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Keian Japan P71-A2-JP: part photo printer, part photo frame, all modern marvel
Just when you thought you'd seen it all, along comes a photo printer that is also a photo frame (or vice versa) to completely rearrange your concept of reality. The P71-A2-JP from Keian Japan houses a 7-inch, 480 x 234 LCD for doing the photo frame thing, complete with SD card and Memory Stick support, a USB host plug and even a little bit of MP3 playback. What's surprising is that there's a full-on photo printer in back to print out those shots worth cherishing a bit longer than ten seconds on a repetitive cycle. The 300 dpi prints probably won't blow minds, and that screen is depressingly low-res, but all-in-all this is a pretty neat little solution to a problem you didn't have.
Mcor launches Matrix 3D printer, only asks for your paper and glue
We wouldn't go so far as to say that 3D printers are growing tired, but we are growing short on patience waiting for a commercial version that the average joe / jane can afford. Thankfully, Mcor is up to the challenge, recently delivering its Matrix to the UK and gearing up to bring it to other parts of the world in 2009. Put simply, this carving creature uses traditional A4 paper and PVA glue to create objects like the ones you see above. Throw in a nice, sharp blade and a little bit of computational prowess, and you've got yourself one wicked 3D printer with running costs "up to 40 times less" than competitors.[Via SlashGear]
Tomy xiao digital camera has built in Zink printer, the spirit of Polaroids
Like just about everyone else, we miss the Polaroid film format; maybe it's just nostalgia, but we enjoyed having something we could hold on to (and shake) after taking a picture. Polaroids may be dead, but the basic concept lives on -- remember Zink, that company whose technology prints digital photos on the spot without ink? It's joined forces with toy-maker Tomy to make the xiao TIP-521, a digital camera with a printer built in. The xiao has a modest five megapixel resolution, so we might wait and see how Polaroid's own Zink camera turns out, but in either case we're stoked the tactile experience is back.[Via Market Watch]
Sony brings HD to the operating theater
We know several doctors who come home to relax in front of some HD material, and Sony (no stranger to the medical field) has a slew of new and upgraded products to make sure that they get the same high-fidelity experience at work. The ImageCore HD Digital Capture System can put both still and video images at full 1920x1080 pixel resolution onto the hospital network for anyone to view. And wouldn't you know, Sony has a new 32-inch LMD-3250 HD LCD monitor to help out with just that. Of course, collaboration is a big deal among medical specialists, and HD videoconferencing between five sites can be done with the PCS-XG80; there's even the UP-55MD/HD video printer so everyone can get a hardcopy. Sure, there are other players in the HD medical space, but this kind of product range is pretty impressive.
GE builds an OLED printer, hopes to challenge light bulbs in 2010
Maybe the incandescent light bulb has been sitting in its socket-shaped throne for too many years -- GE thinks so, anyway. GE R&D guys have produced a machine that prints OLED materials newspaper-style onto 8-inch sheets of metal foil in hopes that the sheets -- which can be pinned to just about any surface -- will start the process of home lighting biz regime change in 2010. Picture, if you will, wallpaper or window blinds that provide soft, diffused lighting for the living room after dark -- no need for special fixtures, just a wall plug. OLED lighting isn't yet cost-efficient for the average consumer, but GE hopes that will change soon. In the meantime, expect to see these sheets in a trip-out Flaming Lips concert in the somewhat-near future.
Dell's ink-free Zink PZ310 WASABI printer splashes down in FCC
Up until now, the words "Zink" and "Polaroid" were all but married together, but a breakup fit for The Hills is about to go down courtesy of the all-too-promiscuous Dell. Over in the deep waters of the FCC, we're seeing a new Dell printer that utilizes the ink-free Zink technology. The PZ310 WASABI is yet another handheld printer that comes bundled with a single stack of printing paper, Bluetooth technology for printing from your mobile / BT-enabled PC, a USB port for traditionalists and a Reprint button for obvious reasons. As with everything in the FCC, the agency is never kind enough to hand over any preliminary pricing / release information, but it ought not be long now before Dell starts shipping these things without even telling anyone.
Terminal Tips: Make extended print dialog show by default
When you print something in Mac OS X, the standard print dialog window will pop up. However, if you always use the extended options (such as landscape/portrait orientation, number of copies, etc.) then you might have to click the blue arrow constantly. With this Terminal hack, the print dialog will open with the extended options already shown by default. Just open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/) and type in the following command: defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -bool TRUEIf changing back to the original settings makes you happy, then replace "TRUE" with "FALSE" in the command above. Want more quick Mac tips like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.
