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Samsung announces security-minded Cloud Print apps for Android and iOS
Does anyone actually cable up to a printer anymore? Not if they're kitted out with Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, or Sammy's new alternative: Samsung Cloud Print. The service will launch with an Android app in June, followed by an iOS version in the second half of the year and possibly a Smart TV app at some point too, and all the apps will come with a number of promises about security. Users will have their data encrypted between their device and their inkjet, and those who also use Samsung's freshly updated Knox service are promised "enhanced security" through a level integration between Knox and Cloud Print. Finally, the Android app will also support NFC pairing, allowing a compatible mobile device to be connected to "as many as 20 printers with just a few simple taps" -- although that currently only applies to Samsung's small range of NFC-enabled Xpress-branded printers.
Google Drive for iOS now supports multiple accounts, AirPrint and CloudPrint capability
Not super thrilled with the prospect of using iCloud for your web storage needs? Google Drive presents an ever-improving alternative to Apple's in-house solution, and today's iOS app update brings a couple of new features into the fold. The app now supports multiple accounts, so you can access your personal, work, or alter ego GDrive files with ease. And, for those luddites who prefer holding an actual piece of paper instead of an iPad to do their document review, iOS users can now print as they please using either Apple's AirPrint or Google's CloudPrint protocol. Got it? Go get it.
Official Cloud Print app hits Google Play, streamlines your wireless printing needs
The official Cloud Print app has finally been released on Google Play, possibly rendering the third-party apps you've relied on over the years superfluous. Using the standalone software will likely be a familiar affair if you've ever printed via mobile devices in the past. Just choose a file saved on your phone, tablet or the cloud, and it'll make its merry way to your Cloud Print-ready device. Note that your photo or document still has to be funneled through your computer if you use a classic, wired printer. Head over to Google Play via the source link below to give Cloud Print a spin.
Chrome for iOS gets Google Cloud Print, AirPrint and fullscreen capability
It's been a little less than a year since Google first gave iPhone owners access to its favored browser, and since then, Big G has been adding more and more features to Chrome for iOS -- Blink, and you might miss an update. Well, the eagle-eyed folks at The Next Web spotted another update today that brings Google Cloud Print, the ability to save pages as PDFs to Google Drive and fullscreen page-viewing mode. Version 26.0.1410.50 also boasts AirPrint functionality and the usual smattering of bug fixes and stability improvements as well. In related news, Google also updated its Search app for iOS with a few unnamed improvements and bug fixes, too. A good day for Google fans with Apple phones, but to reap the rewards of Big G's latest, you'll want to hit the source links below.
Chrome OS update revamps app list and Google Drive saves, allows relentlessly adorable wallpapers
Aw, wouldn't you look at the cute little... wait. Right, there's a Chrome OS update. At its heart, the upgrade to Google's cloud-based platform introduces a streamlined app list that both occupies less space and carries an internet-wide search box. It's also possible to save files directly to Google Drive, and audio can now play through either HDMI or USB. Don't lie to yourself, however: the real reason you'll rush to update your Chromebook today is newly added support for custom wallpapers, which guarantees all-day, everyday viewing of your most favorite dog in the whole wide world. Or at least, a nice change of pace from Google's run-of-the-mill backdrops. Isn't it so sweet?
Google Chrome 21 stable release adds Retina MacBook Pro support, webcam use without plugins
Some Retina MacBook Pro owners have been waiting for this day for six weeks: that promised Retina support in Google Chrome is now part of a finished, stable release. Chrome 21 is now crisp and clear for those who took the plunge on Apple's new laptop but would rather not cling to Safari for the web. No matter what hardware you're using, Google has rolled in its promised WebRTC support to let webcams and microphones have their way without Flash or other plugins. Other notable tweaks like wider support for Cloud Print and gamepads tag along in the update as well. If you're at all intrigued by the expanded hardware support in Chrome, Google has an abundance of details (and downloads) at the links below.
New Google Chrome beta lets webcams go plugin-free, video chat gets a lot less Flashy
Google has been talking up the prospects of integrating WebRTC into Chrome for the past several months. It's now ready to put theory into practice with a fresh beta of the web browser. The upgrade uses WebRTC to let typical microphones and webcams talk to the browser without using a plugin like Flash or something otherwise so very 2011. Just to embrace this future of direct hardware support ever the more tightly, Google is also building in a gamepad programming interface that lets controllers tap into Chrome without having to rely on Native Client's magic. There's more waiting at the source link, including more direct tie-ins with Cloud Print, so the more adventurous among us can get to chatting (and playing) right away.
Kodak's Document Print app means never visiting the girl from the Xerox place
Printing on the road usually leaves you at the mercy of your local Kinkos FedEx Office, but as long as you've got one of Kodak's cloud-print enabled Hero printers, you can avoid getting gouged. The company's just released an Android app that lets you print nearly everything, even webpages as long as they're accessed from the baked-in browser -- provided that you've left your home printer switched on. You can pull it down for free from the Android market from today and if you're interested, head on past the break for an unusually terse press release from the company.
