Increased confidence in, and acceptance of, cordless hand-held scanners may be obtained through a cordless hand-held scanner with improved user feedback. In an illustrative embodiment, the state of one or more indicators is changed as a result of feedback from a coupled host processor. The indicators are set to a first (or pending) state when a scan is performed, and remain in the first state up until the time the host feedback is received. The indicators are set to a second (or successful) state if the feedback indicates the host successfully received the scan data. The indicators are set to a third (or failure) state if the feedback indicates the host failed to properly receive the scan data. Obtaining timely confirmation that the host processor has received the scan successfully leads to increased confidence in, and acceptance of, the cordless hand-held scanner.