Win a Lexmark X7675 wireless printer and two cartridges
Love getting things for free? Prefer to do it without robbing your elderly neighbors at gunpoint? Hey, us too. Thankfully, Lexmark is hoping to encourage less robbery -- armed or otherwise -- by offering up one of their succulent, creative-activity-inspiring X7675 wireless printers. In addition to the color printer / scanner / fax machine / copier / personal shopper, the company is throwing in two XL high-yield ink cartridges, which means two less trips to your local office supply supermart. Interested in taking this handsome fellow home? Read the details below!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, though we'd love to hear how you plan to put this printer into play. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Lexmark X7675 printer and two (2) XL high-yield ink cartridges. Approximate value is $255. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, September 2nd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Canon debuts Selphy ES3, ES30 portable photo printers
Does having a handle instantly make something portable? Canon sure seems to think so, and it's hoping the lug-ability of its new ES3 and ES30 Selphy printers will be enough to rope you into buying its special integrated ink and paper cartridges for years to come. For the most part, two printers are identical, although the ES3 does boast a slightly larger 3.5-inch LCD (as opposed to a 3-incher), as well as an added 1GB of internal memory, which Canon claims is a first for a compact photo printer. Otherwise, you can expect a 15-in-1 memory card reader on each, along with PictBridge support, and a number of frame, clip art and calendar functions to impress your friends with. If that's got you convinced, you can pick up both of 'em now, with the SELPHY ES3 running $199.99 and ES30 setting you back $149.99.
Casio introduces PCP-1200 and PCP-250 touchscreen photo printers with flip-down keyboards
Photo printers don't really do it for us, but Casio's two newest models pack in enough bells and whistles to make us at least pay attention, if not actually print out photos -- the PCP-1200 (pictured) and PCP-250 both feature fold-down keyboards for titling, print 2400 x 1200 dpi res on up to A6-size paper, take virtually every memory card format you can throw at them, and allow you to draw on the images using a stylus. The 1200 sports a 7-inch screen, while the 250 gets a portrait-oriented 3.5-inch display -- yeah, we'd actually be totally into these if they were coming to the States and had pricing info. Oh well.
Polaroid digicam to feature integrated PoGo printer in 2009
We had this inkling that it was only a matter of time before a PoGo-infused camera came to market, and at long last, we finally know (well, sort of) how long we're talking. Sometime in 2009, the aforesaid company will be pushing out a digital camera that includes an on board printer based around the Zink technology. The device will be capable of ejecting 4- x 3-inch prints, and curiously enough, it sounds like you could actually have a say in what it looks like. No, seriously -- hit the read link and have a look.[Via Wired]
Fujifilm, Nintendo bring photo printing service to Japanese Wiis
Not that the Big N hasn't snubbed the vast majority of the world before with these channel releases, but folks holed up everywhere save for Japan have yet another one they can only look longingly at from afar. Thanks to a new partnership between Nintendo and Fujifilm, the Wii Digicam Print Channel is immediately available for Japanese Wii consoles to access, which essentially gives owners the ability to upload images from SD cards and receive customized prints, photo books, business cards, etc. in the mail. We're not totally at all sure why someone would choose to handle this on a gaming console rather than, say, an actual computer, but hey -- who are we to judge? Oh, and for you folks in North America, Europe and beyond, expect the service to roll your way sometime in the future. [Via DigitalCameraInfo]
Apple releases HP Printer Driver update 1.1
Apple just released an update for HP Printer support in Mac OS X. The update weighs in at a whopping 405.1 MBs and includes "latest drivers for printers you have used on your system."In order to download the update via Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update), you must have the affected printer connected to your computer, or have a print queue already setup. You can also download the installer package from the Apple Support downloads site. This software works on Macs running OS X 10.5.3 or higher.Thanks, Ed!
