and how intense.
http://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/sextrack/id431509019?mt=8

Germany: CaloryGuard2
This app lets you access a database of 20,000 meals in four languages to count calories. Share your favorite meals via Bluetooth with friends, or synchronize with your iPad.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/caloryguard-2-simply-lose/id296183276?mt=8

US: iTriage
iTriage lets you research a range of health symptoms, learn about medical conditions, and locate a medical facility near you.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itriage/id304696939?mt=8

UK: Pushups Pro
This app leads you through a variety of pushup exercises (with voice instruction) in addition to sending motivational emails from an e-trainer. Pre-set workouts with four difficulty levels.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/push-ups-pro/id486234050?mt=8

Hong Kong: Relax Melodies Oriental Premium
This app lets you personalize your own soothing sounds by intergrating with iTunes songs. Features 38 sound effects, six binaural beats, and 22 music tracks.
http://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/relax-melodies-oriental-premium/id448200679?mt=8

Brazil: Anti Mosquito Sonic Repeller
To enhance your outdoor experience, this app emits a high-frequency sound to fend off mosquitoes. According to the app maker, the pitch of the sound is so high that most humans won't notice.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/anti-mosquito-sonic-repeller/id385921289?mt=8

Spain: iD-Stress
In this app from Le Centre Enlace de Barcelona, a French-English health center, therapist Ana Lombard guides you through a stress-relieving program. Claims to help improve concentration and relieve insomnia.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id-stress/id459140976?mt=8

Japan: Sight Recovery 3D
This app aims to give your eyes a workout by leading you through strengthening exercises based on 3D images.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sight-recover-3d/id453629018?mt=8

Canada: Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
Place your iPhone in your bed and the app works by measuring your movements while you sleep, waking you in a phase of lighter sleep.
http://itunes.apple.com/app/sleep-cycle-alarm-clock/id320606217?mt=8

Ireland: Pro Pts Tracker
This self-contained app (no Internet access required to retrieve database) lets you monitor and track your daily points based on the Weight Watchers system.
http://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/pro-pts-tracker/id454964655?mt=8

 

Visit link:
Top health/fitness apps: track your sex life, buff your biceps, and repel mosquitoes

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqejoZlpYZs

22-02-2012 17:45 ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss reports on Patriots tackle Matt Light considering retirement and Tom Brady dealing with the passing of his mentor Tom Martinez.

Read more:
Light Mulls Retirement - Video

The tsunami of baby boomers rolling into retirement age will continue for the next twenty years, with approximately 10,000 people daily reaching the age of 65. The journey into the retirement years can be surprisingly emotional. Most baby boomers realize they will soon be forced to confront their retirement preparedness. They will also find out if they are mentally ready to retire.

[See 10 Important Ages for Retirement Planning.]

Retirement can generate a variety of conflicting emotions and new challenges to deal with. Here’s a look at some of the emotions that can be part of the retirement mindset:

Anger. Financial losses from the recent recession have taken a bite out of most retirement nest eggs. During the most recent recession, 43 percent of retirees expressed anger at the impact on their retirement plans, and 39 percent remain worried about their financial situation, according to a SunAmerica Financial Group survey. Baby boomers may also experience frustration because they cannot easily make up for lost time and savings. Many people will be forced to continue working and delay retirement beyond their original plans. In addition, many perpetually active baby boomers will need to face their diminishing physical and mental capabilities. It can be frustrating to finally have time to do what you want to do, but not the energy or ability to do it.

[See The 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012.]

Fear. Baby boomers have witnessed their parents aging and know there is no avoiding their own journey down that path. They will be forced to deal with health issues and dependency on others. They may also have to struggle with finding a new purpose in life, avoiding boredom, and staying mentally sharp.

Expectation. Over half of baby boomers (54 percent) view retirement as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, SunAmerica found. Whether experimenting with a new career or pursuing a life-long passion, retirement affords baby boomers the time they need to try something new. Most baby boomers can expect to live long and productive lives. Two-thirds of respondents say their goal is to live a productive life to age 100.

