Yearly Archives: 2009

HP Photosmart C8188

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The HP Photosmart C8188 has memory card slots and a lightscribe CD/DVD drive. Not only does this printer read from CDs, but it can also print labels directly onto the face of the CD or DVD. there is a 3.5 inch touch screen with an easy interface, that somewhat resembles a windows XP theme. Like the Epson Photo stylus TX700W, this too has Ethernet, WiFi, and olso come with Bluetooth, so almost any phone or laptop can shoot out prints without the hassles or wired connectivity.

HP Photosmart C8188

HP Photosmart C8188

Some detail on our first test image was lacking and also the overall color tone of the print was on the warmer side. The second test image was more balanced, but again, a few details with regard to the textures were missing here and there. The combi-document, consisting of text and images, showed smooth and readable text and well distinguished colors on the images.

The HP Photosmart C8188costs $499, which may seem pricey, but if you do need a feature rich photo printer with all connectivity options including an optical drive that can read your digital media, then this is something you should buy.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Business of iPhone Apps

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July marked one year since Apple began allowing independent developers to sell their apps through the iTunes App Store. During the year that passed by, we have witnessed a frenzy from geeks all over the world to create a variety of applications for the iPhone.

iPhone Apps

iPhone Apps

But are any of these geeks becoming millionaires selling inane applications such as “Rate a Fart 2.0″, which, incidentally, is selling for 99 cents? All logic points towards a Firm no. Still that hasn’t stopped the App Store’s repertoire from reaching well over 50,000 apps and more than 1.5 billion downloads. The base and top or this pyramid consists of applications that cost less than a dollar. One might in fact be inclined to think Apple is running a digital dollar store.

The best seller lists titles such as GloBall and Flight Control — both games. These are hardly the building blocks of something that can become as big as an Amazon or eBay.

Besides, most veteran app developers around the world are saying that the app store is now very crowded. Getting noticed is therefore becoming even more difficult. There are sites such as l48Apps.biz that even give app makers tutorials on how to market their applications. Tips include getting your app reviewed on some of the dozens of app review sites that have sprung up, such as AppScout.com.

Making apps might be serious business or just something that geeks do on the side for fun or popularity. Yet, there are signs that more serious and utility- oriented apps are on their way. For example, the QuickOffice Mobile Office Suite that has crept in at the 99th position on the top 100 list. It’s a $12.99 application for creating, editing and synching documents and spreadsheets. There i5 also a S 100-million dollar venture capital fund called iFund, that intends to “fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod Touch platform”.

However, the fund has so far managed to fund only five ventures. Considering the competition from Pre and Android that is expected in the near future, let’s hope the enthusiasm of app makers continues undampened.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Google Voice Is Now Truly Mobile

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Google Voice

Google Voice

Google Voice, the invitation only service launched by Google a while ago has now been ported to Android and Blackberry. The service basically lets you have one “Google Voice” number which is connected to your other numbers such as your Office, Home and Mobile Number. You can choose which of the phones you want ringing when someone calls.

One of the features it boasts is caller groups, with restricted access to certain phones. For instance, friends can have access to all three numbers while your pesky neighbor can be allowed to bug you only when you are at home.

The best part is that people only have to remember a single number. The number stays with you for life, so even if you change your other numbers it doesn’t make a difference. Simply update the new numbers with the service. Google Voice also gives you other services such as voice mail and automated transcripts of the same.

With the newly released Google Voice Mobile Application for Blackberry and Android, placing outgoing calls from a Google Voice number has become easier, said a blog post from Google. The app is fully integrated with contacts on the phone. For the thousands of people who don’t have an Android or Blackberry device, Google has a mobile web version which can be accessed by typing m.google.com/voice into your mobile phone’s browser. The blog post also says that “Currently, Google Voice is only available in the U.S.” Let’s hope it comes to our stores soon.

Popularity: 12% [?]