The Amulet of Avarice is a powerful artifact that has been spoken about in legends and folklore. It is said to possess the ability to bestow great wealth and fortune upon its wearer, but at a terrible cost. The amulet is said to have been created by a powerful warlock centuries ago, who sought to harness the energy of greed and avarice to his advantage. According to the legends, the amulet is a small, intricately designed pendant made of pure gold. The front of the pendant features a striking image of an eye, often depicted as glowing with an intense light. Many believe that this eye represents the all-seeing nature of greed, always searching for more wealth and power.
Many believe that this eye represents the all-seeing nature of greed, always searching for more wealth and power. Those who obtain the Amulet of Avarice are said to experience an immediate increase in their financial wealth. Riches seem to flow towards them effortlessly, and their material desires are effortlessly fulfilled.
VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDSDK-ST470-VP) Review
The VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDSDK-ST470-VP) is both a highly portable wand scanner and, when mounted in its dock, a manual-feed scanner, too.
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Pros
- Scans without a computer.
- Works as both wand scanner by itself and as a manual-feed scanner with its dock.
Cons
- Comes without required microSD memory card.
Similar in many ways to the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDS-ST450-VP) that it's in the process of replacing, the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand with AutoFeed Dock PDSDK-ST470-VP ($140 list) offers the same dual personality as a both a wand scanner and manual-feed scanner, but delivers one key extra. Thanks to its 1.5-inch color LCD, you can see a thumbnail of each scan and zoom in to check scan quality on the spot. That's enough to make it a lot more useful for scanning originals that you won't be able to rescan easily later if the first scan didn't come out well.
Being able to preview a thumbnail image is, admittedly, a second-best solution. Much better is being able to send the scan to a smartphone or tablet by Wi-Fi to preview it at a larger size, as you can with the Brother DSmobile 820W manual-feed scanner that I recently reviewed or the Editors' Choice VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Wi-Fi PDSWF-ST44-VP .
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That said, a thumbnail preview is a lot better than nothing. And in combination with the dock that turns this wand scanner into a manual-feed scanner, it makes the PDSDK-ST470-VP($169.88 at Amazon) one of the better choices for wand scanners.
Basics and Setup
Much like the VuPoint PDS-ST450-VP, the PDSDK-ST470-VP scanner offers the same portability you get with any wand scanner, with both a small size, at 1.1 by 10.5 by 1.5 inches (HWD), and light weight, at seven ounces.
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The dock weighs another one pound five ounces, which is enough that you might not want to bring it with you. It also needs a power source, which means you have to connect it by the supplied USB cable to either a computer or the supplied power adaptor, with the adaptor plugged into an outlet. The good news is that even though the weight and need for a power source make the dock less portable than it could be, it earns points for being easy to use. I found I could snap the scanner into place or remove it in less than a second.
In addition to its dock, USB cable, and power block, the scanner comes with a permanently installed rechargeable battery and Abbyy FineReader 9.0 Sprint for optical character recognition (OCR). Unfortunately, it doesn't come with microSD or microSDHC card. That's important to know before you buy the scanner, since you can't scan without one. According to VuPoint Solutions, you can use cards with up to a 32GB capacity.
Setup is easy. Plug in a memory card, charge the battery by connecting to a computer or power outlet, and optionally install FineReader on your computer. When the battery finishes charging, you're ready to scan.
Scanning
The scanner offers slightly different resolution choices depending on whether you're using it by itself or with the dock. As a wand scanner you can set the resolution to 300, 600, or 1,050 pixels per inch (ppi), set the color mode to color or grayscale, and set the file format to JPG, image PDF for A4 size paper, or image PDF for letter-size paper. Snap it into the dock, and the color mode and file format choices remain the same, but the resolution choices change to 300, 600, and 1,200 ppi.
After choosing your settings, you can scan as a wand scanner by staring with the scanner at the top or side of a page, pressing the scan button, and then sweeping down or across the page. If you're using the dock, you feed the page far enough for the rollers to grab it, and let go. Using the dock, I timed the scan at roughly 11 to 15 seconds, depending on the resolution setting.
After scanning you can see thumbnails of your scans and zoom in on them to check scan quality. The feature is limited however. You can only scroll up and down when you're zoomed in, not right and left. In addition, the aspect ratio on the previews is off, so everything looks relatively longer and thinner than the actual scan. It's easy enough to discount the distortion, but it could lead you to overlooking an actual problem in scan quality.
