A Lot To Like About A Printer That Connects To The Web
Jun 24th, 2009 by admin
Just very recently, HP announced the imminent release of its new Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web, basically a printer that connects to the World Wide Web. Despite it being a technological milestone of sorts, it didn’t stop some people from wondering out loud, “Now why would we want a printer like that?” Well, here’s why we think it’s something you would like to get your hands on.
Printing Web-stored pictures:
The rapid development of digital cameras and the emergence of online photo sharing sites have triggered a shooting frenzy among youngsters and hobbyists alike. With these two technologies, it’s so easy to shoot an image, upload it to Photobucket, Flickr, Fotki, Kodak Easy Share or what have you, and share them with your friends.
Well, that’s fine and dandy until some relatives or friends drop by to catch up on lost time. Before this digital age, people bonded by sharing albums pretty much like we share albums online except that they were done in the comfort of a couch or the floor. If you had 5 visitors coming over, then they were able to view 5 different albums - of course, looking at different sets of pictures at the same time.
Today, you might invite them all to crowd in front of a single computer screen. So you can go like, “You don’t have a good view? Don’t worry, I’ll just swing the screen in your direction from time to time.”. Unless of course you decide to ask each of them to bring their own notebooks and share files through Wi-Fi … Wow. “Don’t have a notebook? Buy one before coming over.”
Then again, you could simply tell them, “Hey, I’ve got some pictures that I’d like you all to see. I’ve got an account on Flickr. You can all view them there when you get home… Don’t have an Internet connection yet? Just drop by the nearest Internet cafe … ah ok, so you’re using Shutterfly? It’s ok, I’ll just include your email address.”
Now, tell me, where’s the fun there? Wouldn’t it have been better had you been able to share your pictures right then and there? Would you rather laugh alone in front of your computer screen than with your buddies?
Hardcopies of your pictures are still indispensable. Sure, you can share images online to your online friends. It’s also best to store them there if you want to keep them safe and easily accessible whenever you need them. But there are still times when you should print a copy to store in albums in your home.
With this printer, you simply navigate to the app that links to your online photo storage, select an image, and print. There’s no need to boot up your PC. With the quality of inks they sell these days, it’s easy to produce remarkably vivid pictures.
Maps and Calendars:
Are you planning on vacationing somewhere and need to bring a map along? How about a hard copy of a busy day’s itinerary? You’ll be delighted to know that HP has partnered with Google on this this project. Yup, that means Google Maps and Calendar will be easily accessible from customized applications on this printer, allowing you to print maps and schedules seamlessly.
News on paper:
Do you already have one of those expensive e-book readers? If not, then you can still grab a hold of the latest news on the simple, familiar, and comfortable surface called PAPER. With the current USAToday-customized application, readers can print out monthly, weekly, or daily updates. They can even choose which topics should appear, e.g., sports, business, world, etc.
Since this device allows for two-sided printing, it’s going to turn out to be quite economical.
Movie Tickets:
Through Fandango, people are already enjoying the benefits of online movie ticket purchases. As it teams up with HP, these purchases are made even simpler. Imagine being able to choose movies running on your local theater through the touch-screen on your printer. There’s even a preview feature where you can watch movie trailers.
Once you’ve selected, say “Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen”, you just need to print the ticket out, grab some popcorn, head straight to the movie ticket booth, and watch Megan Fox blow up some nasty robots … Oh, did I mention you don’t have to wait in line anymore?
