The system is called Ignite, and it would allow teachers to send pages of printed tests with handwritten answers into these new machines, where it would then spit out the graded versions on the other side. On top of that, the machines can be programmed to keep track of which students do poorly on which questions, and relay these findings back to the teacher.

With this new technology, Xerox hopes to obviously save time for teachers and allow them to focus more on other tasks that machines simply aren’t able to accomplish. Ignite needs some user input first before it can get going with its automated process, however. Teachers have to enter in the test and an answer key, as well as tell the software what the questions are about in the first place.

The new technology has already been involved in real-world testing in New York, and it seems users are impressed so far with the results. Xerox plans to have Ignite ready in time for when school starts back up later this year in the fall. No pricing details have been announced yet.

[via Democrat and Chronicle]

The Cube is available now on Staples.com, and will eventually be available in a select number of Staples store by the end of June. The Cube costs $1,300, which is quite a bit less than MakerBot’s offerings, which usually start at around $2,000. The printer is able to print objects that are up to 5.5-inches wide and tall.

The Cube features WiFi and is compatible with both Mac and Windows. Plus, the printer comes with 25 free 3D templates to get you off to a quick start, with more templates available online. Staples is also selling ABS and PLA plastic cartridge refills, CubeSticks, and replacement Cube Print Pads. We heard late last year that Staples would be starting its own 3D-printing service, so perhaps this is the first baby step into that realm.

The 3D-printing community hasn’t gone quite mainstream yet, as it’s still very much a niche hobby at this point, but with the beginning of selling 3D printers in major retail chains, the awareness for 3D printing may go up, encouraging more people to get into the hobby and create an even larger community around it.

The imageCLASS MF8280Cw offers a printing speed of 14-pages per minute for both color and black-and-white prints. The printer takes advantage of both Pure Black and Auto Graduation Adjustment technologies for producing consistent and accurate prints. There’s a 150-sheet cassette, a 50-sheet auto document feeder, as well as a single-sheet tray that serves multiple purposes.

The slightly more robust imageCLASS MF8580Cdw offers a printing rate of 21-pages per minutes for both color and black-and-white prints. Prints can be made remotely, and can be done via out-of-the-box duplex printing. There’s support for two-sided faxing, scanning, and copying, which can be performed via the printer’s seven-line display. The MF8580Cdw allows scans to be faxed and emailed directly from the printer. There’s a 250-sheet front cassette, 50-sheet duplex, 50-sheet multi-purpose tray, as well as an extended capacity 250-sheet cassette that is optional.

Both printers are compatible with Google Cloud Print, as well as Canon’s iOS app “Canon Mobile Printing.”

Canon’s Vice President and General Manager of its Business Imaging Solutions Group Sam Yoshida said, “To remain competitive in this market, home and office users need workhorse products that produce professional quality output at affordable prices. The new Color imageCLASS laser multifunction printers are high-performance machines that include necessary functions such as wireless connectivity to help create an efficient work environment.”

[via Canon]

The two printing heads allow for printing more complex objects, and whereas the Replicator 2 uses PLA filament, the 2X uses ABS filaments. However, the 2X is supposed to run more smoothly, and print in multiple colors, as well as even multiple materials. The 2X will also be able to print at a 100-micron resolution.

The Replicator has a slightly redesigned chassis, and among the updated features of the new design are an aluminum build platform and print area that’s enclosed by plastic windows. The benefit is that the build area retains heat better than the open chassis of past models from the company, allowing for faster and more reliable printing.

MakerBot will begin taking pre-orders for the Replicator 2X on January 11, and the company says it will begin shipping the printer to customers by mid-March. As for the price, you’re looking at something close to what a high-end MacBook Pro would cost — $2,799 to be exact.

The MG6320 and MG5420 are all-in-one (AIO) printers, both of which offer wireless connectivity and can print a 6-inch x 4-inch photograph in approximately 21 seconds at max color. The MG6320 features six color tanks, while the MG5420 offers five; the six tank on the MG6320 is grey. Both printers support Full HD Movie Print, which allows high-quality prints to be made from HD videos recorded with PowerShot and Canon EOS cameras and VIXIA camcorders.

The PIXMA iP7220 wireless printer isn’t an all-in-one, and is aimed at consumers who want a simple, yet feature-rich, photo printer without the extra cost associated with AIOs. The iP7220 has a print rate of 15 images per minute in black and white, and 10 images per minute in color. Like the other printers, it can print a color 4 x 6 in about 21 seconds. Last but not least is the CanoScan, which is a consumer-level photo and document scanner offering 9600x9600dpi for film and 4800×4800 for everything else. The scanner includes an adapter for scanning 35mm film strips.

While none of the devices are available yet, Canon has given us estimated selling prices. The PIXMA MG6320 AIO printer has an estimated selling price of $199.99, while the MG5420 AIO printer is a bit lower at $149.99. The PIXMA iP7220 printer, meanwhile, is the lowest of the three printers, with an estimated selling price of $99.99. The CanoScan 9000F Mark II Photo Scanner is the same as the MG6320 at $199.99.

The HP Hotspot LaserJet Pro M1218nfs is the first of its kind to include a WiFi hotspot directly in the printer, and it’s aim specifically for small offices and home offices alike. HP’s Smart Install makes it easy to install the printer by letting you set up it up without the need to install any software.