As with most scanners that scan without a computer, you can move the scan files to your computer either by physically moving the card or by connecting to the computer with a USB cable, letting the computer recognize the card as a USB drive, and copying the files. You also have the option of either connecting the USB cable directly to the scanner or connecting it to the dock, with the scanner mounted in the dock.
Results
Given that Abbyy FineReader is the only program the scanner comes with, there were only two applications I could test the scanner for: optical character recognition (OCR) and document management. It did reasonably well on both, although the lack of an automatic document feeder and duplexing (two-sided scanning), puts limits the maximum possible score in both cases.
For OCR, the combination of the scanner and FineReader did a good job, recognizing text on our Times New Roman test page at 10 points and on our Arial page at 8 points without a mistake at 300 ppi. It also helps that FineReader can turn multiple individual files with one page each into a single, multi-page text file for editing. For document management, similarly, it can turn multiple pages into a single, multi-page searchable PDF file.
I'd like this scanner even more if you could run the dock from batteries, if it had a better preview function, or both. As it is, if you want a portable manual feed scanner that doesn't need a computer and can run on batteries, you should take a look at the Brother DSmobile 820W. And if you don't need the manual feed at all, you should consider the Editors' Choice PDSWF-ST44-VP, with its Wi-Fi capability. If you need both a wand and manual-feed scanner, however, the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand With AutoFeed Dock (PDSDK-ST470-VP) can easily fill both slots.
By wearing the amulet, individuals are said to gain unwavering success in their businesses, investments, or any money-making endeavor they pursue. However, the newfound wealth and success come at a great price. As the amulet feeds off the wearer's greed and avarice, it begins to corrupt their soul. The wearer becomes consumed by their desire for more wealth and power, losing sight of their morals and values in the process. Relationships and friendships are often sacrificed in favor of pursuing more wealth, leading to a lonely and isolated existence. The legends warn that those who become too consumed by the amulet's power are doomed to suffer a terrible fate. Some tell tales of wearers who ultimately turned to thievery, murder, or other criminal activities in their desperate pursuit of riches. Others suggest that the amulet itself possesses a malevolent sentience, leading its wearers down a path of self-destruction. Despite the warnings and tales of its dangers, many still seek the Amulet of Avarice, believing that the rewards outweigh the risks. It is said to be hidden away in a secret location, guarded by traps, illusions, and powerful enchantments. Only those deemed worthy by the amulet itself are able to find and possess it. In conclusion, the Amulet of Avarice is a powerful artifact that promises great wealth and success to its wearer. However, the price to be paid is one's own soul and moral compass. The legends surrounding the amulet serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked greed and the pursuit of material wealth..
Reviews for "The Art of Creating and Blessing an Amulet of Avarice"
1. Sarah - 1 star
I was really disappointed with "Amulet of Avaroce". The storyline was predictable and lacked originality. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with any of them. Additionally, the pacing was extremely slow, causing the story to drag on unnecessarily. Overall, I found the book to be unengaging and not worth the time or money.
2. John - 2 stars
"Amulet of Avaroce" had the potential to be an interesting fantasy read, but it fell flat for me. The world-building was weak, leaving many unanswered questions and gaps in the lore. The writing style was average at best, with dialogue that felt forced and unnatural. The plot twists were predictable and didn't offer any real surprises. I was hoping for a captivating and immersive experience, but unfortunately, this book didn't deliver.
3. Emily - 2 stars
I had high expectations for "Amulet of Avaroce", but it didn't live up to the hype. The protagonist was unrelatable and lacked motivation, making it hard to root for them. The romance subplot felt forced and unnecessary, adding nothing to the overall plot. The book also had several grammar and punctuation errors, which distracted me from fully enjoying the story. Overall, I found this book to be a letdown and wouldn't recommend it to others.
4. Michael - 1 star
"Amulet of Avaroce" was a complete waste of my time. The writing was amateurish, with awkward sentences and repetitive phrases throughout. The author's attempts at creating suspense and tension fell flat, making the story feel dull and predictable. The plot was disjointed and lacked cohesion, with subplots that added nothing substantial to the overall narrative. I struggled to finish the book, and in the end, I was left unsatisfied and disappointed.