Microsoft Office Lens Scans Notes and Documents into Office Format

iOS/Android: Document and note scanning is nothing new. However, Microsoft has decided to enter the game with an advantage only it can offer: excellent Office integration.

Office Lens, as the new app is called, can scan documents "from any angle" (though you should still probably aim for a head-on image) and automatically fix its perspective, crop it, and clean it up. It can also do other typical OCR tricks like pulling contact info off a business card.

Office Lens can export your notes in a variety of formats including JPEG, PDF, and Office filetypes like Word or Powerpoint. The latter comes with some extra tricks. For example, if you save a note in Powerpoint format, the app will make hand-drawn images and text into objects you can arrange separately. All scans can also be exported directly to OneNote or OneDrive.

The tight Office integration gives Office Lens a leg up over similar OCR scanners. It's out right now for iOS, but Android users will need to join a beta in order to get access to the preview version.

Office Lens (Preview) | Google+ via The Verge

Office Lens | iTunes App Store