Nitin Hiranandani, Director of Printing at HP India says that this new printer “completely redefines the role a multifunction printer can play in a SOHO or small business environment.” We have to agree with Nitin on that one — the built-in WiFi hotspot may sound like a weird feature to have in a printer, but in a business, you can never have too many hotspots.

The new printer is selling in India starting today, with a cost of 18,300 rupees (around $330). There’s no word on whether the printer will arrive stateside or even in other countries, but we’d be surprised if HP skipped over the US, simply because there are probably a ton of small businesses that could definitely use a printer like this.

[via The Times of India]

Kodak won’t be jumping out of the printer business entirely, though. Even though they’re dumping all of their consumer inkjet printers out the window, the company plans to continue its business in the commercial printing industry. The market for consumer-level inkjet printers hasn’t been on any kind roll lately, since a lot of users are going digital and sharing documents over computers and mobile devices.

We’re also not too surprised that Kodak is killing yet another part of their business. Earlier in the year they dropped their digital camera business shortly after they filed for bankruptcy. And later in the year, they recorded a $366 million loss. Kodak expects to lay off 200 more people, on top of the 2,700 they already laid off this year.

Kodak said it expects to lose $90 million just for shutting down its consumer printing business. However, the company will continue to support its current inkjet printers by continuing to sell ink to its existing customers. The company also mentioned that it may abandon its efforts to auction of 1,000 of its digital imaging patents (which was attracting little attention anyway), and set up a new licensing company to help repay creditors instead.

[via Fox Business]

Above: HP’s Houston, Texas Campus photographed at their 2011 Making of Elite tour

HP’s Personal Systems Group, aka the group HP was considering spinning off last year but changed their minds on before the spin could begin, was an object of some interest today. Even though revenue was flat for HP’s PSG with a 5.5% operating margin, Commercial revenue increased 3%. While Consumer revenue declined 4%, Desktop units went up 5% and Notebooks went down 6%.

Also included in the call was HP’s printers in their Imaging and Printing Group with a loss of business of 15 percent with a 4 percent loss loss in commercial revenue. Overall HP’s printer business slid 10 percent downward when compared to the same quarter last year. Meg Whitman attempted to pad the situation with a note that there was a “lot of excitement” surrounding the new HP multifunction color printers when they were revealed recently – we shall see how that all pans out.

The reorganization will reportedly remove IPG executive VP Vyomesh Joshi and put Todd Bradley in charge of the combined business unit. Merging the two groups is expected to simplify and streamline operations and reduce costs. The products between the two groups also correlate and are sold to the same consumers and businesses, which makes more sense in selling them together.

The IPG has been one of HP’s greatest revenue generators, selling more printers than anyone else in the world and making more on ink cartridges and other supplies. However, the group has seen a decline in recent years, largely due to supply chain problems. The PSG, on the other hand, was almost spun off last year under former CEO Leo Apotheker before he was replaced by Meg Whitman, who believes the PC business was important for HP to keep.

The researchers say they have created a solution that can essentially vaporize ink from pages that have been printed with toner ink, allowing end users to print new content on paper that has already been used and in effect creating an eco-friendly answer to the question of how to recycle paper after it’s already been used. For now, it’s not something that could be released on a commercial level, but scientists hope that will change.

“When you fire the laser, it hits the thin toner layer and heats it up until the point that you vaporise it. Toner is mostly composed of carbon and a plastic polymer. It’s the polymer in the toner that is vaporised,” explained David Leal-Ayala, head of the research project, in a BBC interview. Their research has been published in the Proceedings of The Royal Science A journal.

[via BBC]

The PIXMA MG8220 and MG6220 wireless AIO printers can be connected wirelessly to your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. The Canon Easy-PhotoPrint mobile app will be needed for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets and has now been upgraded to allow PDFs to print directly. Users can also scan documents on the printer to be sent to a compatible wireless device.

An exclusive feature for these two printers is the ability to print select Google Docs and Gmail attachments from any accessible device. Registered users of Canon Image Gateway or Picasa Web Albums can also wirelessly print photos from those locations directly through the printer without the need for a computer.

The Easy-PhotoPrint EX has been upgraded with Fun-Filter Effects such as Firsh-Eye, Miniature, and Toy Camera. There’s also an option to selectively soften or blur certain areas of an image to create a shallow depth-of-field effect. CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs can also be directly printed on using these two printers for plenty of fun and creative personalization.

Full HD Movie Print allows for the capture of still images from videos recorded on compatible HD Canon EOS and PowerShot Digital Cameras, like the Powershot SX150 IS introduced earlier today. There’s aslo a new layout feature that can print up to 72 individual stills onto one sheet.

The printers will go on sale sometime later this year with the MG6220 priced at $199 and the MG8229 priced at $299. The latter model adds a Film Adapter Unit for converting negatives to a digital format as well as a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen and double-sided printing.