[See 7 Misconceptions About Retired Life.]

Opportunity. Demanding careers prevented many driven baby boomers from spending quality time with family. Although they cannot make up for missed opportunities, seniors now have a second chance to renew family ties and build stronger relationships.

Dave Bernard is not yet retired but has begun his due diligence to plan for a satisfying retirement. With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retiring, he shares his discoveries and insights on his blog Retirement–Only the Beginning.

View post:
Can Baby Boomers Cope with Retirement Realities?

It's a move of desperation: Raiding your retirement plan to get at the cash because life has thrown you a curve ball.

But desperate economic times may call for desperate measures; sometimes you just have to get cash from somewhere. And if that's the case, there are some ways to get at that retirement money before age 59, without paying the hefty 10% penalty which generally applies for touching those funds early.

Of course, it's better not to withdraw money from your 401(k)s or individual retirement accounts before you've retired -- since it is an uphill battle to rebuild savings and few are able to do it.

If you've got emergency savings or taxable accounts, use those funds first. And if you have the ability to take a loan from your 401(k) -- which is generally limited to the one at the company where you now work -- that's a smarter move than an outright withdrawal. However, if you had other options, perhaps you wouldn't be reading this far.

Generally, if you need to take cash out of your retirement plan, whether 401(k) or IRA, before the age of 59, you'll owe income taxes and a 10% penalty for early withdrawal. No matter what, you'll still owe the taxes, but there are situations where you can avoid paying the penalty.

You can generally withdraw penalty-free from a 401(k) or IRA if you become permanently disabled, if you need to pay for medical expenses (if they're above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income), or if you're facing an Internal Revenue Service levy (that's a tough enough one without the extra penalty).

You can also start a regular retirement stream early, or access income from your retirement funds in regular payments for at least five years till you turn 59��.

The rules on IRAs also allow you to take some cash out penalty-free to pay health insurance premiums if you're unemployed, to help you make a first home purchase, or to cover the costs of college tuition and expenses.

The exception that flies under the radar -- and that may be most useful, especially for those in their 50s who are now struggling (or are hoping to retire early) -- is the one where you start an income stream early.

In Internal Revenue Service parlance, you won't face a penalty for withdrawals if you set up "substantially equal periodic payments" or what's sometimes called 72(t) after the section of the tax code.

"There are certain exceptions to the penalty for people who have logical, normal commitments," explains Allison Shipley, a partner in the personal financial services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Miami. "The one I used to focus on with people is making substantially equal periodic payments. If you need to dip into your savings, but you're still trying to manage it for retirement, you could start a distribution program and save on the penalty."

Taking advantage of this "substantially equal periodic payments" strategy involves a little bit of complicated math, as these annuitized payments have to be calculated based on your life expectancy (or one of two alternate, more complex, methods), and you have follow the IRS's rules closely. But your 401(k) administrator or IRA administrator should be able to walk you through it. There also are online calculators, such as one from Bankrate.com, which can help.

Here's how it works: Say you're 50 years old and have $400,000 in an IRA, and you need some cash but hope to avoid the penalty. You'd look up your life expectancy, then divide your account balance by it, repeating this calculation each year with new figures for both your account balance and life expectancy. In this example, cribbed from the IRS's explainer on the topic, that would be $11,696 in the first year. Once you start taking these payments, you have to continue doing so for at least five years or until you turn 59 ��, whichever is longer.

It doesn't give you a huge amount of cash without penalty, but it might just give you enough. After all, the average amount of a hardship withdrawal from a 401(k) was just $5,510, according to a 2011 study by consultants Aon Hewitt.

"I wish I had known about that," says Vicki Contavespi, a public relations executive, who is still rebuilding her retirement savings with new contributions, after raiding it, in dribs and drabs, during a 13-month period of unemployment a decade ago. "I was only taking money out when I desperately needed to take it."

