Adobe Scan can now automatically turn business cards into phone contacts

By Hillary K. Grigonis Published June 19, 2018

Adobe

Artificial intelligence could soon make manually typing up information off a business card a thing of the past. Adobe Scan, the smartphone scanning app, can now recognize business cards and automatically import them into the contacts on a smartphone. Adobe announced the AI-focused update to Adobe Scan on June 19, which also brings new PDF creation tools into Microsoft Office 365.

Adobe Scan uses Sensei to import contacts

After taking a photo of a business card with Adobe Scan’s built-in camera, Adobe’s Sensei A.I. automatically corrects for shadows and perspective distortion. Adobe says the app can even recognize and crop out a finger holding onto one edge.

Recommended Videos

With the image converted into something that looks more like it came from an actual scanner, Adobe Scan moves to the next step of text recognition. Sensei is smart enough to tell a business card apart from other documents and when a business card is detected, the app adds a “save to contacts” button. Tapping that option will send the information, including name, phone number, company name, and email address, into a new contact on the user’s smartphone.

The 1-year-old app already boasts 10 million downloads, and business card recognition is simply the latest in a series of a new A.I.-based features that Adobe has introduced to Scan recently.

Microsoft 365 gains new PDF tools

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Coming in the month of the 25th anniversary of Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office users will notice a new ribbon inside the software family following an update to Adobe Document Cloud. That new shortcut adds Adobe Acrobat original PDF tools. Users can now use the Adobe PDF option in the top menu ribbon to create a PDF, including the option to add an e-signature.

The ongoing Microsoft and Adobe partnership also brings options to create and edit PDFs inside SharePoint and OneDrive. The reverse is also true for both programs — PDFs can be converted into Word, Excel, PowerPoint or .rft files from SharePoint and OneDrive.

Toady’s announcements also include updates to Adobe Sign for business, including a new user interface with the tool inside Microsoft Dynamics. Adobe Sign also sees updates to help companies comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is now authorized by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program as an e-sign tool.

Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

Topics

Phones

Setting up your dorm desk? These are the phone stands I’d actually spend my money on

From a $2 folding stand to a three-in-one Apple charging dock, these are the phone stands worth setting up this semester.

Analog Clock, Clock, Electronics

A phone stand is one of the smallest purchases on any back-to-school list, but it's also one of the easiest to get wrong, especially since there are dozens of options available on Amazon. A good phone stand is one that does its job well and, more importantly, doesn't put much of a dent in your budget.

This is one of those product categories where you don’t need to spend big, unless a MagSafe dock or a multi-device charging stand is genuinely useful for your desk or dorm setup. That is why this list begins with the most affordable options and works its way up to the more expensive ones. From a two-pack that costs about as much as a coffee to a three-in-one Apple charging station, I picked eight of Amazon's best-reviewed phone stands worth considering this back-to-school season.

Phones

I picked four wireless chargers so you can stop making your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch fight over one dorm outlet

The best back-to-school wireless chargers for dorm desks, study spaces, and travel

Computer, Electronics, Laptop

A dorm-room desk can disappear surprisingly quickly beneath a laptop charger, phone cable, Apple Watch puck, and the growing collection of adapters required to power them all. Add textbooks and other academic materials, and finding enough room to study becomes the first assignment of the semester.

A wireless charging stand can consolidate several of those cables into one station. It also gives your phone a dedicated place to sit, which helps when you are checking the time or watching a lecture. Every charger here still needs one connection to the wall. So finding a peripheral that works with all of your gadgets isn't just convenient, it's smart. I picked four models ranging from an inexpensive two-device stand to a fast 25W wireless charger capable of powering an entire Apple setup.

Phones

Your backpack needs one of these power banks before classes start

I picked 4 power banks that can survive your longest day on campus

Anker Nano 3-in-1 10,000mAh portable power bank for iPhone.

Finding an empty outlet on campus can require more patience than registering for a popular class. Common spaces like libraries or lecture halls rarely have sockets in the right places. So a good power bank gives you far more freedom. It gives you the option to choose the quiet corner of the library, work outside between classes, or even finish an assignment without worrying about your laptop's battery.

The right model depends on what you carry, since a phone needs far less power than a MacBook or gaming laptop. I picked four Anker power banks that cover everything from everyday phone charging to running several demanding devices at once.