[via Canon]

In fact, Morgan Stanley expects a decline of up to two percent in printer supplies revenue in 2011 and a two percent to five percent decline in 2012. According to their report on the tablet market:

“CIOs in the enterprise space already expect to cut spending on printer supplies in 2011. As the installed base of tablets–a digital document viewer that reduces the need to print both standard black and white documents and expensive color presentations–grows, we expect printed page volumes to shrink. What’’s more, 90% of iPad users already believe they would print less with access to work documents on their tablets.”

So it only makes sense that HP, the printer company (well, partly), would want to get into the tablet market. Hopefully they, and WebOS, can differentiate themselves enough to make that work.

Meanwhile, printing revenues will continue to decline, and tablets will become more and more widespread and affordable.

[via AllThingsDigital]

A lovely designer by the name of Kim Neill, aka Kim Creative Star, took the time to create a plethora of colorful cookies along the Pantone lines and you can take a peek at them (or if you’re a client of hers, take a bite of them,) right now. Not only that, she’s sent out a recipe to the world so that her open-source goodness can be had by everyone in the color-loving world. How kind! Take a peek at her full recipe on Kim Creative Star and come back and tell us what you’re favorite Pantone color is here – or which one you think would be the most tasty!

[Via Kim Creative Star]

The great thing about any 3D printer is not only your ability to create things you’ve modeled in a computer in a 3D realm, but your ability to create things you’d never be able to create by hand – for example, a human heart, with all of it’s inner tubes carved perfectly precisely. This particular 3D printer carves down to 0.005mm resolution. That’s heavily accurate, and so sharp you’re in more trouble of creating something that’ll collapse on itself than missing a detail.

The way this printer innovates upon others is first it’s tiny size and home usability (you can buy other 3D printers and put them in your house, of course, but this one’s like comparing a bike to a car (sizewise)). Secondly, this printer works in a way very similar to your everyday average paper printer, shooting out piece after piece of printed matter without end. Other 3D printers require you to reset everything via cleaning and re-clicking. Fun! Take a peek at the full product description below, and feel free to order one on pre-sale (coming soon!):

***Availability: Ships with a 7 week lead time. This is a Pre-sale item.***

The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer is a breakthrough in 3D printing technology. We’ve named it the Thing-O-Matic because it is an automatic 3D printer. All other 3D printers can only do one thing at a time while the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer prints thing after thing! Buy it, put it together and enjoy being the first on your block to live in the cutting-edge personal manufacturing future of tomorrow!

Fully Automatic

The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer comes with a new larger MakerBot Automated Build Platform v2.0 that will keep printing and printing… Automatically!

The MakerBot Automated Build Platform is truly a revolution in 3D printing. Updated to be larger for the Thing-O-Matic, it allows you to have a print queue where your machine will clear the build surface between builds by printing, then ejecting. It prints objects one after another. This turns your MakerBot into a little factory that sits on your desktop. Best of all, this is completely automated: you hit print, and the machine does all the work. Want to print 100 butterflies? Easy. Want to print an entire chess set? No problem. Want to start a business selling printed things that you’ve designed? Awesome. Have the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer do all the work while you design new things.

Extremely Reliable

The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer comes with the MakerBot MK5 plastruder which will give you thousands of hours of trouble-free printing.

We’ve invested many hours into designing, testing, and tweaking the MK5 plastruder. The result is an extruder that is extremely reliable, and very simple to maintain. The hot end on this extruder is essentially unbreakable and the filament drive system is one of the strongest on the market. We’ve run this thing for more than a thousand hours with minimal maintenance. Changing the filament is a breeze with the filament pressure thumb screw. You can even hot-swap the filament mid print!

Higher Quality

The layer alignment is much better which results in nicer prints and higher resolution.

We’ve completely overhauled the drive system to give the optimum positioning accuracy. The entire system has been upgraded to sturdy 3/8″ diameter linear shafting. This is overkill, but you can trust that the axes will be sturdy and straight. We’ve also switched to self-aligning, sintered brass bearings. These are very forgiving to DIY assembly and provide a nice, smooth motion on the steel shafts. Last, but not least we’ve completely replaced the Z axis with a stepper driven, cantilevered stage. Guided by two of the linear shafts, this completely eliminates any Z wobble and results in nicely aligned layers. Using a high-angle lead screw, we were able to increase the speed of the Z axis from 150mm/minute to 1000mm/minute. That’s more than 6 times the speed! This means the layer changes are almost completely imperceptible and blobbing is significantly reduced for smoother prints.

Easier to Use

Connect to the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer over USB and hit print – the machine will detect its position and start printing.

The new MakerBot Gen4 Electronics have been designed to make the printing experience even easier than ever. The motherboard now sports an integrated USB port, so you simply plug the MakerBot in with a standard USB cable. We’ve also added full endstop support so that you never need to touch the XYZ axes ever again. When you hit print, the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer will automatically home itself, heat up, and begin printing. All you have to do is sit back and relax while your MakerBot does all the work. Living in the future is awesome. Oh yeah, and the electronics are all inside, so you don’t have wires dangling everywhere. This also makes travelling on the subway with your MakerBot stress-free.

The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer kit is available for $1225 and has a 7 week lead time. Order a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer and get the latest in personal manufacturing technology!