Since the financial crisis began in 2008, not surprisingly, the number of people raiding their retirement funds has increased: At the end of 2010, 28% of active 401(k) participants had loans outstanding, up from 22% five years earlier, and another 7% took withdrawals, up from 5%, according to the Aon Hewitt study.

If you have multiple retirement plans from multiple jobs over the course of your career, you'll need to read the fine print carefully in order to choose which one to tap first.

Not only are the rules for IRAs different from those for 401(k)s, but corporations also may add additional rules on distributions from their own 401(k)s.

"It can be very confusing, and in some cases we're talking about pretty big dollars," says Gil Charney, principal tax research analyst at H&R Block's Tax Institute. "Sometimes it's better to take a distribution from an IRA where a penalty exemption exists than thinking broadly that the penalty exception will exist for the 401(k) when it doesn't."

A final note: If you have a Roth IRA as well as a traditional one, it may make sense to tap the Roth first. That's because you already paid income tax on the money you put in, so if you've held it for five years, and meet the rules for avoiding the penalty, you likely won't have to pay any more tax now.

Hopefully, you'll never have to tap your retirement savings early. But if you do, better to do it wisely. (Editing by Linda Stern and Andrea Evans)

Read more:
How to Raid Your Retirement Plan

With the different features and benefits that apply to the various types of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and plans, choosing the one that is most suitable can give you gray hairs before they are due. In some cases, the process is easier because choices can be narrowed down by eliminating the plans for which an individual is ineligible. In this article, we'll look at some scenarios and the factors that should be considered when you are faced with choosing which IRA is best for your golden years.

See: Introduction To Retirement Plans

Eligible for a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA
For an individual who is eligible for both a Traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, making the choice usually depends on whether the individual is eligible (or wants) to claim the deduction for the Traditional IRA contribution, and the individual's current tax bracket compared to the projected tax bracket during retirement. This choice is determined by which plan results in lower taxes and more income. For more on this see, Roth Or Traditional IRA ... Which Is The Better Choice?

Eligible for a Roth IRA, a Traditional IRA and a Salary Deferral Contribution
For an individual who is eligible for a Traditional IRA contribution, a Roth IRA contribution and a salary deferral contribution to a 401(k) plan, but cannot afford to contribute the maximum amount to the 401(k) plan and the IRA at the same time, a decision must be made as to whether it is more beneficial to choose to make one, two, or all three work. Some of these concepts can also apply if the individual has the option of contributing to both a traditional 401(k) and a Roth 401(k).

Choosing One
Let's take a look at Casey, who works for Company A and is eligible to make a salary deferral to Company A's 401(k) plan.

Casey's annual compensation is $50,000. Casey can afford to contribute only $2,000 each year. Casey feels that the fees that will be charged to each accounts makes it cost prohibitive to split the contribution into more than one account. Therefore, Casey must decide whether it makes better financial sense to contribute to the 401(k) or an IRA. The 401(k) will likely be the better choice if Casey will receive a matching contribution on his salary deferral contribution. Let's look at the growth of his accounts over a 10-year period, assuming a matching contribution of $1 for each $1 Casey contributes, up to 3% of his salary. This means that Casey will receive a matching contribution of $1,500 ($50,000 x 3%).

