Like most people in business, I am given dozens of cards every week and keeping track of the names and addresses is a nightmare.

That was until I tried the CardScan Executive colour card scanner This clever device allows you to drop a business card into a tray where it is picked up and automatically rolled through a scanner.

The digital information gathered is processed using optical character recognition (OCR) and entered into a filing system.

The manufacturers say it works with ACT!, Lotus Notes, Lotus Organiser, Windows CE equipment, Handspring devices and Psion palmtops.

Setting it up was a breeze.

The software installed quickly and my computer recognised the scanner immediately.

The scanning process is very quick. I connected via a USB cable and scanned my first card less than ten minutes after opening the box.

I scanned 20 cards in about ten minutes. A few minor corrections were needed but the whole process was painless.

The CardScan is intuitive and will save hours or secretarial time. Not cheap, but tough and capable of a hard day's work.

Price: £269.90.

Contact: 01438 818 800.

Feel good factor: 9 out of 10.