You’ll get:
* Makerbot Plastruder MK5
* MakerBot Automated Build Platform v.2.0
* The lasercut parts to assemble a Thing-O-Matic CNC machine.
* 3 x NEMA 17 motors
* The hardware to assemble it.
* Belts and pulleys
* Smooth Rods and Drive system components
* Pre-assembled 4th Generation Electronics
* a USB cable to talk to it
* cat5e and rainbow cables to wire things up
* a standard ATX power supply
* a tools kit with all the hex keys, wrenches, and other bits you need to construct it.
* SD card to buffer your prints
* 1lb of MakerBot ABS Plastic to print with

Full instructions and documentation will be released on the day we start shipping this kit in mid-November.

Some tech specs on the Thing-O-Matic:

* Interface: Print through USB or print from SD card
* Size: 300 x 300 x 410 mm (12″ W x 12″ D x 16″ H)
* Build Area: 96 x 108 mm
* Build Height: 115 mm
* Generation 4 Electronics
* Supports up to 5 stepper drivers (XYZ + A/B)
* Connect over USB (no more FTDI cable)
* Optional LCD interface support (Not included)
* Full mechanical endstop support
* High current mosfets to drive heated build platform and extruder heater
* Thermocouple support for more accurate temperature sensing
* 500W Hercules ATX power supply
* Works with both 110v and 220v power
* Theoretical XY Positioning resolution of 0.02mm (20 microns or 0.0008″)
* Theoretical XY Maximum Feedrate of up to 5000mm/minute (roughly 200 IPM)
* Theoretical Z Positioning resolution of 0.005mm (5 microns / or 0.0002″)
* Theoretical Z Positioning Feedrate of up to 1000mm/minutes (roughly 40 IPM)

* Capable of printing with ABS and PLA

***Availability: Ships with a 7 week lead time***

[Via ReadWriteWeb]

This screen will be entirely touch-based as well, allowing you to crop and print portions of your screen using some sort of print/scan application. Choe aims for this computer to be a big time saver as it might be able to not only cut out the amount of devices you need sitting on your desk, but also the amount of time you need to move back and forth from different applications for each device. Sounds sweet?

[Via YankoDesign]

These fine folks from the Institute note that “any loss of full-thickness skin of more than 4 cm in diameter will not heal by itself,” and that with this device, (refined and tested extensively, of course,) skin that might have been otherwise damaged horrifically can now be patched up to a much higher level of healthiness. Testing has occurred on mice revealing advanced healing by the second and third week of recovery and complete closure of the skin by the end of week three on wounds that would otherwise still be open to infection.

The printer works with two heads, one that dispenses skin cells mixed with fibrinogen (a blood coagulant) and type I collagen (connective tissue’s main component in scars), the other which sends out thrombin (another coagulant.) Together these create a chemical reaction and form fibrin, another protein that works on the clotting of blood. On top of this is one more layer printed by the printer: keratinocytes – the outer layer of skin we’ve all got right this moment.

Future research will be done on the pigs who, if you know your Gangs of New York lore, are great to practice stabbing on because they’ve got skin that very closely resembles human skin. Will this device ever hit your local wartime hospital or town hospital? Who can tell?

It’d certainly be great for my future kid or kids to be growing up knowing that when they flip over their bike handlebars, that their scun-up knees will be able to be printed out at the local doc-shop. Maybe in fun new colors? CMYK! Check out more information about the presentation over at the website for Clinical Congress.

[Via Technology Review]

The 835 has a 7.8-inch smart touch panel on the front with all the controls for the printer. It also has a 3.5-inch color LCD for seeing what you are printing without needing a PC. It can print, scan, copy, and fax and has a 30-page automatic feeder.

The 725 has an enhanced touch panel on front for controls and has an LCD for viewing images. Both of the printers have integrates 802.11n WiFi and can print photos directly from the iPhone. The Artisan 835 printer sells for $299.99 and the 725 sells for $199.99. Both of the printers will launch in mid-August. A white version of the 725 will also be available.

The Best or R3 Media

Samsung Intercept is Coming July 11th: You want a purple phone, right? Sure you do. Well, if you’re lucky enough to already be on Sprint, or you’ve got a hankering for a device that’ll definitely stick out amongst a crowd, then the Samsung Intercept will be perfect for you. It’s the latest Android-based device announced for Sprint, and it features a landscape QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.1, and a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display. And all for only $99.99 after a new, two-year contract gets signed, and a $100 mail-in rebate. [via Android Community]

SlashGear’s Giving Away Marvel Coloud Headphones: Truth be told, we love when we get the opportunity to give things away to our readers. And while the Daily Slash has never really been about showcasing the biggest stories of the night, tonight we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make sure you heard about this giveaway. It’s for a pair of Marvel Coloud headphones, and there are three to choose from: an Incredible Hulk variation, Iron Man, and The Punisher. Each of them colored just as you’d expect, and adorned with awesome decals of the superhero mentioned, along with Marvel’s label. Go check it out through the link, and follow the rules — maybe you’ll get lucky and win one. [via SlashGear]

iPhone 4 in White’s Box Gets Showcased: Everyone who ordered a black iPhone 4, at least one in five of them probably wanted the white version. But, after Apple announced the pair of devices, they forgot to tell everyone that the white version wouldn’t be available right off the bat. So, now that we’re getting closer to the lighter-hued version’s launch, pictures are starting to show up. So, that’s why we get excited about a box. And yes, if you’re thinking about waiting for the white version, considering how nice it looks, that would probably be wise. [via PhoneMag]