No Matching Contributions Made
If no matching contribution is being made to the 401(k) account, Casey will need to consider the following:
The investment choices available: Large corporations typically limit investment choices to mutual funds, bonds and money-market instruments. Smaller companies may do the same, but are more likely to allow self-direction of investments, allowing the participant to choose among stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other available investments, similar to the investment options available in a self-directed IRA. If investments in the 401(k) are limited, Casey will need to decide whether he prefers to contribute to an IRA, which would provide a broader range of investments from which to choose. The fees that apply: A hot-button issue will probably always be the fees that are charged to 401(k) accounts. These are not as visible as the fees that are charged to an IRA, leading many participants to believe that 401(k) fees are minimal to non-existent. (To learn more, check out the Department of Labor's report "A Look At 401(k) Plan Fees".) Casey would need to research the fees that apply to the 401(k) plan and compare them with the operational and trade-related fees that apply to the IRA. Accessibility: While retirement savings are intended to accumulate until retirement, situations sometime arise that leave the participant no choice but to make withdrawals or loans from their retirement accounts. Generally, assets in a 401(k) plan cannot be withdrawn unless the participant experiences a triggering event. However, if the plan has a loan feature, Casey could take a loan from his account and repay it within five years (or longer if the loan is to be used for the purchase of a principal residence). IRA assets can be withdrawn at any time. However, except for a rollover contribution, the amount cannot be repaid to the IRA. For information about taking loans from a qualified plan account, see Should You Take A Loan From Your Plan?, Borrowing From Your Plan and Eight Reasons To Never Borrow From Your 401(k).
Professional Investment Management Cost and Availability: If Casey is not proficient in investment management or he does not have the time properly manage his plan investments, he may need to engage the services of a professional investment advisor to make sure his asset allocation model is consistent with his retirement goals and objectives. If Casey's employer provides such services as part of its benefits package to employees, Casey will not incur an additional cost to have a professional manage his investments. This perk may not be available for an IRA unless the employer extends such services to assets outside of its employer-sponsored plan. These points may be well worth considering, even if matching contributions are being made to the 401(k) account. If the matching contributions are significant, they may outweigh the benefits of saving in an IRA instead of a 401(k).

Choosing All Three
Now, let's take a look at TJ, who can afford to fund his 401(k), his Traditional and his Roth IRA. If he can afford to contribute the maximum permissible amounts to all his accounts, then he may have no need to be concerned with how to allocate his savings. On the other hand, let's assume Casey can afford to save only $7,000 for the year. The points of consideration for Casey (above) may also apply to TJ. In addition, TJ may want to consider the following:

Getting the maximum match: If a matching contribution is being made to the 401(k) plan, consider the maximum amount that needs to be contributed to the plan in order to receive the maximum available matching contribution. For instance, if TJ's compensation is $80,000 per year and the matching contribution formula is $1 for $1 up to 3% of compensation, he will need to contribute at least $2,400 to his 401(k) plan in order to receive the maximum available matching contribution of $2,400. Choosing the IRA: Because TJ's IRA contribution will be limited to the dollar amount in effect for the year, he will need to decide whether to choose the Roth IRA, the Traditional IRA or to split the contribution between both.
Which to fund first: It is usually best to make contributions to the retirement accounts early in the year, or a little each month - beginning early in the year so that the assets can start accumulating earnings as soon as possible. Consideration must be given to how matching contributions are made. Some companies contribute the amount in one lump sum at the end of their tax-filing deadline, while others contribute the amounts throughout the year. If the latter applies, making salary deferral contributions to the 401(k) early in the year is recommended. Other Points of Consideration
In addition to the points listed above, individuals should consider other factors such as:
Age and retirement horizon: An individual's retirement horizon and age are always important points of consideration when determining proper asset allocation. However, for individuals who are at least age 50, participating in a plan that includes a catch-up contribution feature can be an attractive choice, especially if the individual is behind in accumulating a retirement nest egg. If this is the case, choosing to participate in a 401(k) plan with a catch-up feature can help to add larger amounts to the nest egg each year.
Purpose of funding a retirement account: While retirement accounts are usually intended to finance one's retirement years, some individuals prefer to leave these accounts to their beneficiaries. If this is the case, consideration must be given as to whether the individual wants to leave tax-free assets to beneficiaries, and whether he or she wants to avoid taking required minimum distribution (RMD) amounts. Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s would allow the individual to pay the taxes owed on the retirement balances during his or her lifetime. For Roth IRAs, the RMD rules do not apply to the IRA owner, allowing a larger balance to be left to beneficiaries.

See: Update Your Beneficiaries.

