Nuggets: Luvly Jubbly cheap USB scanners

A couple of cheapish USB flatbed scanners for you today

Umax's offering is the Astra 2000U, a 36-bit single pass scanner, with a resolution of 600x1200dpi. The VistaScan 3.5 scanner interface includes VistaAccess to add an easy access button to the toolbar and VistaShuttle to walk you through making cards, email, screensavers etc. Image-enhancement tools include highlight and shadow, gamma adjustment, tonal curve and colour matching. The software bundle includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0, Presto! PageManager and Caere OmniPage LE. In the shops now for £89.

Or for a tenner less you could have Microtek's Phantom C6. Not much difference between the two in terms of specs, although with the Phantom you do get a choice of USB or parallel port connection. On the software side of things you get Caere OmniPage LE, Ulead PhotoAssistant, Ulead PhotoExpress and Adobe PhotoDeluxe. £79, out now.

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There's a stupidly simple Nuggets competition going on at the mo (erm, very cool Mitsubishi flat panel monitor and a Clik drive). Click here -- it's free and you could end up with a groovy prize.