Review of Epson Artisan 810 All-in-One Wireless Printer Scanner Fax

For years under Windows trying to scan was always a headache. When I switched to Mac OS X back in '04, keeping my trusty HP Laser Jet 3380 scanning properly never worked very well either. I think they finally killed support for it with Leopard - and I could never successfully scan over the network.

So, when something simple like scanning over WiFi and printing iPhone photos comes together elegantly and almost effortlessly, I'm kind of amazed again despite my depth of involvement with personal computers and technology.

The Epson Artisan 810 Wireless All-In-One Printer gave me this sense of amazement again this week ... and for an extremely economical price.

Most importantly, I wanted a device that would allow me to replace my EFAX service (read my EFAX warning below) with the ability to scan multi-page documents into PDFs and the ability to do so over WiFi. The Artisan and its automatic document feeder does this quite well. I can scan over WiFi from my Mac over WiFi, or from the the device to my Mac over WiFi or to a USB Flash drive or compact flash drive - lots of flexibility. And, it works great in OS X Snow Leopard (just make sure you install the Epson Snow Leopard updates from the web).

The Artisan also supports the super useful and fun Epson iPrint iPhone Application which makes printing iPhone shots to the Artisan a simple one step wireless joy. I haven't really delved into WiFi printing but my iPhone camera just got a lot more interesting, no messing with iPhoto and file management, just choose the photo and click to print. The Artisan also has slots for Compact Flash, Micro SD and xSD as well as the USB Flash for printing photos directly from the device.

The Artisan's large touch screen display makes configuring the device for your WiFi network and everyday use of the device quite easy. The software install could still be a bit smoother and less annoying (pops in front - always on top - so you can't multitask during the install). The OS X software utilities could be better organized too - accessing the memory card over WiFi requires a few extra installation steps. However, overall this is an easy machine to use.  The MyEpson site is actually very useful with a FAQ, handy video tutorials and mostly well organized user interface - more useful than these sites usually are. 

The Artisan paper tray is actually a bit complex to use but that's because it supports both plain paper and photo paper simultaneously. So, I can literally print a paper document from the Mac, then a photo from my iPhone without changing anything around. Unfortunately, printing envelopes requires moving the paper out of the tray.

The Artisan also has automatic duplexing or two sided printing. It's a great way to save paper and now I don't have to manually print odd pages first, flip the printed pages and re-feed them and print the even pages - that never really worked well for me. It also prints 4 pages on a single page if that's readable for you. 

This device has so many skills: It's a fax machine. It prints color labels onto CDs - yes, there is a CD slot - no need more those CD label printing kits any longer.

At $199, this device runs circles around the $425 Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500.

As for EFAX, it's a terrible company that provides a relatively useful service. But, fax is nearly dead. Most people I work with exchange scanned PDFs, which is why the Artisan is such a useful affordable device. EFAX is an extremely difficult service to cancel. Avoid EFAX if you can.

Study: 73% use bank password everywhere

Yet another good reminder that you should be using an inexpensive password managent solution like 1Password:

MSNBC reports that 73% of users are using their bank password on other Websites.

Password overlap also creates an easy end run around sophisticated banking security technology, which is only as strong as the weakest site where the password is used. Banks might enforce strong password creation requirements, for example. But if a consumer uses a bank password it at a poorly defended small site, a hacker can break into the small site, steal the log-in information and essentially crack the bank's high-tech system.

via redtape.msnbc.com

This story from Twitter gives an example of another way criminals can get your email and password and then try it at bank sites.

iPad 3G Costs Raise Spotlight on Compounding Internet Access Fees

So Many Devices, So Many Access Fees!

It's wonderful that we have so many wireless digital devices to enrich our lives and hopefully make ourselves more productive. But, just how many times should I have to pay for Internet access?

After the iPad launch, the New York Times Bits blog asked: To 3G or not 3G? I'm leaning towards an iPad with WiFi (no 3G), because if anything, I'm trying to reduce the number of providers I pay for Internet access. For now, the only thing AT&T allows us to tether to devices is our wallets...

At home, I pay Comcast about $45/mo. for broadband Internet access. On my iPhone, I pay AT&T $30/mo for unlimited data access. For the past couple of years, I've paid Verizon $60/mo. for 3G wireless access on my laptop via a USB modem so that I don't have to rely on often shaky public WiFi. If I purchase an iPad with 3G, AT&T wants another $30/mo for unlimited data access. Add it all up, $165/mo. for Internet access fees.

Consolidating My Paid Internet Access

For now, I'm looking at replacing my Verizon 3G USB modem with a MiFi 3G or Overdrive 4G/3G device. 

The Overdrive (MobileCrunch review), offered by Sprint for $49-$99 with a two year plan, provides fast 4G access in major cities and fallback to 3G access when in other areas. It acts as a portable router providing WiFi access to up to five devices.

If you're lucky enough to live in a city with 4G, there are performance gains to be had when you're using your modem locally. Sprint is quoting a competitive $59/mo price for 4G/3G plan right now. Also, 4G plans offer unlimited data access. Furthermore, if you live alone at home, you may be able to ditch your DSL/cable modem for your portable 4G device. 

The MiFi is a credit card sized portable router which provides 3G Internet access for five devices simultaneously. Most providers offer the MiFi free with a two year plan and the monthly fees are about the same. I'm encouraged by reviews (JKOnTheRun and CNET) that seem to indicate the MiFi powers up and connects in seconds, offers 4+ hours of operation under regular usage and recharges easily via USB. The MiFi costs about $200 without a data plan, which may also be an attractive price.

Theoretically, using a small, portable router like the MiFi or Overdrive might allow me to get by without Comcast or any AT&T data plan (iPhone or iPad). Wouldn't that be nice.