The Dredge ‘Net

FURO Robots are Helpful and Downright Creepy: There’s a fine line to the awesomeness and creepiness of robots. It’s so fine, in fact, that we’re shocked there’s any designer out there that can land on one side or another. However, while the FURO robots in Korea may be awesome in idea, well, you’ll just have to watch the video to appreciate the creepy-factor. So, go ahead and watch. [via Engadget]

Samsung Intros Eco-Friendly LED Monitors: Whether or not you’re eco-conscious, going with LED monitors seems like the next logical choice, if you’re getting tired of those “boring” LCD monitors you see all over the place. The eco-friendly part is just a bonus, right? That’s where Samsung’s BX2350 and BX2335 come in. They offer a 2ms response time, 1080p resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio, along with the standard flare of “features” that monitors come with. There’s no word on pricing or availability quite yet, but hopefully we’ll know that soon enough. [via Ubergizmo]

Clever Stop-Motion Film Wastes Ink by the Boat-Load: Speaking of eco-friendly, there’s a push from printer manufacturers, as well as ink manufacturers, to start making better products that don’t waste as much as they used to. That’s great, but then you’ve got people like the ones who created this short film about the love of technology, and how we’re always connected. It’s a great film at heart, but if they really did use this much ink, or that much paper to make this video, well, they may have gone too far. Not that it’s a bad video at all, it’s surely a lot of fun to watch, but you’ll notice when they get into space that, there’s a lot of ink to make space on paper. [via Pocket-Lint]

Right then, guys, you’ve got our attention (and you’ve seen our shopping list).  Now it’s time to deliver.  We’ve not been quiet in our approval of webOS – we still rate it as one of the more intuitive, slick and elegant mobile platforms out there right now – but neither have we held back on criticising the seemingly sluggish development cycle of Palm-brand hardware.  Let’s hope HP’s purse opens up and clears out some of the cobwebs.

As with Pogoplug drives, the printers will be open to sharing using the straightforward browser-based UI.  Initially any HP or Epson USB printer from 2005 onward will be supported; we’re guessing Pogoplug are seeing the service as a rival to HP’s own ePrint system, which integrates the functionality into the printer itself but does require users buy a new model.

The cloud printing update will be automatically pushed to Pogoplug units sometime this summer.  Last month, Pogoplug released an update which allowed users to email files to their drives.

Press Release:

Pogoplug Puts Printers Online, Enables Printing From Any Mobile Device

Print from iPhone, iPad, Android or any other device, no matter where you are

Pogoplug, the popular multimedia sharing device, today announced a major upgrade with the launch of Pogoplug “web printing.” Now, for the first time, users can print from an iPhone, iPad, Android or other mobile device from anywhere in the world.

“Pogoplug’s vision is to free the modern digital lifestyle from dependence on an always-on home or office computer,” said Daniel Putterman, CEO and co-founder of Cloud Engines, Inc.  “First we changed the way people think about personal storage by making every hard drive accessible over the Internet. Now we’re web-enabling printers.”

Pogoplug cloud printing will initially support all HP printer models and all Epson printers released since 2005.  Set-up is simple and straightforward; once a printer is connected to a Pogoplug, it is ready to use.

Additionally, users can email any document directly to their Pogoplug for printing.  Printers can be shared with friends, family and colleagues or used to create printer ‘hotspots’ for temporary access to a printer in a public location.

The new Pogoplug “cloud printing” feature is coming automatically to existing and future Pogoplug customers later this Summer. There are no fees for the new feature.

The Best of R3 Media

Swype Beta Available for All: For people out there who have recently purchased a new Android-based device, you’ve probably already got Swype. It’s the keyboard that allows you to slide your finger from one letter to the next to make your word, instead of tapping them out. Great invention, and we’re glad to see it widely adopted. But, for the rest of us out there, we had to put our names in a beta hat, and hope they got drawn. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long, because they’ve just opened up the beta for everyone. But, if you’re interested, go sign up now and get your hands on it, because it’s only open for a limited time. So, hurry up! [via Android Community]

HP ePrint Hands-On: We love our hands-on time with gadgets, even the ones that many would consider old-fashioned. Yes, some may consider a printer old-fashioned. But, that’s not stopping HP from getting their mitts into the future of printing, shoving some cloud-based features into that old-fashioned goodness. Just register your printer with a unique email address with HP’s cloud service, and you can print any attached document right from there. Pretty awesome, if you ask us. Head on through the link to get some more details, plus plenty of pictures. We know how much you love your pictures. [via SlashGear]

Nokia Alters Projections for 2010: Apparently, Nokia’s got some competition. So much so, in fact, they are actually calling it “heated competition.” Yes, the likes of Apple, Google, and even Research In Motion are still hitting sales out of the park, and therefore Nokia’s been forced to alter their projections for their second quarter earnings, as well as the long-term 2010 earnings. Pretty intense stuff, if you ask us. Nokia’s obviously in some rough waters, but it’s nothing that a high-profile handset couldn’t fix. So, let’s make it happen, Nokia. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge ‘Net

