Tech Trends: A look into the latest dental and general technology on the market

Linq (Free, offers in-app purchases, Linq, LLC)

As COVID-19 restrictions ease leading up to more in-person professional events, networking takes on a whole new meaning in this pandemic era. Physical business cards, long a mainstay of networking tools for in-person meetings, may not provide enough relevant information or ease of use in this digital age. Linq brings modern networking through digital business cards and products aimed at sharing customized information quickly and easily.

Linq is a networking platform that starts with a customizable user profile page and requires signing up for a free account using an email address or a mobile phone number. This page can include a profile picture, description, contact card information, social media profile icons, custom links, photo galleries, files and text. More advanced features, such as embedded videos and music, forms, calendar integrations and additional profile pages, are available with a paid subscription to Linq Pro. Users can share their profile page to others using a simple QR code that can be sent through email or text, copied to the clipboard or added to their mobile phone digital wallet for easy access. The QR code contains a link that points to the user profile page, where connections can be established and contact information can be downloaded. The platform can be accessed entirely through the web browser. For a more integrated experience, users can download the mobile app for iOS or Android. A wide array of business products is available for purchase, such as bracelets, cards, Apple Watch bands and more, to help users connect their profile with other people while networking. These products either use a QR code or are NFC-enabled to link recipients to a user profile on the platform. The core features of the platform with a free account offer many options to share information and network, but users who want to further customize their profiles and experience may want to consider supplementing their accounts with products or a subscription to Linq Pro.

Returning to fully in-person networking is sure to happen. For nearly the past two years, the entire world has grown accustomed to virtual meetings. Linq offers a modern way to network by taking the advancements learned virtually and providing an in-person connection experience that is both robust and versatile.

— Hubert Chan, DDS

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Qlone (Free, offers in-app purchases, EyeCue Vision Technologies)

Every day, new scanners, printers and display devices are coming on the market aiming to push the envelope on what can be accomplished in the 3D technology space. One such innovation is the mobile app Qlone, “an all-in-one tool for 3D scanning.” The app claims that scanning is “super fast,” “super easy” and allows for exporting of files in popular formats like STL, OBJ and PLY. A notable characteristic is that Qlone is optimized to scan smaller objects like figurines, candy bars and sunglasses as opposed to larger objects and locations that are the focus of other competing scanning applications. Qlone has free and paid versions, and both were evaluated in this review.

For those interested in the free Qlone product, the app is limited to a primitive scanning experience. Before scanning, a printed paper mat must be placed under the object of interest. With this mat in place, Qlone creates a virtual dome over the object and users are prompted to circumnavigate the object to complete the scan. After scanning in the free version, models can be viewed and edited. Matless scanning, file exporting and automatically animating the objects are available for the premium version only. The matless scanning is almost worth the price of the upgrade by itself, and combined with file exporting, makes it the clearly superior option. Both versions can wrap photos around scanned objects to create visually appealing models. File sharing in the premium version is easy to navigate, though the user interface is cluttered. Despite the visual appeals, scanning apps are best judged by scan quality, and unfortunately, Qlone scans are not detailed enough to be used clinically. Scans of casts do not contain clear finish lines or occlusal anatomy. Ultimately, Qlone is a convenient, easy-to-use scanning app for the tinkerer, but is of limited use for a clinician looking to enhance their digital workflows.

— Alexander Lee, DMD