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FON router used in DIY wireless network printer
Sure, turning your OS X or Linux-based machine into a FON Spot is snazzy in and of itself, but what about that dusty grey printer that stays shoved beside your desk? In an admittedly impressive feat of determination, a certain modder took a screwdriver, cutting utensil, and a few dollars worth of FON routers to the inside of a printer's case, and the result is a lesson in utility to say the least. By shoving one of those inexpensive FON routers inside the case, and relying on DD-WRT to open up the appropriate channels, he was able to convert a HP LaserJet 5 into a wireless printer and WiFi hotspot, all without making a scene. Still, the idea of turning your tethered printer into one that accepts incoming jobs wirelessly is no easy task, and judging by the laundry list of duties required to pull this all together, we wouldn't recommend giving this a go without hordes of spare time on your hands. That being said, those still interested should be delighted that a step-by-step guide (with pictures, no less) has been made available for the brave and talented, so be sure to hit the read link and start digesting.
Epson wins ink ruling; ITC recommends banning third-party imports
While we're still not sure whether refilling those empty ink cartridges is indeed a criminal act (or a waste of money), Epson has taken one more step towards forcing the average consumer to purchase name-brand carts at sky-high prices. Of course, Epson would have you believe that it's simply protecting its patents, but in a recent preliminary ruling that deemed some 24 suppliers that "import and sell Epson-compatible cartridges" as in the wrong, it could spell higher prices and less choices for consumers with Epson printers. Nevertheless, if the final ruling (set for July 30th) follows the same path as this one, a "general exclusion order on the cartridges" would be enforced, barring any future imports of the presumably lower-cost alternatives into the States. It looks we're almost down to two choices when it comes to printing: break the law, or break the bank?[Via TGDaily]
Deal of the Day: A year of Famitsu for $390
Are you tired of waiting those agonizing minutes or hours for news to get from Famitsu's website to you? Would you rather wait days or weeks? How about at a great financial expense? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then this Amazon.com deal is for you: $390 for a year of Weekly Famitsu, delivered right to you. That comes out to $7.50 an issue, with (thankfully) free shipping!Actually, this deal is not so ridiculous. Well, maybe it is in the "$400 for a magazine" sense, or especially in the "$400 for a magazine you can't read" sense for some of us, but there's a lot of cool content that is not as time-sensitive as news-- screens, Famitsu's trademark "cross reviews", even ads that are usually pretty fun to look at. [Via CAG]
Samsung announces US release of CLX-3160FN and SCX-4725FN laser printers
Continuing to maintain their reputation for launching a truckload of new products at CES, Samsung has announced the US launch of two previously Asia-only laser printers. First up is the CLX-3160FN, a Multifunction Color Laser Printer and Fax that is apparently the smallest and lightest "in the world": at 45.19-pounds, that says a lot about the state of miniaturisation in the multifunction fax / printer business. Other features include print speeds at up to 17 ppm in black and white, and 4 ppm in color, standard USB connectivity, PictBridge support for instant photo printing, and compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. One of the less welcome "features" includes yet another newly designed toner cartridge design, which means all your older carts won't work. The second printer that Samsung is unveiling today is the monochrome SCX-4725FN Four-in-one laser printer which combines print, copy, scan, and fax capabilities into one. The SCX-4725FN can print at up to 24 ppm, and outputs at up to 1200 dpi resolution. It also features optical character recognition for scanned text, a mysterious "ID Card Copy" function, and a toner-saving function that apparently reduced consumption by up to 30 percent. Currently Samsung hasn't revealed when either of these printers will ship, and has only given us the price for the CLX-3160FN at $599.
Epson working on mobile-to-printer e-books
It may not have the same sort of high-tech impact as e-ink, but there's something to be said for reading stuff the old fashioned way with a nice, thick stack of paper -- and Epson would like us to use our phones to do it. The Japanese company has hooked up with Sammy NetWorks to include its muPass platform in printers and phones for managing DRMed e-book content via IrDA -- in other words, buy a book on your phone and beam it straight to your printer over an infrared connection. Epson and Sammy are thinking that the setup will be perfect for distributing periodicals (magazines, newspapers, and the like), individual articles, and out-of-print or limited audience material that can't be justified for a regular production run on the press. Integration should be a snap for phone manufacturers, since Sammy's now managed to cram the muPass system into software. War and Peace, anyone?
Official PlayStation Mag dead, demo disc the killer?
