AirPrint, ePrint, even Google Cloud Print, these days it seems that everyone is trying to get in on the future of printing. Yet, I have always wondered what the need was for a new standard of printing. Drivers take minutes download, and they're a one time hassle free experience; why do I need AirPrint or ePrint?
It's because printing today sucks. It's not the drivers that suck, it's the experience of printing itself. That's where Apple, HP, and Google are going wrong. Installing drivers doesn't bother me, having to wait my turn (especially when a lot of documents are pending) bothers me. Having to worry about the page being formatted differently when it gets printed bothers me. Having to worry about sufficient ink and paper bothers me. None of these problems are cured by any of Apple's or Google's solutions, however HP has a great idea in hiding.
First off, let's think about the advantages of printing as opposed to leaving the document or web page on your screen. The first advantage is that paper is generally more mobile than a computer or even a netbook. If you need to bring a typed up document to a meeting or to school, it's a lot more convenient to bring a couple sheets of paper than a netbook. The second advantage is being able to edit a document physically (via a pen, pencil, highlighter, ect.). Of course there are built in tools in applications like Microsoft Word that allow you to track changes, but most of these tools are clunky and unintuitive. The last advantage is peace of mind. Despite advances in computer fail-safe technology, many businesses prefer to keep hard copies of important data as well as digital versions. Don't ask me why.
Back to HP's solution. Hiding within a gigantic amount of printer is the HP Photosmart eStation e-All-in-One Printer - C510a . Instead of sending documents that you want to print to a printer, you send it to a tablet. From their you can decide whether you want to print the document or not, otherwise you can keep the document on the Android based HP tablet and use the screen on the tablet as digital paper.
This Tablet is extremely maneuverable weighing in at less than half-a-pound, yet it does not give away screen estate with a large 7 inch (diagonally) display. So, we can check mobility off the list. Now, with the many apps in the Android Market (the tablet runs Android 1.6) there is bound to be an app that allows you to edit .doc and .pages documents with digital highlighters and pens. You can easily pick up an app like PenUltimate that can do these things for only 99 cents, which is less than a pack of pens at Staples. Now we can cross editing off out list. Last on our checklist is peace of mind. Since this tablet runs a Google Operating System, it takes advantage off all of what the Google experience has to offer; mainly, Google's forte is the cloud. Almost every service they built takes place and store information in the cloud, which allows you to access it from anywhere and to not be afraid of losing the document. The ideology is simple. If you lose this HP tablet, but you still want to access your files in dropbox, google docs, box.net. ect. you can. No matter what. It's like insurance for your files.
HP really has established itself of the years as a company that innovates in printing, however this time HP's true innovation is being hidden away in lieu of a product that is easier for consumers to understand and more likely to have a mass adoption. However, as time goes on and more tablets materialize, HP will have lost it's opportunity for taking the credit that it rightfully deserves of creating the future of printing. Then again, HP might have something even better in store for us.
This Tablet is extremely maneuverable weighing in at less than half-a-pound, yet it does not give away screen estate with a large 7 inch (diagonally) display. So, we can check mobility off the list. Now, with the many apps in the Android Market (the tablet runs Android 1.6) there is bound to be an app that allows you to edit .doc and .pages documents with digital highlighters and pens. You can easily pick up an app like PenUltimate that can do these things for only 99 cents, which is less than a pack of pens at Staples. Now we can cross editing off out list. Last on our checklist is peace of mind. Since this tablet runs a Google Operating System, it takes advantage off all of what the Google experience has to offer; mainly, Google's forte is the cloud. Almost every service they built takes place and store information in the cloud, which allows you to access it from anywhere and to not be afraid of losing the document. The ideology is simple. If you lose this HP tablet, but you still want to access your files in dropbox, google docs, box.net. ect. you can. No matter what. It's like insurance for your files.
HP really has established itself of the years as a company that innovates in printing, however this time HP's true innovation is being hidden away in lieu of a product that is easier for consumers to understand and more likely to have a mass adoption. However, as time goes on and more tablets materialize, HP will have lost it's opportunity for taking the credit that it rightfully deserves of creating the future of printing. Then again, HP might have something even better in store for us.
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