Prospective iPad Buyers: To 3G or not 3G?

Steve Jobs said many folks may be able to get by with AT&T's $14.95/mo. 250 MB package with the iPad. I'm skeptical of this. Pundits differ, The New York Times says, "In short, paying $15 per month wouldn’t be enough to catch an hour of live baseball over the 3G network and would just barely cover six hours of Web browsing." while Glenn Fleishman says he's used only about 270 MB/mo. on his iPhone. Fleishman includes instructions to check your own iPhone data usage. My own was less than 200 MB/mo. But, the whole point of the iPad is that the larger screen size and fast performance is going to make us want to browse the Web more, much more - and watch more video from HD YouTube clips to iTunes movie rentals. I just don't think the iPhone is a good comparison to your likely iPad data usage.

In general, the iPad is a device I'll use in coffee shops and at home - not so much on the go. And, it's a first generation device, likely to be quickly outmoded in a year. So, I'm going to buy one of the cheaper WiFi iPads and look at switching to a MiFi or Overdrive to consolidate my Internet access costs with my laptop and other devices.

The Root Issue is Broadband Rights

The real issue here however is the failure of government entities to provide high performance Internet access in the form of municipal WiFi. This article on the Killer App of 1900 by Fleishman (via Slashdot) compares early debates about access to electricity to public broadband. Here's hoping one day we can get free high speed access for all of our devices wherever we live without paying an arm and a leg and an arm and a leg etc.

Or, you could hold your breath for wireless companies to offer subscribers a univeral access account or device tethering. Good luck with that.

NewsCloud Receives Knight Foundation Grant to Launch Facebook Sites for Twelve News Organizations

I'm excited to announce that NewsCloud has received a new Knight Foundation grant to continue our work on Facebook applications. The focus of this grant is to work more directly with news organizations and expand our open source development community. Hope you'll check it out...

Through April 2011, twelve news organizations will launch Facebook sites with NewsCloud's open source Facebook application technology, thanks to a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The goal of the grant is threefold:

1. To launch community news sites inside Facebook with twelve media partners showcasing different ways of leveraging the popular social network to reach new audiences. 
2. To improve and expand the features and capabilities of the existing NewsCloud Facebook application.
3. To broaden participation in the open source development community around the NewsCloud Facebook application.

Learn more here

Using Senuti to Play Music from my iPhone on my Macbook Computer

I'm currently working with music from my iPhone playing through my computer. While Apple and iTunes don't allow this natively, FadingRed's Senuti OS X application supports this. You can also transfer music between your iPhone and your computer with the application. This is the way it should work anyway - Apple!

Senuti comes with a 30 day free trial (1000 song limit) or is $18. 

How to Securely Manage All Your Passwords

After reading about 1Password for Mac OS X and iPhone in the New York Times, I decided to give it a try. I am highly recommending it to friends and colleagues. 1Password has helped me get out of the habit of re-using passwords and I no longer need to memorize my credit card numbers.

If you're a Mac OS X user, 1Password is very easy to use. It integrates with Safari and Firefox to make saving and automating logins and generating new strong passwords super easy.

I use it across multiple Macs with the help of DropBox. Here's the readme for integrating DropBox with 1Password.

The iPhone application sync via WiFi and is helpful for storing secure notes, credit card info and Web application logins - though I find I use it less than on my desktop Mac.

Give it a try. There is a 100% money back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

Featured Domains for Sale 2010

Here are some of my featured domains for sale in 2010. Email your offers to jeff at newscloud dot com, or place an offer at SEDO.com:

allmisses.com fatcar.com gpsbeacons.com handwave.com infogirl.com lifestick.com madfashions.com mainstory.com majorhomes.us msgreen.com otcmed.com popcloud.com radiodna.com sonicplanet.com stampfree.com surfarea.com surplusretail.com teamgirl.com unitedkids.com zeneye.com

See more Internet domains for sale here

Kindle 2 to Survive the Apple Tablet

I'm pretty sure that the Apple Tablet announcement on January 26th will be a death knell for my larger Kindle DX, but I think the Kindle 2 (small book book e-reader) will continue to sell quite well through 2010.

The Kindle 2 is so portable and functional e.g. long battery life, easy on the eyes (eInk better than tablet LCD), well-integrated with Amazon bookstore. But, the Kindle DX is big, heavy and mostly useful for reading news sites ... which the Apple Tablet will excel at.

So, I think it's safe to buy the Kindle 2 if you want a great portable book reader with long battery life at $249. Amazon's continued dropping prices on it to keep it competitive. I'd stay away from the DX though for now.

You may also want to consider the B&N Nook.

Merge All Windows and Split Tabs into Windows in Safari 4

 Silly I hadn't seen this before. But, it's really nice:

Safari 4 makes it stunningly simple to combine all those open windows: choose Merge All Windows from the Window menu. If you’d rather view web pages you have open in tabs as separate windows ‘tear off’ the tab downwards into the window. As you drag downwards a thumbnail image of the web page ‘unfolds’ from the Tab Bar. Drag that image to anywhere on your screen and it opens as a new Safari window.

via mactips.info

Mikey Portable Recorder for iPhone

Via @florangela, Blue Microphone has announced an update to their Mikey professional recorder microphone for iPhones: Second-generation Blue Microphones Mikey announced, uses free app (TUAW)

The new Mikey also has a 3.5mm line input for those times that you want to plug in a sound source like a guitar or mixer. There's also a USB pass-through connection for charging and syncing. A newly designed case makes Mikey usable with most iPhone cases, and the mic can be adjusted to seven fixed positions within a 230-degree range for optimum positioning. But wait, there's more! Blue is also throwing in a soft carrying pouch for Mikey, along with a headphone extension cable for playback monitoring with the iPod touch and nano.