Epilog Zing, your personal laser engraver
Do you have $8000 to blow? Have you been dying to open a laser tattoo parlor? Well guess what? It's your lucky day. The folks at Epilog would like you to meet the Zing, a $7,995 laser etcher / printer that can not only scar you for life, but can also leave a personalized stamp of your choosing on anything that you can fit into it. If you've seen engraved iPods, Zunes, or MacBooks, you get the idea of what this device can do. The Zing is made to tackle almost any material, be it wood, plastic, leather, glass, or various metals (of course), though we're fairly certain the company doesn't condone or recommend taking this baby to your precious, supple skin. Check out a video of it doing what it does best on an iPhone after the break.[Via Gearlog]
Polaroid PoGo portable photo printer hands-on, Engadget reader style
Hold up! Polaroid may not be dead just yet! A trusty reader was nice enough to give us some hands-on time with his new Polaroid Pogo Zink-based printer. The diminutive device is clearly meant to give us that old-school insta-print social feeling with its 2 x 3-inch photos, but results were less than a barrel o' monkeys. Engadget reader David says that while the unit is "cute," there's nothing very instant about it as prints take at least 60 seconds -- not including connection in or Bluetooth pairing time. On the plus side, prints are sturdy and don't tear easily, but David couldn't resist burning one of them just to see how the thermal paper reacted. In the end, he says this is a decent gadget for those in the know, but you're not going to put this at the center of a party like you would an old-school Instamatic. Peep the gallery for David's hands-on goodness.[Thanks, David]%Gallery-26682%
HP's Handheld sp300 All-in-One scanner/printer brings cyborg revolution to warehouses everywhere
As managers race to turn their warehouse workers into cyborgs, HP is there to help with its Handheld sp400 All-in-One scanner / paperless printer of arm-mounted doom. This strap-on contraption is a wireless scanner / printer / barcode manager that turns warehouse drones into human intake and inventory machines. To be fair, the sp400 does have some benefits, like not requiring thermal labels and a reduction in paper waste with its built-in document imprinting function. Most importantly, though, be sure to see the video at the read link -- you'll be wishing you too could work in such an efficient warehouse![Thanks, Sonya]
Zink-based Polaroid PoGo makes its debut
It's gone by a couple names since we first heard about it two CESs ago (Zink, Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer, etc.) but the first Zink-based product is finally on its way to buyers as the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer. It'll run you $150 for the unit (and $10 per pack of 30 sheets), and can print up to fifteen 2 x 3-inch photos on its rechargeable battery from any PictBridge capable camera or over Bluetooth. PC Magazine took a peek and found each print took between a minute and a half to two minutes (the latter over Bluetooth), and felt the quality was adequate at best, albeit sufficient for such small prints. Still, it's no secret that your options are extremely limited when it comes to pocketable printers, even of the dye-sub variety (which Zink-based devices like the PoGo hope to put out to pasture).
Deskjet turns 20: HP celebrates two decades of robbing you blind
Turns out HP has been selling its Deskjet series of printers for 20 years now, with 240 million customers around the world and untold billions spent on overpriced ink cartridges. The HP Deskjet continues to outsell all other inkjet printers on the market, and HP shows no sign of slowing down -- or letting up on those profit margins.
Bonjour SCX-4500W: Apple's favorite Samsung multi-function printer goes wireless
Samsung's sexy little multi-function, monochrome laser printer, copier, and color scanner just hit the FCC with a tiny surprise: 802.11b/g WiFi and 10/100 Ethernet. That's right, Sammy's Swan (aka, SCX-4500) now comes in a SCX-4500W version supporting Windows, Mac, and Linux machines; LPR, IPP/HTTP, DHCP, and BOOTP protocols; and WEP or WPA Personal WiFi encryption. As a bonus, it also supports Bonjour to make network detection for your Mac (and suitably installed PCs) a snap. Not really a surprise since the SCX-4500W made its first US appearance exclusively in Apple's retail stores. No word on when it will pop for retail, but we expect it to snag a $300 or so price tag. FCC glamor shot after the break.
Ricoh rolls out mobile HotSpot series laser printers
There's already plenty of wireless printer options out there, but those looking for a few more capabilities than your standard offerings provide may want to keep an eye out for Ricoh's new HotSpot series models, which the company says are the first printers that let users "print documents from any Wi-Fi enabled location or device." That, however, is done is a rather roundabout way, with users required to either upload the file to a website associated with the printer or forward the file to the printer's own email address. On the upside, that means you won't have to install any drivers, and you'll be able to print from a handheld or cellphone in addition to a computer. No official word on a price from Ricoh just yet, it seems, but CDW already has the monochrome SP 4100N-KP listed for a cool $1,700, with the color SP C410DN-KP model undoubtedly set to demand a good deal more.