Conclusion
For those who are eligible to fund multiple types of retirement accounts, choice is not an issue for those who have the money to fund them all. For those who can't, choosing which to fund can be challenging. In many instances, it boils down to whether the individual prefers to take the tax breaks on the back end with Roth accounts, or on the front end with Traditional accounts. The purpose of funding the account, such as retirement versus estate planning, is also an important factor. A competent retirement planning advisor can help those facing these issues to make practical choices.

More From Investopedia

The rest is here:
Which Retirement Plan Is Best?

As the baby boomers begin to enter the retirement years, the concept of retirement is being explored in a variety of films. Many movies have featured retirees going on new adventures and forming new relationships at a time we traditionally associate with slowing down. Check out Hollywood's take on retirement in these seven films.

[See The 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012.]

About Schmidt (2002). This movie begins just as Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson), an insurance company actuary, ticks off the final minutes of his career. Soon afterward his wife, who Schmidt was planning to travel with in retirement, dies. Schmidt then takes a trip to his daughter's wedding in a Winnebago and reflects on his life and future plans.

The Artist (2011). An older silent film star, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), finds himself pushed out of the workforce earlier than planned as silent cinema is replaced by the talkies in this silent film. Meanwhile, a much younger women, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), who Valentin happens to be in love with, rises to success in the new medium.

The Bucket List (2007). Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson play two men who meet by sharing a hospital room while undergoing treatments for terminal cancer. They decide to go on an around-the-world vacation, during which they fulfill a wish list of things to do before they kick the bucket.

[See 7 Misconceptions About Retired Life.]

Gran Torino (2008). Retired auto worker and Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) finds himself growing increasingly alienated from and angry with his family and neighbors. Kowalski strikes up an unusual friendship with the Hmong immigrant family next door when their son, Thao, attempts to steal his 1972 Ford Gran Torino as initiation into a gang. And this retiree refuses to quietly fade away.

The Notebook (2004). Can true love last throughout retirement? This movie makes the case that it can as two retirees (James Garner and Gena Rowlands) in a nursing home relive the summer they met and their dramatic courtship.

Something's Gotta Give (2003). Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton find love after age 50, but not before each has a fling with a younger partner, in this romantic comedy directed by Nancy Meyers.

[See 10 Important Ages for Retirement Planning.]

Up (2009). Retirement is the adventure of a lifetime in this animated Disney-Pixar film. Retired balloon salesman and widower Carl Fredicksen journeys to South America in a floating house with an 8-year-old wildnerness explorer and meets his childhood hero.

Twitter: @aiming2retire

Excerpt from:
7 Movies About Retirement Worth Watching

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuMuxor_k2o

11-02-2012 08:45 GLEE - Full Performance of "Stereo Hearts" airing TUE 2/14 http://www.youtube.com by GleeOnFox Personal channel http://www.youtube.com video review channel http://www.youtube.com Facebook Personal account http://www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com google+ plus.google.com Blog tv http://www.blogtv.com

Read more here:
re: GLEE - Full Performance of "Stereo Hearts" airing TUE 2/14 - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQaRAdS1Dig

13-02-2012 03:23 my thought on Nicki Minaj Live Performance at the grammys awards 2012 Personal channel http://www.youtube.com video review channel http://www.youtube.com Facebook Personal account http://www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com google+ plus.google.com Blog tv http://www.blogtv.com

More here:
Nicki Minaj Live Performance Grammy's Awards 2012 - Video

MANILA, Philippines - The ''institutionalization phase'' gives us one last opportunity to strengthen the links between strategy execution and day-to-day operations. It does entail these additional steps that need to be taken to help sustain in practical terms a governance culture, which needs to be embedded in the heart and mind of every individual. By these steps, the link between ''learning and growth'' - a perspective used in the formulation of the strategy map and therefore of the performance scorecards also - and human resource management becomes strong and substantive.