Just as Ziff-Davis and Microsoft's trembling lips meet for the long, slow kiss that is Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, Ziff and Sony are, like, totally breaking up. They say it's mutual, that all relationships must end ... but we all know who's really to blame. It's that ne'er-do-well demo disc, that's who!With the steady erosion of print readership and the growth of online outlets (like Sony's own ThreeSpeech project who, curiously, keep cribbing from OPM) it's no wonder they've reconsidered their commitment to the world of dead-tree gaming journalism. Coupled with their (about to launch) PlayStation Network, capable of delivering videos and demos -- the very same videos and demos that used to come bundled on DVD with every issue of OPM -- the gimmick has dried up.Increasingly, print magazines rely on these gimmicks to provide extra incentive to read all the gaming news you already read online 3 weeks ago. Game Informer has that infinitely valuable shelf space at the nation's largest gaming retailer while Computer Gaming World had to reevaluate and become Games For Windows. What's curious is why Microsoft not only doesn't see Xbox Live as the final nail in Official Xbox Magazine's proverbial coffin, but they use the magazine to distribute exclusive demos, weeks before they hit Live (see: Rainbow Six Vegas). Maybe, with a 60% attach rate for Xbox Live, they realize there's still plenty of offline 360 gamers who can't get their demos from Live.[Update: The fine folks at Ziff contacted us to "clarify that the 1UP Network -- 1UP.com, GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, the 1UP Show, our podcasts, etc. -- and EGM will cover the PS3, PS2, and PSP in depth with integrated print, video, podcast, and web features through the holiday season, 2007, and beyond." So, there you have it. Don't think Ziff is axing the Sony coverage, they're just axing the magazine.]Read -- Sony's press releaseRead -- Ziff Davis' press release
Nokia adds mobile printing software to N-series phones
While there's a certain novelty associated with an SMS-printing bicycle, the practicality is certainly questionable; however, Nokia is adding yet another dash of ole fashioned utility to "four of its N-series cameraphones." Although details are still a bit slim at this point, we do know that Nokia will be releasing software that allows the "Internet Edition" N80 (and a yet-to-be-announced trio of other N-series mobiles) to order prints from the Snapfish website directly from the phone. Users can presumably order prints from other popular alternatives such as Winkflash, but Nokia hasn't extended official support for any site other than HPs own at the moment. Of course, users can order prints from photos already in their gallery, or they can upload them on the fly via their cameraphone. While attempting to resize, crop, and tweak images to perfection before throwing down for a couple 8 x 10-inch hardcopies on a 352 x 418 resolution screen may not be ideal, we won't complain about extra functionality tossed in gratis.
3D Printouts of Your Virtual Self
OGLE, the OpenGLExtractor, is a little piece of software that can be used to extract 3D geometry data from 3D graphics applications running on Microsoft Windows. What this means is that it can pull out images of our favorite alternate reality for our own entertaining uses. While some people use this to make backgrounds or videos, one of the most interesting uses of this technology seems to be making 3D printouts of your character, using a special 3D printer. And, most recently, color 3d models. While this little gnome may appear to be venturing around Un'goro, it's probably just sitting on a tree in someone's back yard. (Which, to a tiny gnome figurine, is probably about the same.) And if you're just that kind of fan, you might be able to get one of your very own...!
Offer for one free year of EGM ends today
"Free" offers on the internet often come with annoying trials and lengthy cancellation procedures, but this one here's legit -- it's actually running from the subscription web site of the publisher of EGM, Ziff Davis Media.You may have seen this offer for 12 free issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly on Joystiq or other game sites out there. Basically, what's happening is the Ziff Davis Game Group is running a subscription drive for the mag, sponsored by the World Cyber Games. Free subs are only on offer through today, however, so get a move on if you want a piece of the printed action.Of course, EGM may be no OPM, but it's helpful for even the healthiest fanboy to get a balanced diet of multiplatform news and information on a regular basis. Also, please note that you're under no obligation to sign up for the World Cyber Games page which follows the EGM subscription one, so you can absolutely get your free mag without registering with the WCG.[Via Joystiq]
QuarkXPpress 7 released, but not as a Universal
QuarkXPress 7 has hit the streets, but it oddly isn't a Universal Binary (Steve Jobs, if you remember, announced at January's Macworld event that Quark had a beta UB version available). A UB update to version 7 is reportedly going to be made available later this summer (I guess Adobe isn't the only big software house having trouble). This new version brings plenty of new features to the table including enhancements to typography, color management, transparency (apparently it can do such advanced things as color opacity, drop shadows and alpha channels now), non-destructive mask manipulation, revolutionary 'Composition Zones' which let you design once and use anywhere with live updates, as well as improvements to productivity and collaboration, output and digital workflow and much more. Check out Quark's entire new feature list for the full details, as well as Macsimum News with summaries of what all the new features mean to you.Quark is also taking QuarkXPress on tour through seven US cities as well as Toronoto, Canada. Take a look at their schedule for details and registration information.
How to print a mini address book from Address Book
Ivan over at creativebits has another clever trick: print a little address book for your pocket or purse using Address Book. Who knew? Oh, there it is in the Help. Apparently you don't have to print the whole thing, as you can limit the address book to a group. The fact that this is quite handy but sorta hidden inside is the fundamental problem with all powerful tools: to make them easy to use, we have to hide functionality. In other words, Address Book would be pretty scary if it looked like the inside of an F-15, where all the functionality is there on the surface. Anyway, finding this tip made me nostalgic for the old "point-and-click" training video that used to come with some Performas. I hope they bring an option like that back for all these switchers we'll be seeing this year. Maybe for iLife '07?
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children reports from Hollywood
For the Final Fantasy fans lucky enough to be near Hollywood yesterday night -- and in line for free tickets during the middle of a regular workday -- there was much rejoicing to be had as Advent Children celebrated its U.S. theatrical premiere in style.Siliconera has a write-up on the event with quotes from most of the American voice actors in attendance, who, along with the audience at hand, watched the film in English for the very first time. Lip synching may have been off due to the low-resolution print the actors had to work with, but even Rachel Leigh Cook -- pictured here with her character Tifa Lockheart -- declared herself a new fan of Final Fantasy after the show.Helpful Joystiq Contributor epobirs also had something to report from the screening yesterday, where he gives us an Ain't-It-Cool style rundown of the event. If you want the rest of his reflections on the requirements of the Academy in Oscar nominations, as well as what it takes to "assert your hetero nature ... after watching a movie packed with metrosexual men," simply continue reading below for more. Siliconera's report can be found by clicking on the image of Ms. Cook above or the Read link below. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will be out on DVD/UMD April 25th.[Thanks, epobirs; image of Tifa courtesy of Eyes on Final Fantasy]
