From iPhone Directly To Printer
Sep 1st 2010TomWED-TECH-GADGET
Hewlett-Packard printers that are priced at more than $99 will let users print remotely using mobile phones and other wireless devices, without needing a traditional PC. HP’s Inkjet and Laserjet lines, along with other consumer and enterprise-level printers, will have the capability, called ePrint, to print from Web-connected devices – customers would not pay a “premium” for ePrint. Each printer with the ePrint capability will be assigned its own e-mail address. If someone wants to print a document from an iPhone, the document will go to HP’s data center, where it is rendered into the correct format, and then sent to the person’s printer. The process takes about 25 seconds. The advantage for consumers is that the process does not involve a PC. No drivers have to be installed. The ePrint feature works with mobile devices from Apple, such as the iPad and iPhone, plus Palm, Android and Microsoft smartphone platforms. HP’s technology holds a special advantage for iPad users since the device does not have native printing capabilities. HP envisions scenarios where consumers send photos directly to a printing shop or use their printers — some of which have scanning capabilities — to scan documents and load them into Web-based productivity suites such as Google Docs. Those documents could then be accessed and printed by someone else using an HP printer’s touchscreen interface. The printers will also be able to support third-party applications. Live Nation, for example, will have a customized application to print items such as concert tickets and logistical information.
