The need to convert paper into digital information has existed for a long time. There is a long history of attempts to solve the problem with dedicated hardware devices. Take a look at a few:
My favorite is the $35,000 book scanner on the top middle part of the image.
Why are their so many attempts? I think it due to the pain involved in organizing physical things. Search allows us to pile all of our digital files on our computers and the web without much thought to organization. There is no analogy in the physical world. It simply takes a lot of time to write or type lists of physical things. As a result, companies keep trying to make it easier.
Why have so many failed? Some of these devices make you wonder who would ever buy them. Yet others are nice solutions but expensive and not flexible. Most of them can only capture one type of information: a book, or a whiteboard, or a bar code. Outside of their specific use, they are as good as door stops.
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