Sources Say T-Mobile’s Out of the iPhone Picture: We love a strong, good rumors as much as the next person, so that’s why we figure we should bring this to your attention. Because, by now, you’ve heard all the rumors about the iPhone, which is currently on lock-down by AT&T, heading to carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and even Sprint. Well, apparently T-Mobile couldn’t afford the iPhone. If they had spent the money to get it, they apparently would have been forced to sell the iPhone, and only the iPhone. So, bye-bye to all those other high-profile devices, like the many they’ve got running Google’s Android mobile OS. Very interesting, to say the least. Especially if you head through the link and read up the rest of the statement, which Droid Life’s sources are saying are true. [via Droid-Life]

Not Life-Sized, but Very Real Stargate: What do you do with your free time? Some people out there make things. And, still others, make things that are from other things, like television shows based on movies. For example, for one guy and his father, building a replicated, real-life Stargate was something they really wanted to do. So, they did it. And now it’s sitting in the back of their house, even with a painted surface representing “water.” Or, whatever it is they pass through to get to other . . . Dimensions? We’re not completely caught up in our Stargate lore, so you’ll have to forgive us. In any event, the recreation is pretty awesome. We can’t wait to see the finished product. [via Unique Daily]

First Solar Hybrid Air Conditioner Unveiled: Protecting the environment, in some capacity or another, is on the mind of pretty much every major company on the planet. Especially when it can save them money. It’s even better when it can save customer’s money, too. For example, LG just announced they’ve pulled the curtain off the first solar hybrid air conditioner. Basically, you guessed it: solar power charges the air conditioner, thanks to the solar cell module attached to the top. The result is upwards of 70 watts of power per hour. This probably won’t get integrated into homes around the world tomorrow, but we can keep our fingers crossed that it happens sooner than later. [via Akihabara News]

Video demo after the cut

In the demo, Google showed how documents on smartphones and netbooks running Google Chrome OS could print instantly and without any drivers being necessary.  HP won’t be the only printer company to produce models that are compatible – Google say they’re working with “a number of manufacturers” – but so far they’re the only one to commercially announce them.

HP’s Cloud Print compatible models kick off at $99; more details on the four new machines here.  Google’s part in the HP presentation starts from around the 31 minute mark in the video below.

Compatible content providers include Yahoo! and msnbc.com daily news; Crayola and KoL.com for coloring pages and family ideas; Picasa Web Albums for printing photos; and PBS KIDS literacy, math and science activities featuring characters such as Curious George.  There’s also Facebook support, for printing from a user’s photo album or listed events; MapQuest for maps and directions; Artsonia for images from the world’s largest kids art museum; Arrival Guides’ travel guides for hundreds of destinations around the world; and Live Nation for access to concert tickets and promotions.

Four new printers – kicking off at $99 – are making their debut, each with ePrint support:

• HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One – Provides wireless access to the web and can be customized by selecting from the full line of advanced print apps such as Fandango and Coupons.com. Features a 4.3-inch HP TouchSmart screen with enhanced touch technology and can save paper by up to 50 percent using automatic two-sided printing. Expected to be available worldwide in September for $199.
• HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One – 3.5-inch HP TouchSmart screen; print web content such as coupons, recipes, quick forms, greeting cards, HP Games, crafts and news without a PC. Expected to be available worldwide in August for $149.
• HP Photosmart e-All-in-One – Print web content using the 2.4-inch HP TouchSmart screen. Create photo projects using individual inks and photo printing features such as the auto-engaging photo tray and direct access to Snapfish the online photo service. Expected to be available in North America later this month for $99.
• HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-All-in-One – Fax, scan and copy using the automatic document feeder; plus, print photos and web content easily through the touchscreen interface. Incorporates a host of connectivity options including wired and wireless networking.  Expected to be available worldwide in September for $299.

Later in 2010 HP will be adding Google Docs support, Box.net and Reuters, among others.  There’s also a new HP iPrint Photo app for Android released today.

Press Release:

HP Introduces the Future of Printing: Web Connected and Cloud Aware
Print from any email device to any HP printer from anywhere in the world with HP ePrint

NEW YORK, June 7, 2010 – HP today unveiled a new category of web-enabled printing solutions designed for the cloud that will, for the first time, allow people to:
Print from any email device to any new ePrint-enabled printer from anywhere in the world through the new HP ePrint platform;(1)
Store documents or files in the cloud and print direct when needed;
Transform their printers into publishing platforms from which they can customize print apps and schedule timed delivery of content – such as news from msnbc.com and Yahoo! and creative after-school activities from Disney – directly to their home or business printers;(2)
Manage and customize their full printing experience through the new HP ePrintCenter to enjoy relevant, fun and interesting content that is formatted for efficient printing.

To showcase these new solutions, HP announced a full suite of web-empowered e-All-in-One printers for home and business that start at $99.(3) These will be the first printers able to “talk” to the “Google Cloud” without requiring a local proxy PC or web appliance, which means people will be able to access Google Docs, Photos and Calendar directly from their printers. A selection of new print apps from partners such as Yahoo!, msnbc.com, Facebook®, Live Nation, Crayola, Reuters, DocStoc and Picasa Web Albums™ also will be available.

