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fax machine posts

Celery lets Gran tweet from the fax machine

by Nilay Patel, posted May 5th 2009 at 1:39PM

You may not have heard of the Celery fax-to-email service for the elderly in the past, but now that the company's rolling out Twitter and Facebook integration we'd bet it's the hottest ticket on the 4PM dinner scene -- Nanna's always had a thing for Ashton, after all. Built around a Lexmark fax machine (or your own, if you have one) the Celery service allows the computer-illiterate to send and receive emails, tweets, and Facebook status messages by simply writing down messages and faxing 'em out -- incoming messages can be printed out individually or in digest form to cope with volume. Add in a dash of RSS integration and hell, you've basically got the world's clunkiest netbook on your hands. Yep, interesting, but we'd almost rather pay the $14 / month service fee to make sure Nan never, ever sees our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Panasonic introduces standalone paperless fax machine

by Donald Melanson, posted Jan 2nd 2009 at 3:41PM

Standalone fax machines may have long ago lost the momentum game to multi-function devices, but it looks like Panasonic is doing its best to pry things back away from the printer and scanner, with its new PW608DL offering one stand-out feature that's sure to attract a bit of attention: paperless faxing. Apparently, you can either send faxes cellphone-style using the machine's built-in keypad, or send documents stored on an SD card (but not a USB drive, it seems). Any faxes received are simply displayed on the device's 3.9-inch LCD and, yes, they can be printed out as well. Unfortunately, it looks like this wonder of technology is exclusive to Japan for the foreseeable future -- please try not to be too envious.

[Via Tech Digest]

HP fax machines recalled, could turn resume into flames

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 27th 2008 at 6:42PM

Hey you. Yeah, you. You're about to beam that resume facsimile-style to a prospective employer, aren't you? If said machine is a Hewlett-Packard Fax 1010 or 1010xi, we're recommend firing (ahem) it over through email instead. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with HP, has issued a voluntary recall for the aforementioned fax machines after receiving three reports of "overheating," two of which resulted in "minor property damage." If you just so happen to own one of these machines, and you'd prefer your abode not be burned to the ground anytime soon, we'd suggest following the read link and applying for your rebate. After you unplug the machine and shove it in the freeze, of course.

NEC intros e-mailing fax / phone combo

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 7th 2007 at 11:49AM

It's not often we see advancements in the still-kicking fax machine, but NEC looks to have found a smidgen of room for improvement, with its new SP-NA640 model boasting at least one notable and still relatively uncommon feature. Namely, the ability to take any document and send it straight to a computer or cellphone via email as a regular image file. On the somewhat less productive front, the machine can also apparently take incoming email and print them out on the fly and, of course, it can be used as a plain old fax machine for those of you still clinging to the past. If that's enough to convince you to upgrade, you'll be able to grab one of these in Japan later this month for a yet to be specified price.

[Via Akihabara News]

Ricoh unveils bizhub that understands QR Code

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2007 at 3:41AM

Here in the US of A, a do-it-all bizhub that cranks out caffeinated beverages would do us a whole lot more good than one that speaks QR Code, but we can certainly see the relevance when marketed in Japan. Ricoh's uber-snazzy MP C4500it can not only fax, scan, copy, e-mail, and print with the big boys, but it can easily boost the productivity of the average office administrator by understanding a command-laden QR Code. Reportedly, users can scan the QR Code before getting down to business, and the machine will automatically interpret and adjust to match your desired settings -- you know, duplex, 400dpi, compressed PDF with a personalized header on top -- rather than forcing you to use the intern's arrangement. Additionally, you can load up data through the built-in USB port / SD card slot and see where the paper jam is on the 10.4-inch color touchscreen, but first you'll have to hand over a whopping ¥2,280,000 ($18,694).

[Via TokyoMango]

Xerox innovation can add anti-counterfeit measures to digital printers

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 1st 2007 at 5:07PM

Xerox, the same outfit looking to extract information from your web browsing excursions, has now churned out a swank anti-counterfeiting procedure that purportedly allows a vanilla digital printer to "create personalized fluorescent marks on documents." Of course, these fluorescent signatures are commonly used to authenticate currency, and Xerox is hoping that people warm up to the idea of slapping the same level of security onto documents ranging from licenses, certificates, or even personal checks. The method utilizes the "dry ink" found in xerographic printers to create the secure imprint, and curious users can spot the tell-tale sign when exposing the document to ultraviolet light. Of course, you should still be wary of that dubious looking bizhub crammed over in the corner office, but if you're interested in Xerox's latest counterfeit squashing technology, you can snag it as part of the FreeFlow Variable Information Suite 5.0 software.

[Via Gizmag]