HP TouchSmart Printers Cut The Cord From The PC
The Web-based printing platform comes with preinstalled HP apps from partners including USA Today, Google, Fandango, Coupons.com, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, Web Sudoku and Weathernews. Users can download content by pressing an icon displayed on the 4.33-inch touch screen -- the largest LCD touch screen of any all-in-one inkjet printer on the market, according to HP.
Choosing one of these apps lets users have free access to customized daily news, maps, coupons, coloring pages, movie tickets, recipes, personal calendars and other information.
For example, by selecting the USA Today app, users can print daily, weekly or monthly news from the paper that is updated in realtime and customized according to interests, such as sports, news and politics.
"Think of the dynamic of a commuter going to their printer every morning, pressing one button and a daily newspaper comes out," said Jeff Webber, publisher, USAToday.com, in HP's demonstration that was Twittered live.
For instance, to get an old-school map in hand, users can print from the Google Maps icon after entering a destination. Google also offers its Calendar app to print out schedules.
The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web also lets users print out tickets in advance for movies showing at 16,000 theaters across the country serviced by ticket seller Fandango.
The DreamWorks Animation app lets users view movie trailers to upcoming releases without having to log on to a computer. Nickelodeon printables include color-ins, word finds, mazes and other material from shows including "Dora the Explorer," "The Wonder Pets," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "iCarly."
"Twenty-five years ago we invented consumer printing and today we are taking advantage of the content explosion and reinventing the category by launching an entirely new printing platform -- powered by touch and empowered by the Web," said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, HP Imaging and Printing Group.
There's also good news for developers: In addition to the current roster of preloaded apps, users also can download new apps as they become available at the HP Apps Studio.
The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web prints out other things as well, enabling production of what the company said are "laser quality" text documents and "lab quality" photos. Users also can print directly from Wi-Fi-enabled PCs, Bluetooth-enabled devices and Apple's iPhone and iPod touch using HP iPrint Photo.
"By giving people access to the content they want at the touch of a finger, the ability to customize their printing experience and create their own apps, and enabling easy 'one-touch' wireless setup, we are driving a significant shift in how people will be printing in the future," Joshi said.
The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web is slated for release in September and has a street price of $399.