Kodak dons cape for a Google Cloud Print-compatible Hero all-in-one printers
Looks like HP will be getting some company in Google's print cloud. Kodak today announced a new line of Cloud Print-friendly all-in-one devices, which let users print documents without all of those pesky cords. The imaging company is rolling the Hero 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 and 9.1. The low-end 3.1 features a 2.4-inch display and does printing, scanning, and copying for $99, while the top of the line 9.1 adds faxing, a 4.3-inch display, a 30 page automatic document feeder, automatic two-sided printing and Smart Sensor technology to the mix at $249. The $199 6.1, meanwhile, is the most business-minded of the bunch, with its home office networking capabilities. All of the models will be available this month. Printable press info after the break.
HP enables Google Cloud Print on ePrint printers right out of the box
Man, remember when transferring data to your printer required a big fat cable and physical proximity to your ink spitter? Thankfully, we live in more refined times now and HP and Google have hooked up to deliver the first printers with driverless Cloud Print support, making the whole thing that extra bit easier. HP ePrint printers were already sophisticated enough to receive instructions via email and now they're casting aside the need for a connected PC to talk to Google's Cloud Print service as well. All you need is your machine's @hpeprint.com email address and then you're away, zipping pictures and text from your smartphone, tablet or laptop to the HP paper decorator. It's all seamless and wireless and probably feels like the future when you're doing it. We'd tell you, but we stopped printing stuff in 2004.
Google brings Cloud Print service to mobile Google Docs, Gmail
You'll still need to have that Windows PC acting as an intermediary, but folks looking to use Google's Cloud Print service now at least have considerably more devices at their disposal to print documents from. Following up its roll-out to Chrome OS netbooks last month, Google has now announced that it's begun rolling the service out to its mobile Google Docs and Gmail sites, which you'll be able to use to print documents from most mobile devices that supports HTML5 -- those running Android 2.1+ or iOS 3+, for instance. What's more, while you will still need that Windows PC connected to your printer for the time being, Google now notes that both Mac and Linux support are "coming soon."
Google Cloud Print is ready to spool in beta, if you have a Windows PC handy
Google blew the lid off of Chrome OS yesterday in a big way, and one of its key features is now ready to roll. Cloud Print was unveiled back in April, a method to enable Google mobile devices to print via nebulous networking, and it's now here -- with some caveats. The biggest being that right now the only host for a non Cloud Print-compatible printer (basically all but this one) is a Windows PC running Chrome 9.0.597.1 or greater. Set up the service through there and the browser will host your good 'ol printer to your Chrome OS device. Don't have a Chrome OS device? You will. Eventually more printers will support this natively, eliminating the middleman, and we're sure printing support will be coming to Android down the road too. When? In due time, fair reader. In due time.
HP Photosmart e-All-in-One with ePrint now on sale: iPad printing, solved
We don't cover many printers on Engadget because, frankly, they're boring. So there must be something really special about HP's Photosmart e-All-in-One D110a, right? Indeed, it's the first of a new line of web-connected printers from HP to feature ePrint, the ability to email messages with attachments (Microsoft Office documents, PDFs and JPEG image files to name a few) to the printer from any device including smartphones and tablets -- no driver or app required. That's a pretty big deal. The $99 802.11n WiFi inkjet features a 2.36-inch touchscreen and prints at a rate of up to 29 ppm black (at up to 600 dpi) and up to 23 ppm color (at up to 4800 x 1200 dpi on photo paper). Scans are captured at resolutions up to 1,200 dpi (optical). It also prints directly off the web or via USB and SD / MemoryStick Duo cards if that's your thing. Sorry, no fax in this all-in-one but it is PC and Mac compatible and will work with Google's forthcoming Cloud Print service when Google sets it free in the fall. Expect to see higher-end printers from the e-All-in-One series launch in the next few months including the $149 Plus e-All-in-One with 3.5-inch display (worldwide in August), $199 Premium e-All-in-One with 4.3-inch display (worldwide in September), and $299 Premium Fax All-in-One (worldwide in September) with, you guessed it, integrated fax.
Google Cloud Print service aims for unified, universal web printing method
So you've seen how Apple intends to handle printing on its web-centric mobile device, now how about Google? The Mountain View crew has decided to solve one of Chrome OS' significant shortcomings -- namely the lack of a printer stack or drivers -- by interposing itself between apps and the printing hardware. Essentially, when you want to print you'll be sending your request over to a Googlestation up in the clouds, which in turn will translate those instructions and forward them along to the nearest paper tarnisher. We say nearest, presuming that's what you'd want, but the big deal here is that you'll be able to use any device to print on any printer anywhere in the (internet-connected) world. It's quite the brute force approach, but at least it assures you that whether you're using a mobile, desktop or web app, you'll be able to print without fear of compatibility issues. This project is still at a very early stage, but code and dev documentation are available now. Hit the source link to learn more.