The first of these additional steps is the link between the personal performance scorecard (a final component of strategy execution) and personnel performance evaluation (a normal operating function of human resource management). In the former, every individual makes a clear and formal commitment to deliver a certain level of performance, using pre-agreed measures and targets. In undertaking the latter function, there is really no further need to look for other measures of personal, individual performance: It is all there in the personal performance scorecard. Furthermore, in providing guidance and counselling to every individual, the other relevant points contained in the personal performance scorecard can provide handy references and a useful guide. These points may include items other than those directly connected with one's job; those other aspects of one's personal life that may have a direct impact upon one's performance at work are usually included in one's personal scorecard.

The second step relates to the imperative of continuing education and training for everyone. This relates directly to the ''learning and growth'' demands of every individual, as governance should open up more opportunities for self-improvement and for advancing one's over-all personal progress. More importantly, the demands of the strategy map would usually require new knowledge, new skills, and new attitudes as added ''equipment'' for personnel faced with higher and newer (perhaps also more sophisticated) demands in their jobs. Productivity improvement programs generally make stringent demands for the continuing education and training of people.

The third step is the provision of opportunities for people to take better care of their physical wellness as well as for them to join up with others in socially relevant causes such as strengthening the family, quality improvement of schools, and deepening the social responsibility of civil society (or at least specific groups within this broad sector). Governance does remind everyone that there is more to life than giving a good account of oneself at work; there is also a wider world for which we are all responsible: That world starts with one's physical well-being as well as with the care one invests in the other social drivers of change and transformation, i.e., the family, the school, socio-economic enterprises and civil society (often in partnership with public governance units).

The demands of the institutionalization phase may take a long time to meet; in fact, they are impossible to meet fully because we can do justice to them only if we try and meet them on a sustained and continuing basis. For as long as we send firm and strong signals that we have started taking all these steps associated with this phase, we can justifiably claim that we are completing our PGS journey. But we all have to understand that such a journey may ''formally end,'' but it never stops. There are always higher dreams and grander visions to realize as we seek to achieve more breakthrough results through the governance framework we have adopted.

See the original post here:
Institutionalization Steps (Part III)

A close cousin to the Editors' Choice Canon imageFormula P-150 Scan-tini ($295 direct, 4 stars), and one small step up in Canon's line, the Canon imageFormula P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner ($325 direct) combines a not quite identical scanner with improved software. The result is an even more attractive package, both as a portable scanner and as a small-size personal desktop scanner. It's also the new Editors' Choice for its category.

The P-215 is so similar to the P-150 that it's hard to see a difference. At 1.6 by 11.2 by 3.7 inches (HWD) and 2.2 pounds, it's just a little bigger (by 0.2 inches in one dimension), a little heavier (by 0.1 pound), and costs just a little more. However it's otherwise nearly identical, with a 20-page automatic document feeder (ADF), duplexing (the ability to scan both sides of a page simultaneously), and even the same claimed speed.

Canon rates both scanners in both grayscale and black and white modes at 15 pages per minute (ppm) for both simplex (one-sided) and duplex (two-sided) scans, and at 30 images per minute (ipm) for duplex (with one image on each side of the page). Color mode is a still reasonable 10 ppm and 20 ipm. Beyond that, the scanners share most of their specifications point for point. However, Canon says that the P-215 adds the ability to scan hard plastic cards, like embossed ID cards and driver licenses.

Setup
One welcome improvement for the P-215 is easier setup for the scanner itself. With the P-150 you had to install a part in the scanner by following confusing instructions. The P-215 comes out of the box ready to work. Setup can be as simple as connecting the supplied USB cable. However, you also have other choices.

The P-215 gets power over the same USB cable it uses for data. It can also get additional power from an optional AC power supply (although it's not available at this writing) or from a second supplied cable that plugs into the scanner's power supply connector on one end and a second computer USB port on the other. Canon says that using the power supply or second cable will boost scan speed, but I didn't see any difference in my tests. Given that different USB ports can supply different levels of power, you may or may not see a difference on your computer.

Software choices
You also have the option whether or not to install software. If you don't want to install any, you can use the Canon CaptureOnTouch Lite utility stored in the scanner's memory. Connect by USB cable, and the computer will see the memory as a USB drive. Depending on how your computer is set up, it will then either launch the utility automatically or let you run it manually.