“We are once again revolutionizing printing to make web-empowered, cloud-enabled printing the new industry standard,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “We know that our customers want an easy way to print their content, anywhere, anytime. We’re making that a reality today by giving people the power to print from any web-connected device – smartphones, iPads, netbooks and more – to any printer in our portfolio above $99. The world has changed.”

HP web-connected products and services are supported by a digital print advertising platform that can be leveraged by print app partners. Customers can get premium content at no additional cost and brands can add value to their audience by populating select print content with customized messages, promotions and information like coupons or local services.

HP ePrint: if you can email it, you can print it
The HP ePrint platform harnesses the cloud to break down the barriers of distance and connectivity and allow people to send the files they want to print from their mobile devices.(1) From a mom and son printing drawings from an iPad, to an executive on a train sending a presentation from a Palm Pre or Blackberry® smartphone to print and pick up at a FedEx Office store, HP ePrint allows people to print anytime, anywhere.

Every HP ePrint printer will have a unique simple email address that allows the sender to deliver a print the same way they would send an email message. Customers also can send documents to print through an HP ePrint mobile app on their smartphone device to a home, office or public print location such as a hotel or FedEx Office store. Customers will be able to send Microsoft® Office documents, Adobe® PDFs and JPEG image files, among others.

HP ePrintCenter: a home for all things printing
The HP ePrintCenter is an online hub for all HP customers to explore new services and customize their printing experience. For example, people can register their products and receive updates according to their preferences, configure their devices, track ePrint jobs, and browse and suggest new print apps.

Scheduled delivery available through HP e-All-in-One printers
Following a successful pilot study in two major cities, HP has announced a new service called Scheduled Delivery, which allows customers to choose content to be pushed to a printer at a designated time each day or week.(2) For example, they might choose a customized news feed from msnbc.com to arrive at 7 a.m. for picking up on their way out of the door, or they might choose fun kids activities from Disney to be ready when the children get home from school.

Users simply register for the news or content feeds of their choice through the HP ePrintCenter and schedule the day, time and frequency of delivery so items will be printed and waiting
when they want them.

The Scheduled Delivery service also opens up a new era of digital print advertising for HP and content partners. HP and Yahoo! plan to launch the service as a pilot program to help marketers consider ways to provide added value to their audiences by populating select print content from partners with customized messages, promotions and information like coupons or local services.

New HP Photosmart printers at every price
The new line of web-connected HP Photosmart printers allows consumers the freedom to access content and print from anywhere without a PC. This can be achieved through HP ePrint from any mobile device or by touching a variety of customizable apps and printing options on the printer’s intuitive HP TouchSmart screen.(2)
The HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One – This top-of-the-line printer provides wireless access to the web and can be customized by selecting from the full line of advanced print apps such as Fandango and Coupons.com.(2) It features a 4.3-inch HP TouchSmart screen with enhanced touch technology and can save paper by up to 50 percent using automatic two-sided printing. Expected to be available worldwide in September for $199.(3)
The HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One – Produce lab-quality photos, everyday documents and creative projects using this printer’s 3.5-inch HP TouchSmart screen. Quickly print web content such as coupons, recipes, quick forms, greeting cards, HP Games, crafts and news without a PC.(1,2) Expected to be available worldwide in August for $149.(3)
HP Photosmart e-All-in-One – Quickly print web content using the 2.4-inch HP TouchSmart screen. Create impressive photo projects affordably using individual inks and photo printing features such as the auto-engaging photo tray and direct access to Snapfish, the No. 1 online photo service. Expected to be available in North America later this month for $99.(3)
HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-All-in-One – Easily fax, scan and copy using the automatic document feeder; plus, print photos and web content easily through the touchscreen interface. Incorporates a host of connectivity options including wired and wireless networking.(1,4) Expected to be available worldwide in September for $299.(3)

New free HP Photo Creations software ships with all the new printers and allows people to create photo books, calendars and other fun projects. All of the printers announced today reduce packaging waste by using an innovative, reusable bag and are ENERGY STAR® qualified.

New for these printers is HP Everyday Photo Paper, an affordable, glossy photo paper designed for value-conscious customers. Constructed from Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper fiber, this recyclable photo paper makes it easy to print colorful, everyday snapshots and photo projects on any inkjet printer. HP recommends ColorLok® papers for best printing results.

New print app partners for consumers and businesses
Newly available print apps include: Yahoo! and msnbc.com for daily news; Crayola and KoL.com for coloring pages and fun family ideas; Picasa Web Albums for printing photos from a user’s personal account; PBS KIDS literacy, math and science activities featuring popular characters such as Curious George; Facebook for printing from a user’s photo album or listed events; MapQuest for maps and directions; Artsonia for images from the world’s largest kids art museum; Arrival Guides – travel guides for hundreds of destinations around the world; and Live Nation for access to concert tickets and promotions.

Later this year, business customers can enjoy print apps from services such as: Marketsplash by HP for a shortcut to print customized marketing materials such as brochures and flyers; Google Docs for easy document scanning to the web for printing at a later time; Box.net to scan, share, manage and access business content online; Portfolio.com and Reuters for the latest news articles; Daily Brief for business essentials in one place including calendar, to-do list and news from American City Business Journals; and DocStoc and Biztree for immediate access to business forms such as invoices, contracts, receipts, legal agreements and checklists.
HP is working with a select group of developers to refine its beta software developers kit and to add hundreds of print apps by the end of the year. Developers can request the kit from the developers tab of the HP ePrintCenter.

HP iPrint Photo for Android
Now available for Android smartphones, HP iPrint Photo is a free photo printing application for quick and easy direct wireless printing to HP inkjet printers connected to a local Wi-Fi network. The Android version joins HP iPrint Photo for Symbian, Windows® Mobile, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The Snapfish by HP mobile app for Android is expected to launch this summer.

HP at Internet Week New York
All of HP’s new products, solutions and features will be on display June 7-10 at Internet Week New York headquarters at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
HP executives will speak at the Federated Media Conversational Marketing Summit June 7-8 at the Hudson Theater and Millennium Broadway Hotel:
Tariq Hassan, vice president, Worldwide Marketing and Communications, Imaging and Printing Group, will speak on the “Marketing to Businesses in Real Time” panel. June 7 at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Tuan Tran, vice president and general manager, Inkjet Consumer Solutions, will present a case study on marketing opportunities made possible through web-empowered printing. June 8 at 11:50 a.m. ET.

HP also will support the Mashable Media Summit on June 8, will power the blogger lounge and have its newest web-connected printing lineup available at The TimesCenter.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.
(1) Requires an internet connection to the printer. Feature works with any internet- and email-capable device. Details at www.hp.com/go/ePrintCenter.
(2) Requires a wireless access point and an internet connection to the printer. Touchscreen menus are in English or English/French only. Availability varies by region. Services may require registration. Details at www.hp.com/go/ePrintCenter.
(3) Estimated U.S. street price. Actual price may vary.
(4) Wireless performance is dependent upon physical environment and distance from access point.

CEO of HP, Mark Hurd, stated that, beyond smartphones, we should expect to see webOS turned “into form factors such as slates and web-connected printers.” So, there you have it. HP is going to put webOS on slates, which makes us very, very happy. And it should make you tablet fans out there pretty happy, too.

Now, as for those web-connected printers, well, we’re scratching our head at this one. We’re wondering how poignant that really is, let alone useful, but if we get to see webOS on more devices, even printers, well, we’ll take it where we can get it. No word on when we should actually expect to see those devices hitting the market, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed it’s soon.

[via PreCentral]

The new printer sells for $99.99 and aside from the 802.11n wireless networking that allows for wireless printing it has other features the consumer will like. It can scan documents and images at up to 2400 dpi. It can also make multiple black or color copies at one time.

Print speeds are 6.4 ISO ppm in black and 3.3 ISO ppm in color. Automatic photo fixing and enhancing features are built in like one-click red eye removal and automatic photo correction. Epson says that the ink cartridges for the printer start as low as $8.99 each. The NX420 is available now at retail outlets and online.

Google envisage either a new generation of “cloud aware” printers being produced by hardware manufacturers, or that users will network-enable existing printers either by sharing them from an attached computer or by using some sort of Print Proxy gateway device.  Applications on Google Chrome OS would then send their documents off via Google Cloud Print and have them shuttled to the printer of their choice; that could be a in an office on the other side of the world, or a printer on the other side of your desk.

Interesting, while this is being billed as a solution for Google Chrome OS, the system would also work for smartphones and other devices.  Google have already published the early APIs for developers – together with hardware manufacturers – to take a look at.

The confirmation apparently comes from Apple’s own business unit, who have in recent years been responsible for positioning the iPhone as a suitable device for enterprise customers.  Originally criticised for its lack of remote-management, Exchange support and other must-have business functionality, Apple progressively updated the iPhone to be suitable for both the consumer and enterprise markets.  The assumption, now, is that the company will look to do similar things with their new tablet.

iPad video demo:

Up first, we’ve got the HL-3040CN, which has a printing speed of 17 ppm, in color or monochrome. There is 600×2400 dpi resolution to boot. If that doesn’t do it for you, users can put up to 250 sheets of paper in the loading tray, and can connect the printer by either an Ethernet connection, or USB 2.0 interface. This piece of printing gadgetry will be available later this month, for a price of $300.

Stepping up next for the HL, is the HL-3070CW, which has all the features of the previous (3040CN) model, but comes packing a few extra surprises: WiFi connectivity, support for PCL6, and BR-Script3 emulation, and finally the ability for users to directly connect a USB flash drive and print JPEG or PDF files. The 3070CW will be available this month, stuck with a price tag of $350.

The MFC line up starts off with the MFC-9010CN all-in-one, that combines print, scan, and copy capabilities, with printing speeds reaching a maximum 17 ppm. The 9010 also has a printing resolution of 600×2400 dpi, and the 250-sheet feeder. It also has a USB/Ethernet interface, and a two-piece toner/drum set. We’ve got an October release date for this one, at $400.

The MFC-9120CN offers all the aforementioned features of the 9010CN, but then throws Super G3 faxing into the mix for good measure. And finally, the MFC-9320CW adds WiFi and USB interface for printing from a flash drive. These two will also be launched in October, for $450 and $500 respectively.

[via Electronista]