Alternatively, you can install the full version of CaptureOnTouch, which gives you much more control over the scan settings. You can also install a Twain driver, which will let you scan directly from most Windows programs; Nuance PaperPort 11 for document management and optical character recognition (OCR); NewSoft Presto! BizCard 6 SE for scanning and managing business cards; and connectors for Google Docs, Evernote, and Microsoft Sharepoint.

The software installation is mostly standard. However, it suffers from the same issue as the installation program for the Canon imageFormula DR-C125 ($495 direct, 4 stars) that I recently reviewed. During installation, you need to choose between a Typical or Custom install. With most scanners, the Typical option would install everything. With the P-215, however, it installs only the driver, scan utility, and user manual.

As I pointed out in the DR-C125 review, these choices really should be labeled Minimal and With Programs. At the very least, there should be some additional information explaining what each choice installs. Without it you may well go ahead with the Typical choice and never know that there are other programs available or how to install them.

Choosing Software
I tested the P-215 on a system running Windows Vista and with all four setup options—using one cable and two in combination both with CaptureOnTouch Lite and with the full set of installed software. Adding the second connection made no difference in speed with either software choice. However, the software makes a noticeable difference in usability.

CaptureOnTouch Lite will let you scan to searchable PDF files as well as image PDF, JPG, BMP, and other image file formats. The full version of the utility adds much more control over scan settings, while PaperPort and BizCard 6 add document management, the ability to recognize text and save it in editable format, and the ability to scan and manage business cards. What this adds up to is that unless you have a very good reason not to, you should install the software on your hard disk.

Performance
The P-215 offers a 600 pixel per inch (ppi) optical resolution, which is much more than you need for document scanning. Its default setting is 200 ppi, which is generally sufficient. In my tests, using the default settings of 200 ppi and automatic color detection, scanning to a PDF file, and giving the scan command from PaperPort, a 10 page document in both simplex and duplex modes matched the claimed 10 ppm and 20 ipm for color scans, but took an extra 35 seconds to save the file, so the effective speed was 6.3 ppm and 12.6 ipm. That's an acceptable speed even for a personal desktop scanner. For a portable scanner it's blazingly fast.

Much more important is that the P-215 doesn't slow down when you scan directly to a searchable PDF file. Only a few other scanners, mostly from Canon, can manage this trick. The DR-C125, for example, doesn't slow down at all for text recognition, and the P-150 adds just a few seconds. In contrast, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 ($295, 3.5 stars), like most scanners, takes a significant amount of extra time for text recognition, at 1 minute 43 seconds to scan 10 pages and save to an image file, compared with 2:37 to scan and recognize the text.

In addition to its fast scan speed, the P-215 scored well on our other tests also. Scanning to Word format, the combination of the scanner and PaperPort read our Times New Roman test page at sizes as small as 5 points and our Arial test page at sizes as small as 6 points without a mistake. Few scanners we've tested have done anywhere near as well for OCR accuracy.

Results for business cards were mixed. The scanner had trouble feeding stacks of cards, so I needed to manually feed some of them one at a time. The speed was also slow enough—at about 25 seconds per card—that a fast typist could do the job in less time than it takes to scan and then check the results. However, the accuracy was good enough to be useful, with errors on fewer than half of the cards, and most of those having only one or two errors.

Despite the lackluster results on our business card tests, the Canon imageFormula P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner is more than a little impressive. It's fast, particularly for scanning to searchable PDF format; it offers an ADF and duplexing; and its text recognition is unusually accurate. The combination makes it a standout winner, both as a capable personal desktop scanner and even more so as a portable scanner that doesn't force you to make compromises. By any measure, it's an easy pick for Editors' Choice.

More Scanner Reviews:
•   Canon imageFormula P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner
•   Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300
•   Brother DS-700D
•   Canon imageFormula DR-C125
•   Kodak P570 Personal Photo Scanner
•  more

Go here to see the original:
Canon imageFormula P-215 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner